Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Nigerian Hotels: A Pathway to Enhanced Customer Experience and Operational Efficiency

The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the hotel industry in Nigeria has experienced dramatic growth over the years in different areas, including technology. The integration of technology has totally changed customer experience and operational efficiency. The application of AI in the hotel industry comes with benefits and challenges, with emphasis on both customer experience and operational efficiency. The roles of AI in the hotel industry includes enhanced customer service, operational efficiency, personal experience, revenue management, and security and safety. Applications of AI in the hotel industry includes chatbots and virtual assistant, smart rooms and personalized experience, and automated check-ins and check-outs. The importance of customer experience impacts the hotels reputation, profitability and competitive standing, and factors influencing it includes service quality, technology and convenience, cleanliness and comfort, personalization, and security and safety. Operational key indicators are cost management, staff productivity, guest satisfaction score, automation and technology utilization, supply chain and inventory management, and energy and resource efficiency. The challenges of operational efficiency in Nigerian hotels includes high operational cost, skills gap and work challenges, limited adoption of technology, inconsistent power supply, and supply chai disruption. The factors impacting adoption of AI are cost, infrastructure and technology readiness, regulatory and data privacy concerns, technical expertise of skills gaps, customer acceptance and trust. The benefits of AI integration include competitive advantage and innovation, data driven decision making, enhanced customer service and personalization, enhanced security and safety, improved revenue management, and increased operational efficiency. A qualitative methodology approach in form of systematic review has been used. Findings and results clearly shows there are only a handful of hotels using AI powered solutions, but there is high potential for improvement in the industry.