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The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the hospitality sector isn’t just changing how we manage operations, it’s quietly transforming how guests decide where to go, what to book, and what to expect. Whether they realise it or not, today’s guests are increasingly influenced by AI-generated summaries, smart rankings, personalised recommendations, and even image recognition. And while that may sound out of your hands - you have more control than you think. In this blog, we’ll break down the role AI plays in shaping your brand’s image, and the informed actions you can implement to strengthen it.
It’s natural to be wary of algorithms you can’t see, especially when they’re influencing your online reputation and summarising guest reviews without context. But here’s the opportunity - AI is only going off what it is being told. The upside to this, of course, is that you can steer the conversation. Hospitality leaders who are embracing AI aren’t trying to “game” the system, rather, they’re learning how to influence it, using structured insights and operational improvements to train the very models that influence guest decisions. In short - if you manage your data well, you manage your reputation.
Your guests may still be reading individual reviews, but chances are, they’re reading AI summaries first - it’s difficult not to when often, it’s the first piece of information served by search engines. Here’s how AI plays a role at every stage:
Venue Summaries – Those short blurbs on Google, TripAdvisor, or delivery platforms? Often AI-generated from thousands of guest reviews. They’re now a first impression, and you know what they say about those.
Search Rankings & Recommendations – AI doesn’t just consider star ratings; it takes the review itself into account too, analysing sentiment, trending keywords (e.g. “great atmosphere” or “vegan-friendly”), and consistency of themes.
Chatbots & Voice Assistants – A guest may ask AI to “Find a spot with outdoor seating and great cocktails.” The information used to source these suggestions is taken from AI summaries and metadata. Scouring search engines for answers is starting to feel like a thing of the past, isn’t it?
Image Recognition – When guests upload photos to review platforms, this helps AI to identify features like food presentation and portion size. Over time, visual information extracted from these photos influences what is included in AI-generated summaries.
AI-generated summaries are not the same as human opinions; they’re built on facts, not feelings. Far from offering emotional nuance, AI highlights the most common recurring themes in guest feedback - efficiently and without fluff.
Example AI summary
“Generally, receives praise for friendly staff and fresh ingredients. Some criticism focused on long wait times and small portions.” This kind of summary may seem simple, but it tells us a lot, and it tells your guests even more.
AI doesn’t focus on one-off opinions - it highlights recurring patterns by balancing praise and criticism based on how often they appear and their overall volume.
That’s why it’s no longer enough to just respond to reviews - you need to influence future reviews by improving the guest experience itself. In other words, you must change the inputs AI is working from.
Shifting your mindset on AI is key here. These summaries aren’t just digital noise; they’re pointing directly at what matters most to your guests. By identifying common wins and frustrations, AI is effectively giving you a shortlist of what to fix, enhance, or celebrate.
That’s not a threat, it’s operational direction.
We’ve developed a practical roadmap for hospitality leaders who want to actively shape how AI perceives and presents their business.
Identify Recurring Themes - Use sentiment analysis to find patterns in your feedback – both positive and negative. What are guests consistently talking about?
Analyse Frequency and Variation - Drill down. Which dishes or services are getting repeated mentions? Are certain locations featured more than others?
Target Improvements - Pinpoint negative themes that are dragging down AI summaries and fine-tune operations to address those repeated concerns.
Example: “Slow service has been noted by some guests” becomes “Generally, staff are described as prompt and attentive.”
Enhance Strategically - Reinforce positive experiences. You’re not rewriting history, just making sure improvements are seen and felt – and picked up by algorithms.
Invite Guest Reviews - Encourage guests, especially those in improved areas, to leave reviews. New patterns will start to override old ones in AI systems.
HGEM’s suite of tools gives you the ability to manage AI inputs before they begin to influence your online reputation, including; sentiment tracking by subject, keyword & theme breakdown, cross-location dish performance, and proactive review prompts.
These capabilities are already being put into practice and influencing how hospitality operators are improving their outcomes. One example: a spike in negative comments about burgers led one brand to rework its prep and presentation. Subsequent reviews shifted sentiment back into positive territory, and over time, AI summaries followed suit.
But you do need to know what AI thinks of you, and how you can influence it.
Three Takeaways for Hospitality Operators:
Knowledge is power - Know how AI is summarising your business.
Influence starts with insight - Find recurring themes - especially negative ones - and be proactive in how you address them.
HGEM is offering a Free Sentiment Audit to show you how AI currently perceives your hospitality brand - and most importantly, how you can influence this.
Fill in your details here to get started.
Find out more about our Sentiment Analysis solution.
