AI Won't Replace Hospitality. But It Might Finally Give Us Time to Be More Human.

Hey. So, I run a business called Balloonology. On the surface, it probably looks like I decorate hotel rooms with balloons. And yes, I do.

But the more time I spend inside hotels, speaking with guests, watching staff and helping people celebrate life's biggest moments, the more I realise I'm actually in the business of guest experience.

Something I've been thinking about recently is AI. Every day there's another headline telling us AI is replacing jobs, replacing creativity or replacing people. Personally... I don't think it'll ever replace genuine hospitality.

Because hospitality isn't remembering your name. Hospitality is remembering that your wife hates lilies because they remind her of a funeral. Hospitality isn't recommending the highest-rated restaurant. It's recommending somewhere that serves the Somali food your partner grew up eating because that's what reminds them of home. Hospitality isn't checking someone into a room. It's noticing they're nervous because they're about to propose. Those things aren't data points. They're human moments. And I don't think we'll ever automate those.

What I do think AI can do is remove the boring parts. The repetitive admin. The endless searching. The copying and pasting. The hours spent looking for restaurants, activities, florists and gifts.

Imagine a concierge who spends two hours researching every itinerary. Now imagine AI doing 80% of that research in two minutes. Has the concierge become less valuable? I'd argue they've become more valuable. Because now they have more time to do the part guests actually remember. The conversation. The empathy. The thoughtful recommendation. The little details.

That's actually one of the reasons I've started building technology into Balloonology. A lot of people are surprised when they hear that. "What does AI have to do with balloons?" Honestly... Very little. But it has everything to do with the experience around them.

I'm building tools that help people discover hotels, restaurants, hidden gems and experiences around London and the West Midlands. Not because I think AI knows better than people. But because I think it gives me more time to be the person behind the recommendations.

My background before Balloonology was in change and technology transformation consulting, so perhaps I look at this differently. Technology has never impressed me because it's clever. It impresses me when it quietly removes friction. When someone can spend less time researching and more time enjoying their partner's birthday. When a hotel concierge spends less time behind a screen and more time speaking to guests. When planning a celebration becomes exciting instead of overwhelming.

That's where I think hospitality is heading. Not replacing people. Giving people more time to be people.

If AI writes your welcome letter... I probably won't remember it. If AI recommends a restaurant... I might enjoy it. But if someone remembers that my mum loves butterflies, my fiancé has always wanted to try that rooftop bar or that my daughter has been desperate to experience immersive theatre... I'll remember that forever.

Those are the moments that build loyalty. Not algorithms.

As Balloonology grows, I don't want to become a technology company. I want to become a hospitality company that uses technology exceptionally well.