Hospitality in the age of AI: Why the human touch still matters

23 Oct 2026 09:50AM

From leading teams to creating memorable guest experiences, the skills that technology cannot easily replicate are taking on greater significance.

A chatbot can answer a customer’s question. AI can analyse data, recommend a course of action and automate repetitive tasks. But can it reassure an anxious customer, sense when a colleague is struggling or rally a team through a crisis? 

As digital assistants take over more routine transactions, such moments raise a bigger question: What becomes more valuable when technology can handle more of the work? 

For Dr Sowon Kim and Dr Maggie Chen, faculty researchers at Swiss-based EHL, the answer lies in distinctly human abilities: judging what a situation calls for, understanding what people need and building genuine connections. These capabilities will become increasingly important not only in hospitality, but across service-driven industries in years to come. 

THE HUMAN SKILLS BEHIND EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP

The global service industry, spanning hospitality and tourism to financial services and luxury consulting, is expanding. According to The Business Research Company, the global services market was valued at US$17.38 trillion (S$22.18 trillion) in 2025 and is forecast to reach US$25.97 trillion by 2030, driven largely by growth in digitally delivered services and cross-border service trade. 

Against this backdrop, which leadership capabilities will endure as technology transforms service delivery? 

Dr Kim’s research at EHL addresses this question. Together with Dr Bertrand Audrin, she co-authored the Hospitality Leadership Skills: Executive Insights Report, which draws on four decades of research and insights from a panel of 22 senior industry executives. It identifies 30 leadership sub-skills across four domains: self-leadership, human connection, hospitality business and future-ready capabilities.

Self-leadership, including the ability to recognise one’s blind spots, act in line with personal values, take ownership of actions and remain steady through disruption, forms the foundation. “Self-leadership, however, is not what sets leaders apart. It is the price of entry to good leadership,” said Dr Kim. “It gives leaders inner stability in a context where uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity keep mounting.”

If self-leadership lays the ground, human connection enables leaders to put their capabilities into practice through others. “A leader can have a clear strategy and deep business expertise,” said Dr Kim. “But if they cannot communicate in a way others understand and make them feel seen, heard and valued, none of it reaches the people they lead.”

“AI CAN HELP PREPARE DATA, PROPOSE STRATEGIES AND RECOMMEND A COURSE OF ACTION. WHAT GROWS IN IMPORTANCE IS THE PART OF LEADERSHIP THAT WAS NEVER ABOUT TOOLS: READING PEOPLE ACCURATELY, BUILDING TRUST AND HOLDING TEAMS TOGETHER UNDER PRESSURE.”

– DR SOWON KIM, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT EHL CAMPUS LAUSANNE AND FOUNDER OF EHL’S WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE

Picture two general managers. One has been brought in to revive a struggling hotel; the other is launching a property that has yet to open its doors. Both face complexity and rely on human connection skills, but in different ways. 

The first must steady an unsettled team and lead difficult conversations about change while ensuring people still feel respected. Here, the relational work is reparative. The second must win the confidence of owners, new hires and partners, and create a shared sense of direction. Here, the relational work is generative. 

Dr Kim also argued that there is no universal formula for effective leadership. “Leadership must be understood in context, not measured against a fixed checklist.” 

Different situations, then, call for different combinations of skills – grounded in self-leadership and strengthened by human connection. 

A DEAN’S PERSPECTIVE: LISTEN TO LEAD

“Knowledge is essential, but knowledge alone does not make a leader,” said Dr Achim Schmitt, dean of EHL Hospitality Business School and incoming CEO of EHL Group. “The ability to listen, connect with others, make sound decisions and adapt is what turns knowledge into impact.

“At EHL, these human skills, rooted in our hospitality DNA, are an integral part of our education.”

LEARNING TO DEVELOP THE HUMAN EDGE

Human connection is central to EHL’s approach to hospitality education. Soft skills like emotional intelligence and cultural awareness have long been part of its teaching philosophy, alongside business and management capabilities. 

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Across its bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate and executive education programmes, EHL aims to support learners at different stages of their careers by combining academic rigour with experiential learning and industry immersion. Students undergo hands-on training and international internships, study alongside global peers who bring different perspectives, and tackle real-world business projects and challenges. 

By connecting theory with practical application, EHL’s curriculum is designed to equip students to work across functions and cultures, and lead through change and complexity. 

Among the various offerings at EHL Campus Singapore are executive education courses in hospitality, tourism and related industries, developed in partnership with SMU Academy – the professional training arm of Singapore Management University – and Singapore Tourism Board. The courses cover areas such as data analytics, sustainability, human skills development and leadership. 

These skills are relevant beyond hotels and restaurants. EHL graduates have also moved into sectors such as banking, consulting, real estate and luxury. 

CREATING EXPERIENCES TECHNOLOGY CANNOT REPLICATE

Many routine tasks in service industries are now automated. In hospitality, these include self-service hotel check-in kiosks and AI concierges. As digitalisation accelerates, people may find themselves craving deeper emotional connections, said Dr Chen, associate professor of marketing at EHL. 

“AI IS PRODUCING CONTENT ALL THE TIME AND PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WHETHER IT IS TRUE OR NOT. THEY ARE OVERWHELMED, TIRED OF TECHNOLOGY, AND LOOKING FOR AUTHENTICITY AND HUMAN INTERACTION.”

– DR MAGGIE CHEN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MARKETING, EHL CAMPUS LAUSANNE

Workforce expectations are shifting, too. EHL’s Hospitality Outlook Report 2026 noted that employees’ priorities have evolved, particularly among Gen Z workers seeking greater purpose, inclusion and well-being. Flatter organisational hierarchies and jobs that emphasise agency and project-based collaboration are seen as key factors in attracting and retaining talent. 

How can the hospitality sector give employees more autonomy while engaging customers on a deeper, more personalised level? One approach is to create immersive experiences, where staff design activities for customers to participate in. Instead of simply playing live music for guests, for instance, a hotel could invite them to play along or dance. Hotel chefs could also conduct cooking classes for guests. 

“Customers need to co-create the experience and it must involve the senses,” said Dr Chen. “The more senses involved, the more vivid that experience is. That’s how you generate emotions and memories.” 

A DEAN’S PERSPECTIVE: THE POWER OF THE HUMAN TOUCH

“Craftsmanship teaches more than mastery of know-how,” said Dean Patrick Ogheard, a chef-turned-educator who heads EHL School of Practical Arts. “It teaches respect, attention, discipline, adaptability and care for others.

“These qualities are acquired through practice and in the field. They become soft skills that no technology can replace.”

At their core, hospitality and service industries depend on interactions and relationships. As AI becomes more embedded in daily work, the human edge lies less in any single skill than in the capacities that bring them together: exercising sound judgment, seeing people as individuals and building meaningful connections. For leaders, the challenge will be to use technology in ways that amplify these distinctly human capabilities.

Published: 23 Oct 2026  Text: Brand Studio  Photos and video: EHL Hospitality Business School

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