French hoteliers are skeptical about the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) for customer relationships, according to a study conducted by Mews. The firm reported that 69% of French hotel professionals think AI should mainly boost productivity and improve work quality, while the comparable share in other markets stands at 63%.
France shows less optimism about AI’s effect on jobs, with only 53% believing the technology will generate more qualified and higher-paid positions, in contrast to 68% elsewhere. Moreover, 62% of French respondents feel AI could lessen stress and workload for staff who interact directly with guests, compared with 74% in other nations.
Time spent with customers
French hotel teams devote a larger portion of their day to direct guest interactions than their counterparts in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Germany. Matt Welle, CEO of Mews, explained that “In France, hotel teams devote a larger part of their time to direct exchanges with customers. This is precisely the dimension that technology should preserve, not replace.”
The research indicated that they allocate 28% of working hours to face-to-face service, while teams in the UK, US and Canada spend about 22% on the same activity. France also records the highest share of in-person contacts and the lowest share of time devoted to internal coordination.
Automation and data access
The study revealed that 44% of French professionals want to automate complaint handling, a figure that exceeds the 35% reported in other countries. They also expressed interest in automating taxi and transportation scheduling, with 39% favoring this option versus 30% elsewhere. Automated check-out, however, attracted less enthusiasm; only 21% of French staff showed interest, compared with 43% in the broader sample.
Mews estimates the chief barrier to AI uptake is limited data accessibility. Among current AI users, 73% have encountered incorrect outcomes because they could not link to other systems, and 23% face this issue on a regular basis. The company views this shortfall as a prompt to push for tighter integration among property-management, point-of-sale and payment platforms.
By shifting repetitive duties to intelligent tools, hotels can free staff to focus on reception duties, personalized service and follow-up, without imposing a one-size-fits-all model across different markets. Mews believes that AI should eliminate “invisible work” from employees, thereby safeguarding the personal connection that defines hospitality.