From faster check-ins to personalised stays, how AI is reshaping hotels in Dubai

Dubai: Artificial intelligence is now firmly embedded in Middle East hospitality. Most hotel groups are experimenting, piloting or actively using AI tools behind the scenes. Yet for many travellers, the experience still looks much the same.

That gap between adoption and impact is now the industry’s defining challenge.

A new PwC Middle East report shows that 91% of hospitality leaders in the region are already using or testing AI. Only 3% have managed to scale it across their organisations. The result is a sector rich in ambition but still uneven in execution.

As tourism volumes rise and competition intensifies, the focus is shifting from experimentation to delivery. What matters now is where AI actually changes the guest journey, lowers costs and improves service in visible ways.

The problem is not money. Nearly three-quarters of hospitality groups now have dedicated AI budgets. Many report clear gains, with 85% seeing measurable improvements in efficiency and cost control.

The real bottleneck is people.

Nearly 73% of organisations say they lack staff with the skills to manage AI tools or lead digital transformation. Systems exist, but teams struggle to connect data, integrate platforms and move beyond isolated use cases.

Moussa Beidas, partner and ideation lead at PwC Middle East, said the industry needs to shift gears.

“To unlock AI’s full potential in tourism and hospitality, industry leaders must move from pilots to scale, delivering personalised, predictive and seamless guest experiences,” he said. “Success will depend on embedding AI fluency across teams and expanding solutions that show real impact.”

Without that shift, AI risks becoming another layer of complexity rather than a driver of better service.

Behind the scenes, AI is reshaping how hotels operate. Predictive tools are helping optimise pricing and inventory. Automation is cutting manual processes. Data analytics are improving staffing decisions and demand forecasting.

These changes matter to owners and investors because they flow directly into margins.

Jonathan Worsley, chairman and chief executive of The Bench, which organises the Future Hospitality Summit, said AI’s role is often misunderstood.

“The opportunity with AI isn’t about replacing people,” he said. “It’s about empowering them with intelligence that deepens human connection, anticipates guest needs and optimises what already works.”

As operations become smarter, he added, hotels are seeing stronger financial sustainability and long-term value creation.

While much of the region is still scaling internally, Dubai has taken a different approach by focusing on what guests actually experience.

The emirate has rolled out a citywide contactless hotel check-in system that allows travellers to complete registration before arrival. Guests upload identification, complete biometric verification and confirm details on their phone. Once registered, the information remains valid until the ID expires. Future stays require only a quick facial scan.

All licensed hotels and holiday homes can integrate the system through their existing apps or websites. It is not brand-specific. It is a unified, government-backed framework rolled out under Dubai’s digital tourism agenda.

For travellers, the benefit is simple. You skip the front desk and go straight to your room. For hotels, the payoff is reduced congestion, faster peak check-ins and lower administrative load.

With nearly a quarter of Dubai’s visitors returning regularly, many guests only need to register once.

Contactless systems are spreading globally, but usually in fragments. Individual hotel chains roll out their own apps. Regulations differ. Identity checks often still happen at reception.

Dubai’s model stands out because it is standardised across the entire market.

In the US and Europe, mobile check-ins exist, but document verification often remains manual. In parts of Asia, self-service kiosks are common, yet foreign guests still queue for checks. What exists globally is a patchwork.

Dubai has replaced that with consistency, scale and ease of adoption. Hotels avoid costly hardware changes and plug into a secure, centralised identity system.

This aligns with wider smart-city infrastructure already familiar to travellers. Dubai’s airports use biometric passport control. Retail is dominated by tap-to-pay. Digital identity is routine and hotels were the missing link.

The PwC report argues that hospitality leaders should start with high-impact uses, reinvest gains and scale what works, rather than ripping out legacy systems. Strong data governance and continuous staff training are critical.

The workforce impact is also shifting. Seventy-seven percent of respondents expect AI to create new roles within five years, focused on managing systems, analysing insights and improving guest experience.

As the sector moves toward 2030, AI will become less visible and more embedded. Guests may not see the algorithms, but they will feel shorter waits, smoother arrivals, more relevant offers and better service consistency.