Kurien Jacob

💻 2026 Super Bowl ads: 23% featured AI, with companies paying up to $10 million for 30-second spots. Wall Street sees AI disrupting software, with MNDY shares down 21% and Nasdaq up 0.9%. SaaS faces challenges as AI shifts focus to strategic human roles. Vertical software, like hospitality tech, needs to adapt by focusing on outcomes. AI-first products launched by companies like Lighthouse, ROH, LodgIQ, and others aim to stay ahead. Concerns arise about funding for large AI initiatives.

💻 Conversations with hotel operators reveal diverse AI integration levels in hotel operations. Many hotels are data-rich and have moved beyond basic AI adoption. Key areas for AI impact include cost leakages, staffing decisions, cleanliness, safety, and maintenance. Effective AI use leads to calmer operations and fewer surprises. The focus is on embedding intelligence where needed, rather than tool sophistication. Leaders are concerned with decision dependencies on individuals and the timing of visibility.