Nienke Bloem

Since the mainstream adoption of Gen AI in 2022 (the year ChatGPT was released to the public), AI is both revered and feared. Nonetheless, now that the travel & hospitality industry has had a few years to acclimatise to the ever-evolving phenomenon, AI doesn't cease in presenting infinite opportunities for efficiency gains. Therefore, how do we embrace the inevitable?

• While AI continues to present a challenge for online travel agencies, replacing a core selling point of the sector, in a world where we have no choice but to accept AI's innovations, how can OTA's, airlines, airports, and cruise lines embrace AI to survive?

• Which parts of customer experience require humans and which parts of the business do customers trust AI to handle?

• Should you take the plunge and integrate AI into all aspects of your customer experience at speed or implement a phased transition with a blend of manual operation and automated systems?

Post pandemic we've reached a new age where efficiency and personalisation are improving at speeds never before witnessed. Not only are customers comparing airlines, hotels, and travel providers on an international scale, they are now comparing their experiences to the likes of Amazon, Netflix, and Uber. Where one bit of customer service shapes the customers' perception of the next, the question is: How can your business overcome the comparison trap by stepping up to the mark and making its customer service unbeatable?

Building strong customer loyalty starts from within. Explore how fostering employee engagement, brand alignment, and a customer-first culture can directly influence guest satisfaction and long-term loyalty. Gain insights into how internal culture, training, and leadership strategies can empower teams to consistently deliver exceptional experiences that strengthen brand advocacy and retention.

Travel is inherently personal, but for many companies individualized service can be difficult to scale. Done well, AI agents can close that gap – helping customers find the right hotel or destination, supporting them after they book, and responding immediately when delays, cancellations, or other unexpected events disrupt their plans.

Delivering that experience requires the AI agent to move beyond providing information to actually solving problems and completing tasks on the customer's behalf. Its value comes from understanding what the customer is trying to accomplish, remembering relevant context, drawing from trusted information and knowing when a human should step in.

Des Traynor, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Fin, has spent the past three years building and deploying Fin, an AI agent that can work across the entire customer journey. In this conversation, Des will explore how travel companies can leverage their existing data and content base, expand their support operations without sacrificing quality, and deliver experiences that feel genuinely personal at scale.

A heated discussion on how the changing geopolitical landscape is leading to ever-evolving travel patterns that are becoming increasingly challenging to predict. Explore how to stay ahead of the curve with travel pattern trends and how to personalise offers accordingly, capitalising on a turbulent environment rather than missing out because of it.

• How can data integration improve organisations' ability to forecast shifting travel demand, customer behaviour, and ultimately help travel and hospitality brands maintain service continuity and customer trust during global instability?

• In what ways can diplomatic data-sharing partnerships between travel organisations and international stakeholders enhance CX strategy and potential personalisation offers?

• How can predictive analytics tools that monitor regulatory, climate, and geopolitical changes be harnessed so that brands can proactively mitigate changes to travel plans and redirect customers in a highly tailored way, establishing stronger customer confidence and brand loyalty?