Ajay 'AJ' Aluri

Because end of the day, when people come to your property, your resorts and restaurants and so on and so forth,

What do they expect?

They expect that human customer service, that service quality.

And that is something you can do better if you can integrate high-tech and balance it in a very good way.

Well, AJ, I've appreciated the chat.

Thanks for coming on the show, sharing your research with me and talking about what the future of hospitality looks like.

Absolutely, David.

Thanks for having me.

Great chatting with you.

AJ Alluri is an associate professor and founding director of the Nima Collin Hospitality Lab at West Virginia University.

No, absolutely, David.

We are in the crossroads of high-touch and high-tech, and there's no question about that.

And more and more hotels are trying to really solve the staffing problem.

The efficiency problem, right?

So these are the major challenges.

And then part of it is going into automation and AI.

And there's a huge adoption of AI happening right now.

And that is what, you know, you will see in the next five, 10 years.

So the goal is to, again, hospitality and tourism is more on the high touch foundation.

And if you're built on high touch foundation, you can do a great high tech on top of it.