By Georges El Hajal, MA, Chartered MCIPD
Senior Lecturer and Researcher, Hotel Management School Leeuwarden, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, and PhD Candidate, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen
Hospitality has always been defined by warmth, intuition, and genuine human connection. Yet today, as the industry struggles with persistent staff shortages, shifting employee expectations, and rapidly advancing technology, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) in talent management seems inevitable and complex.
How can hospitality embrace AI without sacrificing its core human essence?
Georges El Hajal’s recent research with Prof Ian Yeoman and Prof Stanislav Ivanov explores this question, using innovative scenario planning and strategic foresight methods to explore how AI, particularly Generative AI (GenAI), could transform hospitality jobs by 2035.
Exploring Possible Futures
Through international collaboration with industry experts, academics and advanced GenAI platforms like ChatGPT, DeepSeek and Gemini, Georges developed multiple future scenarios, each revealing key insights:
AI-Driven Utopia: AI completely reshapes recruitment, onboarding, and employee training, dramatically improving efficiency. While appealing, this scenario also raised significant concerns about depersonalisation and ethical dilemmas as algorithmic decisions overshadow human judgment. AI Overreach: A cautionary vision of extensive automation where the loss of human interaction leads to widespread dissatisfaction. AI’s lack of empathy and contextual nuance damages workplace morale, highlighting the risks of unreflective technological integration. AI-Human Harmony (Preferred Scenario): Experts overwhelmingly favoured a balanced approach, envisioning workplaces where AI complements rather than replaces human roles. In this future, routine tasks are automated, freeing professionals for strategic thinking and meaningful guest interactions. New roles like AI ethicists, empathy trainers, and data stewards emerge, blending technology skills with human understanding. Slow AI Adoption: A scenario reflecting cautious implementation, with limited AI integration to safeguard traditional hospitality values. While attractive, the risk is reduced competitiveness if not paired strategically with careful, targeted technological adoption.
Gen Z and the Ethical Imperative
Georges’s studies show that the upcoming Generation Z workforce values purposeful work, meaningful interactions, and clear ethical standards. They remain sceptical of technology that prioritises efficiency at the expense of personal connection and workplace integrity. AI must, therefore, enhance human capacities rather than diminish them, aligning closely with Gen Z’s values.
Educational Transformation
The implications for hospitality education are profound. Hospitality schools must urgently embed AI literacy, ethical reasoning, and strategic foresight into curricula. Students require practical skills and a deep understanding of AI’s strengths, limitations, and ethical dimensions. Education must evolve to prepare graduates capable of critically interpreting and shaping AI-driven workplaces, ensuring technology serves human-centred hospitality goals.
A Balanced Way Forward
AI undoubtedly offers tangible benefits, reducing administrative burdens, enhancing workforce analytics, and fostering personalised professional growth. Yet, without thoughtful integration and ethical oversight, AI risks eroding the qualities defining exceptional hospitality.
The future is not about choosing between technology and humanity but strategically blending both. By approaching AI integration thoughtfully and ethically, hospitality can navigate uncertainty, attract future talent, and preserve its distinctive human heart.
For a detailed exploration of these futures and practical implications for hospitality professionals, check the complete papers:
El Hajal, G., & Losekoot, E. (2024). Gen Z talent management: Hospitality industry insights. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 24(1), 139–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332845.2024.2405790
El Hajal, G., & Yeoman, I. (2024). AI and the future of talent management in tourism and hospitality. Current Issues in Tourism, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2024.2439395