The Hospitality Show, taking place this week at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, promises to drive profitability for owners, operators and hospitality innovators through dedicated content, extensive networking and 400+ operations and technology vendors.
In this installment of The Hospitality Show Speaker Q&A, we catch up with Whitnee Hawthorne, global head of travel and hospitality at Snowflake. She presented, The AI Blueprint for Leaders: From Silos to Strategy, this week at The Hospitality Show.
1. Please tell us about why the future of hospitality will be driven by AI?
The pace of innovation demands that leaders prioritize strategic clarity over technological hype. Right now, the most exciting shift gaining critical momentum is the deployment of Agentic AI for employees. This moves beyond customer-facing chatbots to fundamentally transform operational efficiency, allowing staff to make faster, better decisions. By automating routine insights, we are giving our teams back their bandwidth to focus entirely on human-centric service—the core asset of hospitality.
However, a trend that demands far more immediate attention is the imminent disruption from LLM-based shopping. This is the most consequential distribution challenge since the rise of the OTAs. As customers gain the ability to delegate entire bookings to their personal AI agents, individual providers must urgently adapt to ensure their brand remains the preferred, machine-readable choice.
This environment defines the biggest strategic opportunity: Unlocking the Unified Guest Profile. Success in the coming year hinges on establishing the governed, unified data foundation necessary to power the next generation of AI. This moves the industry past fragmented systems and finally enables predictive service and personalization at scale, which will define market leadership.
To the emerging leaders shaping this future, my advice centers on two mandatory truths. First, AI is here now. If you are not utilizing it, your company will fall behind. But simply acquiring AI is useless without a strong data strategy; that foundation is where security, governance, and trust originate. Second, understand that AI isn't about doing things faster; it’s about doing them fundamentally differently. The true winners will use this technology to solve previously unsolvable problems. I look forward to taking the stage at The Hospitality Show to share our blueprint for strategic AI adoption, ensuring we collectively lead this critical transformation.
2. What’s one shift you’re excited to see gaining momentum in hospitality right now?
The momentum around using Agentic AI to empower employees. This shift moves AI from merely optimizing guest-facing tools to fundamentally improving how teams operate. By rapidly surfacing strategic insights and suggesting optimal actions, we are enabling staff to make faster, better decisions, freeing them to focus on the human-centric service that defines hospitality.
3. What’s one trend or innovation you believe deserves more attention in the year ahead?
The imminent disruption of LLM-based shopping. While the focus is currently on the retail sector with platforms like ChatGPT, the capability for customers to book entire trips and stays using their personal AI agent is now at our doorstep. This means individual providers must urgently adapt to ensure their brand remains the preferred choice when the AI agent brokers the deal.
4. What do you see as the biggest opportunity for hospitality businesses in the coming year?
Unlocking the Unified Guest Profile. The biggest opportunity is establishing the governed, unified data foundation necessary to power the next generation of AI. This moves the industry past fragmented systems and finally enables predictive service and personalization at scale
5. What advice would you share with emerging leaders as they shape the future of hospitality?
It may sound cliché, but AI is here now. If you are not utilizing it, your own role and your company's market position will quickly become obsolete. Having said that, there are two crucial insights to command:
AI Requires Strategy: Without a strong data strategy, your AI will be useless, or worse, harmful. You must be deeply engaged with your company's data processes now.
Think Differently: Using data and AI isn't just about doing things faster; it’s about doing them fundamentally differently. The true winners will use this technology to solve previously unsolvable problems. Past barriers are no longer constraints, and you must think about the world from the lens of a new playing field, not the one from 2024.
6. What were you most looking forward to at The Hospitality Show this year?
As this is my first time attending, I’m thrilled to learn from the industry leaders and, most importantly, to take the stage and share the blueprint for strategic AI adoption. Our focus is on how companies can leverage data to move past the hype, surpass competitors, and drive measurable customer and employee engagement—and all the financial benefits that follow.