Although 41% of organisations use AI tools daily or weekly, just 35% have deployed AI in guest-facing applications, according to a new report released by AI-powered customer data cloud company, Amperity.
The 2025 State of AI in Travel & Airlines report reveals how travel brands are experimenting with AI – and where they are falling short as the busy holiday season approaches.
Based on a survey of 800 hotel and airline professionals across executive, marketing, IT, and analytics roles, the report showed that as little as 12.5% of respondents feel confident, they are prepared to scale AI across their business.
“While travel brands are investing in AI, they’re hesitant to put it in front of guests,” said Tony Owens, CEO of Amperity.
“The challenge isn’t vision – it’s connection. Without a unified view of the customer and reliable access to quality data, AI can’t consistently deliver the personalized experiences travelers expect.”
Key findings from the report:
- AI adoption is widespread but shallow: 80% of travel companies are using AI in some capacity, but usage remains concentrated in marketing, customer support, and sales rather than direct guest engagement.
- Training and readiness lag: Over a third (36%) of respondents reported that their company provides no formal AI training, making it challenging to deploy AI safely in real-world guest interactions.
- Data fragmentation remains a hurdle: More than half (58%) reported their customer data is still fragmented or incomplete, limiting the ability to use AI effectively for personalization.
- CDPs drive faster progress: Organizations with a Customer Data Platform (CDP) were significantly more advanced, with higher daily AI use (54% vs. 28%), more guest-facing deployments (50% vs. 19%), and broader adoption across business units (19% vs. 4%).
Despite current gaps, momentum is growing. Nearly all (96%) travel professionals expect AI spending to increase or hold steady over the next year. The report outlines a practical path to move from pilots to production-ready AI, including:
- Unifying first-party guest identity across touchpoints
- Productionizing data preparation workflows
- Prioritizing guest-facing use cases with clear metrics
- Closing training and governance gaps with role-based enablement
“AI only delivers real value when it runs on unified, privacy-safe data,” said Derek Slager, co-founder and CTO at Amperity.
“When identity is resolved with precision and profiles stay current across every system, brands can safely bring AI closer to their guests — delivering more personal, meaningful experiences with confidence.”
