Latest news with #hyperPersonalization
Hospitality Net
4 days ago
- Business
- Hospitality Net
EHL Innovation Rewind: Rainer Stampfer on AI, Personalization, and the Human Touch at Four Seasons
During the EHL Open Innovation Summit in Lausanne, we sat down with Rainer Stampfer, President of Global Operations, Hotels and Resorts at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Our conversation explored the growing role of artificial intelligence in luxury hospitality, the evolving expectations around personalization, and why the human element continues to be the ultimate marker of excellence in high-end service. Which technology or innovation do you think will have the biggest impact over the next 5 to 10 years? There is a lot of conversation about artificial intelligence, and for good reason. We are still in early stages, but the potential to enable our team members is enormous. Our industry has not always been tech forward. For many years, funding and business models have limited innovation. But I believe we are at a turning point. We are finally in a place where we can move faster. The integration of AI is helping us break down silos and bring systems together. Today, our systems are still fairly fragmented, which makes it difficult for teams to use technology effectively. The opportunity now is to converge those systems in a way that enables our people to serve customers better. That is the real transformation. In luxury, there is a lot of talk about hyper-personalization. Do you think it will be seen as a true differentiator or just status quo? And is there a line that should not be crossed? There is always a line not to cross. But first, let me say that in luxury hospitality, we have always talked about personalization. I would argue the industry has not done a particularly good job at it. Historically, personalization has depended on individual team members. We have given them a framework, some support, but really it has been up to them. If you have the right people, it works. But structurally and systematically, we have not enabled it well. Technology now allows us to do that better. How we apply and execute it will make the difference. Will it be a success? Will it feel like too much? That depends on execution. Personalization still requires human judgment. It has to be contextual. It cannot be scripted. It has to show that we care. In a world of increasingly artificial experiences, do you think the human element will become the ultimate luxury? Yes, absolutely. In luxury hospitality, it all comes back to human connection. Socialization, real interaction, that is the essence. I do not know if luxury is the perfect word, but it is certainly how we label it. If you look at other segments, transactional or lower service tiers, the customer might not expect or even want a human interaction. But in luxury, human engagement will always be the key differentiator. It is what defines how well we deliver. And it justifies the value. So yes, humans are still the common denominator of hospitality at the top end. You are part of a globally recognized brand with deep legacy. How do you stay agile in this fast-moving world of tech? I would actually not call Four Seasons a Goliath. We are proud of the brand and its strength, but we are still a small company. We operate 133 hotels, 56 private residences, and we are building a yacht. The brand is strong and trusted, 64 years old, but we are a focused organization. We know one another. We have strong tenure across the team. And our concentration is laser sharp. Everyone talks about the same themes in hospitality today, but the difference is in how well you deliver. Focus and enablement make that possible. We serve a specific customer with consistent expectations, and we deliver that across 50 countries. In a sea of sameness, that clarity plays in our favor. About the EHL Open Innovation Summit 2025 This interview was recorded during the EHL Open Innovation Summit in Lausanne, where Hospitality Net joined as official media partner. The event brought together a global mix of thinkers and doers to explore the future of hospitality, food, and travel through open innovation. What made it special was the mix of ideas, formats, and people. It was not only about tech or talks. It was also about people showing up, working together, and sharing energy in real time. Key Figures 385 participants 48 speakers and contributors from more than 20 countries 7 innovation challenges collectively addressed 45 sessions 25 student volunteers 15 F&B startups letting us taste the future 1.5 days of connection, learning, and co-creation Key Insights from the Summit
National Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Airship Unveils Branching and Custom Views, Powering Unprecedented Agility and Personalization in Cross-Channel Customer Experiences
Article content New Branching and Custom Views no-code capabilities empower brands to deliver hyper-personalized, interactive experiences that adapt in real-time to drive more conversions and capture better data Article content Article content PORTLAND, Ore. — In an era where customer attention is scarce and expectations for seamless interactions are paramount, Airship, the cross-channel customer experience company, today unveiled two transformative capabilities to its Airship Experience Platform: Branching and Custom Views. These new innovations enable marketing, product and growth teams to move beyond generic, one-size-fits-all digital experiences and avoid the costly time and resource drain of rebuilding proven native content for novel uses. Article content Static and disconnected customer experiences are a leading cause of user drop-off and missed conversions. Airship's new Branching capability empowers marketers to craft responsive experiences for apps and websites that dynamically adapt in real time to individual user behaviors, keeping them engaged through tailored journeys — from onboarding flows that intelligently skip irrelevant steps, surveys that dynamically adjust based on previous answers, or promotional flows that pivot instantly based on expressed interest. No code, no dev time – just smarter content, better data and higher conversions. Article content Complementing this, Custom Views empowers marketers to dramatically increase efficiency and consistency by reusing existing, high-performing native elements from their app or website — such as interactive maps, shopping carts, saved favorites or lists, booking interfaces, loyalty dashboards or even native ad units — directly within their cross-channel experiences. This eliminates redundant development, accelerating the launch of richer, more functional, high-quality customer experiences across all digital touchpoints. Article content 'For too long, marketing and product teams have been forced to choose between personalized experiences and scalable execution, often sacrificing one for the other or waiting in long development queues,' said Mike Herrick, CTO, Airship. 'With Branching and Custom Views, we are empowering marketers to break free from outdated constraints, to build truly adaptive experiences that resonate deeply with individuals, and to do so with an efficiency that directly impacts the bottom line. This is about giving brands the tools to not only meet customer expectations but to consistently exceed them and unlock greater value from every customer interaction.' Article content Like all Airship no-code solutions, Branching and Custom Views use an intuitive visual editor and tap into the platform's AI-powered automation, segmentation and experimentation — empowering marketers to deliver one-to-one experiences with precision that would be difficult for technical teams to replicate, which in turn frees those teams to focus on major new innovations and features. Together, Branching and Custom Views empower brands to efficiently deliver agile, contextually relevant customer experiences defined by unprecedented personalization and interactivity. This is a significant leap forward, liberating marketers, product and growth teams to unify and optimize end-to-end customer journeys and ensure that every customer interaction is an opportunity to deepen loyalty, accelerate business growth and increase customer lifetime value. Article content Airship is trusted by world's leading brands such as Alaska Airlines, BBC and The Home Depot to drive revenue growth and customer loyalty with exceptional cross-channel customer experiences. Today brands are challenged to deliver seamless, unified customer experiences across a fragmented array of channels and devices— apps, websites, email, SMS, wallets and more. Article content Airship's no-code, AI-powered platform was designed with non-technical, growth-focused teams in mind, making it easy to create, test and orchestrate hyper-personalized experiences across all channels. With the ability to easily enrich customer data and rapidly launch growth experiments, Airship enables brands to deliver consistent, meaningful interactions that accelerate conversion and foster deeper customer relationships — accelerating growth and loyalty. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Article content Article content
