Marc Roebersen: AI, staff and the forgotten smile

Everyone is talking about AI. About how it will cost jobs, about how robots will take over our lobbies, about how the hotel industry will never be the same again. But perhaps we should talk about something else: about people.

AI is not the enemy. It is a tool – provided we use it for its intended purpose. Please let AI do the boring, repetitive tasks. Let it improve our administration, revenue management and forecasting. But let's not make the same mistake we made before. Because I see history repeating itself.

When Booking.com arrived, many hoteliers said: oh well, as long as we have good mattresses and serve fresh coffee, everything will be fine. Ten years later, we were all paying commission and had relinquished our power. Now I hear the same resigned tone about AI. “We'll do that later.” But later is too late.

At Clink, we now have self-check-in kiosks. Not to cut staff, but to free them up. Our receptionists are becoming ‘Lords of the Lobby’: people who actively engage with guests, share stories and create atmosphere. That may sound romantic, but it's hard work – especially when you're dealing with Generation Z. Many young employees literally don't know how to strike up a conversation anymore. They grew up with screens, not conversations. So we train them. Not in Excel, but in small talk. In hospitality. In genuine attention. Because that's something no chatbot can ever replace.

What worries me is that too many hotels see AI primarily as a cost-saving measure. Fewer people, higher margins. But then who will be left to provide the smile that guests come for? We all say that hospitality is about people, but we often treat our people as an expense. I often say that we treat young people in this sector as labour rather than talent. They are given a training form, an explanation of how to use the cash register and a few menial tasks. And then we wonder why they leave after a year, feeling burnt out. It's painful, because in Belgium you see men in their fifties proudly practising their profession in every restaurant. Here in the Netherlands, we ask you what you're studying until you're grey. For us, hospitality is temporary work: a stopgap, not a career.

I believe that now is precisely the time to invest in character. In employees who dare to take risks, who have personality, who are allowed to make mistakes. Characters cause friction, but they also generate energy. And energy is contagious – among employees and guests alike. Hospitality is not a spreadsheet. It is a profession that you learn from people, not from manuals. If we use AI wisely to reinforce that human aspect rather than replace it, we can all benefit.

I always say: we get to make people happy every day. How could that possibly make you grumpy?

But if we continue to squeeze the soul out of our work with KPIs, protocols and costings, we will lose exactly what made hospitality so wonderful in the first place: people who enjoy working for people.