Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming one of the defining conversations in technology, particularly in the hotel and travel sector. New tools promise faster workflows, smarter automation, and even fully autonomous solutions. The momentum is undeniable, but it raises a more important question:
How should AI be used in environments built on human experience?
As Tayler Gilmartin, onPeak’s Director of Product Management, puts it: “AI should support the people behind events, not replace them.”
At onPeak, that belief is more than a philosophy — it’s a design principle. It shapes how we identify friction, where we apply technology, and how we measure success. While technology continues to evolve, successful events still depend on human involvement — relationships, responsiveness, and service that can’t be automated.
From Philosophy to Platform: The AI Smart Suite
While some organizations are still exploring AI, onPeak has focused on how to apply it with purpose. The result is our in-house AI Smart Suite, a purpose-built set of capabilities embedded across our platform to streamline operations and elevate service delivery.
Rather than asking what AI can do, we started with a more practical question:
Where does work slow down?
That shift matters. Instead of layering on features, we focused on targeted solutions that simplify workflows, reduce manual effort, and remove barriers to execution. Because AI’s role isn’t to replace people — it’s to clear the path for them.
Reducing Friction Without Losing Connection
Events are fundamentally human, driven by real-time decisions, complex logistics, and high expectations. Our approach is simple: remove friction, not connection.
Through AI Smart Suite, we’re addressing the moments that slow teams down — manual processes, fragmented systems, and repetitive tasks. Eliminating those inefficiencies creates space for what matters most: supporting clients, anticipating needs, and delivering exceptional service. As Tayler notes, “AI doesn’t replace people. It brings speed and scale. People bring experience, judgment, and accountability.”
Where AI Creates Real Impact
AI Smart Suite is already delivering measurable value across onPeak by improving both internal workflows and customer-facing experiences. Its impact is best understood in how it changes the day-to-day execution.
- Smart Search: A More Direct Path to the Right Hotel
Finding the right hotel no longer requires navigating filters or long lists. With Smart Search, users can simply describe what they need — in their own words — and instantly see the most relevant options.As Anila Singh, Senior Product Manager at onPeak, explains, “AI should reduce the steps between intent and action.” It doesn’t remove choice — it makes decisions faster and clearer. Already live, Smart Search has been widely adopted, with more than 100,000 bookers utilizing it to quickly find their ideal hotel.
- Smart Categories: From Sorting to Solving
Customer support teams were spending valuable time categorizing and routing inquiries before resolving them. Smart Categories eliminates that step. By understanding intent and context, inquiries are automatically organized and directed in real time, allowing teams to focus immediately on resolution.As John Hunt, Senior Director of Reservation Services, puts it, “the impact isn’t just operational — it’s experiential.” The team spends less time triaging and more time serving customers, improving both the speed and quality of support.
- Smart Contract Reader: Reducing Effort, Preserving Control
Contract setup has historically been time-intensive — detailed, repetitive, and difficult to accelerate without risk.Smart Contract Reader changes that by extracting key information directly into Compass, reducing manual input while maintaining full visibility and control. As Senior Account Executive Sarah Moore explains, “Before, we were entering the same information over and over. Now it’s already there — I’m just reviewing it and making sure everything looks right.”
Connecting Efficiency to Experience
A core theme of our AI strategy is that efficiency isn’t the end goal — it’s the enabler. What start as operational improvements quickly become better client and customer experiences. Faster processes lead to quicker responses. Reduced manual work leads to fewer errors. More capacity leads to higher-quality service.
This is where AI creates the most value, not by redefining everything at once but by improving the moments that matter most:
- simplifying decisions
- removing unnecessary work
- allowing teams to focus on expertise instead of execution.
In a landscape where responsiveness and precision matter, those gains become a meaningful, competitive advantage.
A Thoughtful Path Forward
As AI continues to evolve, leadership won’t come from adopting every new tool. It will come from applying the right ones with clarity and intent, prioritizing impact over hype, and simplicity over complexity.
The AI Smart Suite reflects that philosophy. It’s not innovation for its own sake — it’s technology built around how teams work and how clients are served. Most importantly, it keeps people at the center.
The goal isn’t to automate everything. It’s to enable better decisions, stronger outcomes, and more meaningful work. As Tayler emphasizes: “AI helps clear the way so our focus stays exactly where we want it to be — on the clients and customers we serve.”
Because ultimately, the onPeak experience will always come down to the people who deliver it.
Technology plays an important role, but when applied thoughtfully, it becomes something more: a strategic advantage, enabling smarter decisions, faster execution, and better outcomes for every event we support.
Want to learn more about how this all comes to life at onPeak? We’d be happy to show you. Reach out to us at [email protected].
