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Mathias Coudert

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The restaurant industry’s biggest trend in 2026? It’s not AI. It’s not personalization. It’s Loyalty program! While everyone’s racing to add AI and hyper-personalization to their customer… | mathias coudert

🍽 Chipotle and Starbucks are set to revamp their loyalty programs in 2026, focusing on affordability rather than AI or personalization. In early 2025, Chipotle faced declining foot traffic, although 90% of app orders came from loyalty members, contrasting with 20% for in-venue. The trend highlights a shift towards points, tiers, and tangible value for the majority, while only 1% of customers seek personalized experiences. Understanding customer preferences is key to this strategy.
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1-800-HOTBLING

📱 Voice AI technology is revolutionizing restaurant reservations by enabling natural conversations and direct integration with management systems, without human intervention. Current systems can handle availability, modifications, and confirmations. Third-party platforms like Resy and OpenTable are costly, controlling online customer relationships. Voice AI offers personalized experiences and allows restaurants to prioritize regulars over scalpers. While expensive, early AI adopters will benefit. OpenClaw’s use case shows the growing trend for direct, personalized customer interactions.
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Voice AI or Chat AI? if you have to choose, choose both! Here's why: It's 11 PM. A guest's flight just got rerouted. They need a hotel room tonight. They find your property online. Call to book. It… | mathias coudert

📱 At 11 PM, a guest's flight is rerouted, needing a hotel room. Missing a call costs a hotel $299, but with AI, a human-like voice handles booking in 3 seconds, securing the revenue. Voice AI is crucial for emergencies and complex requests, while chat is ideal for quick queries. Properties using both see a 40% booking increase, with all interactions unified in one thread. Conduit AI explains more.
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Loyalty programs don't create loyalty. Conversations do. Here's what I'm seeing emerge: 🔹 The Shift Traditional approach: Deploy a loyalty program → Hope guests engage → Try to understand… | mathias coudert

💬 Who? Conversational Engineers. When? Emerging trend. Where? Hospitality industry. What? Shift from traditional loyalty programs to conversational engagement. How? By mapping conversation touchpoints and designing systems for personalized guest experiences. Why? To build genuine relationships and enriched guest profiles using agentic AI. Traditional loyalty programs rely on hope, while conversational approaches foster organic loyalty through meaningful, scalable dialogue. Small boutique hotels exemplify this approach, recognizing regulars through countless conversations, a strategy now scalable with AI.
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  • 2 min

The Hospitality Industry Needs Conversation Engineers. Here's Why: If you're in hospitality and haven't heard of a "Conversation Engineer" yet, you will soon. As AI agents move from experimental… | mathias coudert

💻 In 2026, the hospitality industry is increasingly reliant on Conversation Engineers, specialists who design AI-driven guest interactions. As AI becomes operational in hotels and restaurants, these engineers are essential for bridging technical capabilities with guest expectations. Effective AI use leads to a 90% decrease in routine inquiries and improved guest satisfaction by ensuring AI understands context and responds correctly. Expertise in hospitality operations, LLMs, and data analysis is crucial for success.
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  • 5 min

Reverse Dynamic Pricing

💸 During the holidays, a Reddit post alleging unethical practices by an unnamed delivery app went viral on Twitter and Substack. Tony Xu and other DoorDash co-founders publicly denied the accusations. The controversy is linked to dynamic pricing issues, reminiscent of past criticisms involving Wendy's and Instacart. In 2025, AI was widely adopted in hospitality, but consumers haven't seen significant improvements. As AI tools become more accessible, the balance of information and pricing power is shifting, impacting industries like hotels.
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  • 4 min

Hospitality Ins & Outs for 2026

📱United Airlines launched a new app amid skepticism as 85% of users access it only on flight days. By 2026, Ramp Economic Lab forecasts AI will automate significant customer service roles, particularly in hospitality. Sweetgreen's co-founder Nathaniel Ru departed after 19 years, following a $1 billion failed robot kitchen venture and brand issues in 2025. The future lies in evolving jobs to manage AI systems, reminiscent of how travel agents adapted in the internet era.
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