91% of hotels use artificial intelligence, only 28% have a unified strategy
According to 2026 research, 91% of hotel chains have implemented artificial intelligence, but only 28% have a strategy that covers the entire company. Most AI decisions are made in daily tasks.
The Mews hotelier survey and h2c's "AI Opportunity" research show that in 2026, 98% of hoteliers used artificial intelligence. Nevertheless, 41% of them do not have a formal artificial intelligence policy, and only 28% of hotel chains have developed a strategy covering the entire company.
This gap between the breadth of adoption and the level of governance is the key signal. Most artificial intelligence decisions are made in daily operations — in tasks such as check-in, reservations, and internal correspondence. 59% of survey participants believe that front desk and direct guest communication roles should be managed by humans.
The research recommends carefully defining the degree of authority given to artificial intelligence. Three criteria are taken as a basis for this: the reversibility of the decision, the financial cost of an error, and the level of data readiness.
For hotels and guesthouses in Azerbaijan, this primarily shows the importance of a clear internal agreement on which tasks will be automated. Maintaining human oversight in processes involving direct contact with guests, while testing artificial intelligence in back-office tasks, appears to be the safer path.