When AI Fatigue Sets In: Why In-Person Experiences Will Win in Hospitality

In the past two years, AI has revolutionised how hospitality brands operate, from hyper-personalised marketing campaigns to automated guest service chatbots that resolve issues in seconds. Cruise lines use AI for itinerary planning, demand forecasting, and operational efficiency. Retail brands onboard are tapping AI to analyse buying behaviours and optimise product placement with pinpoint accuracy.

There’s no denying AI delivers enormous benefits:

• Efficiency: Automating routine tasks and freeing teams to focus on creative and strategic work.

• Personalisation at Scale: AI analyses guest data to recommend offers or experiences tailored to individual tastes, increasing conversion and satisfaction.

• Predictive Insights: Machine learning models identify spending trends, helping brands make proactive decisions that boost revenue and guest loyalty.

These advances are shaping a more connected, frictionless guest journey.

⚠️But… AI Fatigue Is Rising

Recent articles from EY Switzerland and Hospitality Net highlight a growing fatigue toward AI-generated content. Guests increasingly feel digital interactions can be sterile, lacking the spontaneity and emotion that real human connection provides.

According to EY’s “Is AI content fatigue setting in?” (2025), the predictable nature of AI content risks disengaging audiences seeking genuine moments. Similarly, Hospitality Net’s trend forecasts cite a resurgence of interest in “high-touch, low-tech” experiences, where the very absence of screens becomes a luxury.

🔑 Why In-Person Experiences Are the Antidote

Here’s why human-led enrichment experiences are emerging as the most powerful differentiator in the AI era:

1. Emotional Connection: AI can predict preferences but cannot replicate the warmth of a facilitator who remembers a guest’s name, listens to their stories, and adapts in real time.

2. Authenticity Builds Trust: With increasing scepticism toward online content (including AI-generated travel reviews, photos, and recommendations), guests gravitate toward experiences where they know it’s real.

3. Memory & Story Value: Neuroscience shows live, multi-sensory experiences create stronger memories. Raconteur’s events tap into this by engaging sight, sound, touch, taste, and emotion, creating moments guests will share and relive long after disembarkation.

4. Wellness & Presence: Hospitality Net’s 2025 wellness trends note the rise of “digital detox enrichment”, sessions that encourage presence, mindfulness, and analogue connection. From sound baths to storytelling circles, in-person enrichment aligns perfectly with this demand.

   
   

💡 AI + Human: The Future of Cruise Enrichment

This isn’t about cynicism toward AI. The hospitality brands that will win are those who combine AI’s efficiency with human warmth. Imagine:

• AI tools predicting which guests will enjoy a cultural storytelling session based on past bookings.

• Hosts delivering an unforgettable, adaptive experience, not from a script, but from lived expertise.

That is the future: AI behind the scenes, humans front and centre.

🚢 What This Means for Cruise Lines & Luxury Hospitality

In a world of digital fatigue, in-person experiences are becoming the ultimate luxury. For cruise lines, this means investing in enrichment that isn’t an afterthought, but a core pillar of guest satisfaction and revenue strategy.

At Raconteur, we believe storytelling, cultural immersion, and interactive experiences will define the next era of cruising, bridging destination, luxury, and connection in ways no algorithm can.

Sources Referenced

• EY Switzerland (2025). Is AI Content Fatigue Setting In?

• Hospitality Net (2025). Top Trends in Hospitality: High-Touch, Low-Tech Experiences.

• Neuroscience Marketing (2024). Why Multi-Sensory Experiences Stick.