Holidu Presentation at DSTNCMP²⁶

DIGITALIZED SYSTEMS: FASTER, CHEAPER, BETTER

Digital travel assistants, AI-powered chatbots, and automated booking systems are taking over tasks that previously required a lot of manual work. Rainer Schmitt from Holidu will demonstrate what this could mean for destinations that have previously defined themselves largely through the distribution of accommodations, in his presentation for the AI session within the thematic track "Targeted Use of Digital Data".

From host consulting and price optimization to guest communication, intelligent systems are increasingly taking over time-consuming tasks. This also changes the value chain within the destination.

Using live demos, we show what AI-powered systems can already achieve today: In the first use case, we demonstrate how an AI assistant actively advises hosts: It benchmarks accommodations against comparable offers, identifies potential in pricing and seasonal planning – and implements changes directly upon request.

In the second use case, participants will experience how communication between guest and host can take place today: from booking and automated answering of frequent questions – to intelligent handover to a human when AI reaches its limits.

What happens with the time gained?

Both examples make it clear: Much of what destinations previously had to provide in host newsletters, training, and manual support is increasingly taken over by intelligent systems more quickly, affordably, and with high quality. The central question is therefore not whether, but how quickly this development takes hold – and what destinations do with the time gained.

Creating spaces for encounters instead of competing with AI systems

Our thesis: The more digital travel preparation and booking become, the more important the analog on-site experience becomes. The implicit knowledge of people in the region can hardly be digitized. The host who knows that the hiking trail is closed. The local who knows the best insider tip – therein lies the new relevance of the destination: Success does not beckon in competition with booking platforms and AI systems, but in the creation of spaces for encounters and authentic experiences on site.