Orient Securities·2025-09-18 13:09Investment Rating - The industry investment rating is "Positive (Maintain)" [4] Core Insights - The core value of AI in hotels lies in systematic cost reduction and efficiency enhancement, focusing on optimizing cost structures and resource allocation rather than just self-service at the front desk. AI can lower labor and energy costs through demand forecasting, dynamic pricing, and automated scheduling, while continuously releasing efficiency dividends in supply chain, equipment maintenance, and inventory management. Policy support and technological maturity will drive small and medium-sized hotels to follow suit, enhancing overall industry operational efficiency [3][7]. Summary by Sections Industry Overview - The global hotel AI market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 15% from 2020 to 2027, driven by the dual demand for customer experience upgrades and cost optimization. Applications such as smart front desks, self-check-in, dynamic pricing, and voice interaction meet guests' preferences for "contactless and personalized" services while significantly reducing labor and energy costs [7]. Key Players and Innovations - Leading hotel groups are achieving cost reduction and efficiency gains, with revenue management and smart rooms as breakthrough areas. For instance, Huazhu's "new front desk model" reduces check-in time to as fast as 10 seconds, while Shoulv's "AI digital store manager" provides traffic forecasting and dynamic pricing for nearly 7,000 hotels, enhancing RevPAR and operational efficiency. Atour leverages its ACARD membership system and "smart experience rooms" for facial recognition check-in [7]. Future Development - The future penetration of AI in the hotel industry will accelerate, focusing on three key areas: building intelligent middle platforms to integrate PMS, RMS, and CRM systems for cross-system data collaboration; naturalizing interactions through virtual customer service and digital humans for a more immersive experience; and expanding applications to security, cleaning, marketing, and refined member operations. With ongoing policy support, technological advancements, and capital investment, AI is expected to become the "infrastructure" for hotels to enhance operational efficiency and competitiveness, driving long-term benefits in cost structure optimization and service quality improvement [7].