AI Realism Over AI Hype

More and more I hear that the doomsday theories around AI are, in reality, a game played by CEOs of major AI companies — designed to secure capital investment and justify the enormous valuations of their stocks.

At the same time, discontent is spreading globally, particularly among younger generations. Just recently, a real estate mogul was booed at during a Florida university commencement speech after mentioning AI. In April, a Gallup survey showed that only 18% of Americans aged 18–29 feel “hopeful” about AI. And according to marketing and AI guru Scott Galloway, two of the fastest deteriorating “brands” in 2026 are “AI” and the “USA nation”.

So where does this leave the hotel industry?

Hard to say — but to me, one keyword going forward is AI realism.

AI undoubtedly brings tremendous opportunities, and as an outsourced revenue management company for hotels, we will continue to stay at the forefront of technological adaptation. But we must clearly separate distracting hype from meaningful implementation, and always focus on real, measurable ROI.

Revenue Management Pricing Systems have been part of the hotel industry for around 15 years at scale, with many more solutions emerging over the past 5–10 years. And despite the recent AI hype cycle, many of these systems — while valuable and often highly effective — have not fundamentally changed in the last three years. Most remain algorithm-based tools.

That said, many solutions obviously do deliver clear ROI, and when combined with strong strategic execution, hotel performance definitely improves significantly.

The industry should absolutely continue to embrace technology — whether in guest experience, operational efficiency, or commercial performance. But we should not invest in AI for the sake of AI.

One principle in business remains unchanged: smart investments with clear ROI will always win. At berner+becker, we will continue to do what we do best: driving performance through strategic expertise and AI realism.