Technology is not enough

Trust, value and relational orientation as conditions for AI-driven personalization in the hospitality industry

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how hotels build and sustain relationships with their guests. Yet, the mechanisms through which AI-driven tools translate into meaningful relational outcomes remain the insufficiently theorised in the hospitality literature. This study examines how technology and artificial intelligence influence customer loyalty and digital communication and personalisation in the hotel sector, drawing on Relationship Marketing as its theoretical anchor. Following a quantitative and correlational design, data were collected from 94 respondents via an online questionnaire and analysed through path analysis using structural equation modelling in AMOS. The results reveal a clear and statistically significant relational chain: customer loyalty positively predicts AI adoption and use, which in turn strongly predicts digital communication and personalisation practices. A direct effect of loyalty on personalisation was also confirmed, alongside a meaningful indirect effect mediated by technology. Together, the model explains 77% of the variance in digital communication and personalisation outcomes, underscoring AI-driven tools as the central mechanism through which relational loyalty is operationalised. These findings invite hotel managers to reconsider AI not merely as an operational efficiency tool, but as a strategic enabler of deeper, more personalised guest relationships. The study contributes to the growing body of research on AI in hospitality and supports the development of more responsive, trust-based relational strategies in technology-mediated service contexts.