How hospitality providers can handle seasonality without sacrificing service

For hospitality providers, the guest experience is everything. Guests remember how they were treated, how attentive the staff were, and how well special requests were handled.

That experience often starts long before anyone arrives at the front desk or table. Whether online or over the phone, the first interaction sets the tone for everything that follows—from booking to check-out.

The challenge is that many teams are still stretched thin. A February 2024 AHLA survey of 400 hoteliers found that 67% are experiencing staffing shortages, with 12% describing the shortfall as “severe.” And while staffing remains a struggle, guest expectations continue to rise. According to 87% of CX and contact center leaders, customers expect immediate responses and more knowledge from advisors.

Why traditional staffing models don’t work

This gap between expectations and available staff only grows wider during peak seasons. With fewer employees managing daily operations, teams are overwhelmed. As staff focus on serving on-site guests, calls go unanswered, bookings are missed, and revenue opportunities are lost.

In-person service often suffers, too. When staff are stretched across too many tasks, even simple requests take longer, and the overall guest experience starts to slip. This strain impacts both front-of-house and behind-the-scenes operations.

Seasonal hiring is meant to fill the gap, but it rarely solves the problem. Training takes time, ramp-ups can be unpredictable, and scaling back after the season ends creates more instability. The result is an employment model that’s reactive, inconsistent, and costly.

A better way to handle guest calls during peak seasons

Many hospitality providers have turned to automation to meet rising guest expectations and reduce the impact of having limited staff. But traditional voice systems haven’t delivered. Too often, they rely on rigid, keyword-based IVRs that frustrate callers from the start. Guests are greeted with prompts like, “Please say in a few words why you’re calling,” only to be misunderstood or, worse, sent in circles.

For years, customer service leaders have struggled to fully resolve guest needs over the phone without staff involvement. But that’s changing.
AI agents now offer a new path forward. Unlike legacy IVRs, they can manage high call volumes, understand natural language, and handle complex guest queries with the care and accuracy of a human agent without compromising on speed or experience.

Deliver consistent service across all locations

Guests expect the same level of service every time they interact with a brand, regardless of which location they contact. But delivering a consistent experience across multiple sites isn’t easy, especially during busy seasons.

Deploying an AI agent makes scalable support across every location easier. Updates can be made once and rolled out across multiple locations so brand voice, policies, and processes are aligned. There’s no need to retrain staff or manage separate systems, creating a more efficient way to deliver a consistent guest experience at scale.

When AI agents are on-brand, resolve queries effectively, and create an enjoyable experience, they help build guest trust, reducing the likelihood that issues will need to be escalated to a staff member.

Unlock insights to improve the guest experience

Gathering feedback often falls to staff who are already answering calls, helping guests in person, and trying to capture feedback all at once. It’s a manual process that’s time-consuming and can lead to human error, especially when phone lines and sites get busy.

AI agents automatically gather unstructured data from every guest conversation and turn it into usable insights without adding extra work to teams.
That data can be shared across hospitality organizations to:

• Help train staff based on real guest interactions
• Inform marketing teams about what guests care about most
• Support sales teams with upsell opportunities
• Optimize seating during busy periods to get the most out of available covers
• Guide digital teams to improve online experiences

With better insights, hospitality providers can identify and address recurring issues before they reach the contact center to improve efficiency and guest satisfaction at the same time.

Handle high-volume, routine calls at scale

Many hospitality providers already list seasonal hours, check-in policies, and event information on their websites. But guests still call to ask for this information, which drives up call volume and puts pressure on staff.

An AI agent can handle these routine questions without involving a live agent, and guide guests to accurate, helpful answers or direct them to the right resource by sending a booking link or event schedule via SMS.

This kind of self-service support gives guests instant, consistent access to phone support, focusing on resolution, not just containment. It also helps guests feel heard and confident in the answers they receive by enabling natural, conversational interactions. Routine questions like check-in times or amenity details are handled automatically, while requests that require a human touch can be routed to experienced on-site staff.

Make the most of your PBX system

AI agents work even better when they’re connected to the right systems. Integrating with a hotel’s PBX makes it easier to route calls to the right department or room without tying up staff. It also helps manage internal extensions so guests can quickly reach services like housekeeping or room service without waiting on hold.

With these integrations in place, AI agents can greet guests by name and context. This level of personalization creates a more welcoming, intuitive experience and builds stronger brand affinity by showing guests you know who they are and what they need.

When the PBX is also integrated with the property management system (PMS), guest information, like room status, can be updated automatically across both systems. That means fewer manual updates, more accurate records, and faster service during busy periods. It’s a simple way to reduce pressure on teams while keeping operations running smoothly behind the scenes.

Why AI agents are essential for peak season success

Managing seasonality spikes in hospitality requires more scalable solutions. AI agents are the key to handling high volumes of calls efficiently and creating consistent service across all locations without adding additional pressure to staff.

By automating routine inquiries and capturing valuable insights, hospitality providers can exceed rising guest expectations and unlock new revenue opportunities. This approach guarantees every call is answered, booking opportunities are seized, and guest loyalty is strengthened, making customer service a true competitive advantage, even during peak times.

Speak to our team about how PolyAI can help you implement the world’s most lifelike and adaptable AI agent to deliver effortless CX at scale.