Everyone’s racing to deploy AI agents. Chatbots that book. Systems that anticipate. Platforms that personalize at scale. But here’s what the hype cycle misses: only 2% of travelers say they’d let AI make bookings without human oversight. Two percent.

The magic of luxury hospitality has never been about efficiency. It’s about moments, memories, and relationships that only people can create. The winners in this next chapter won’t be the ones who automate the fastest. They’ll be the ones who use AI to free their teams for what matters most: genuine, empathetic, human connection. This week we’re exploring what “human-led, AI-empowered” actually looks like in practice.