Βooking platform Profitroom has warned that hotel and pub-with-rooms operators risk losing revenue due to outdated chatbots on their websites. The alert comes as SiteMinder’s Changing Traveller Report 2025 reveals that 52 percent of consumers have abandoned an online booking due to a poor digital experience. A figure that has risen by three percent in the last year. AI for hotel bookings

Patryk Luszcz, UK regional director at Profitroom, says: “It appears that the traditional chatbot has reached its limit. It cannot keep up with the expectations of a modern, connected guest who values speed, relevance and personalisation.

“For years, hotels, pub groups and OTAs have relied on basic chatbots to provide round-the-clock customer service. However, now guests are more likely to abandon a conversation than complete a booking when faced with a clunky chatbot that feels more like a barrier than a bridge.

“It is impersonal, inefficient and out of step with the expectations of today’s traveller.”

Legacy Chatbots Out, AI Reception In: The Future of Hotel Bookings

According to Profitroom, most legacy chatbots rely on scripted replies and limited decision trees, failing to respond naturally to guests’ real needs. This approach, Luszcz argues, no longer meets the expectations of today’s connected traveller, who demands fast, personalised and human-like digital interactions.

In response, the company is investing heavily in intuitive AI reception services. These tools offer tailored, on-brand responses, recommend rooms and packages 24/7 and most importantly convert enquiries into bookings.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have made this shift possible. New systems can now interpret language as it is spoken, understand follow-up questions and tailor responses to each guest’s needs in real time.

Drawing directly from live booking data, they can provide accurate availability, pricing and personalised offers within the conversation itself.

Beyond Chatbots: Smart AI for Hotels

Rather than merely answering questions, these platforms guide decisions. They support multiple languages, adapt to individual guest preferences and handle complex or sensitive queries instantly, without diverting guests to email or another platform.

For hotels and pubs, this kind of technology helps increase direct bookings by simplifying the decision-making process and reducing drop-off.

It eases the load on reception teams by dealing with common queries automatically. It also brings together all guest interactions, whether they begin on the website, WhatsApp, or Messenger, into a single, manageable inbox. This provides a clear view of guest needs and enables more consistent service across every channel.

The best of these systems is deeply integrated with the hotel’s booking engine, staying constantly up to date with real-time availability, offers, and pricing. They leverage advanced large language models and natural language processing to offer real-time assistance, personalized recommendations, and efficient multi-channel communication with your guests. AI for hotel bookings

Patryk concludes,

“Technology should support hospitality and allow hotels to deliver service that is efficient but also thoughtful. The goal is not to replace the human touch but to extend it—to bring the warmth of welcome into the digital space and to make every guest feel understood, valued, and well looked after. The real future of AI in hospitality is not a chatbot, but a conversation.”

Final thoughts

The shift from legacy chatbots to AI-powered conversational platforms reflects a broader trend across the hospitality tech landscape—one that prioritizes guest-centric design, personalization, and seamless omnichannel experiences. While Profitroom is sounding the alarm, they’re not alone in rethinking guest engagement. Competitors like HiJiffy, Asksuite, and Quicktext are also racing to deploy large language model-based assistants capable of handling bookings, upselling, and multilingual support in real time.

This evolution aligns with findings from SiteMinder’s Changing Traveller Report 2025, which underscores that over half of potential guests abandon bookings due to clunky digital experiences. The industry is responding by integrating AI more deeply into PMS and booking engines, a move also championed by leaders like Oracle Hospitality and Cloudbeds, who have highlighted conversational AI as a key driver of direct revenue in their recent whitepapers.

What sets the next generation of AI platforms apart isn’t just automation—it’s their ability to replicate the intuition and emotional intelligence of human interaction. In an era where every digital touchpoint can make or break a booking, these tools are no longer optional—they’re essential infrastructure for competitive, modern hospitality.

About Profitroom

The award-winning Profitroom platform combines the market’s highest-converting booking engine with powerful marketing automation, advanced channel management, and an intuitive website builder—perfect for teams of any experience level and multiple properties.