As industries across the Middle East and Africa accelerate into an era defined by intelligent innovation, artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved from a distant concept into a daily driver of commercial transformation. What began as experimentation has become strategic integration, reshaping how brands engage consumers, personalize experiences, optimise operations, and ultimately influence revenue and loyalty. This shift will be a central theme at today’s HSMAI Middle East & Africa Commercial Strategy Conference (CSC MEA), taking place on 25–26 November in Dubai, where senior leaders across sales, marketing, and revenue disciplines will examine how AI is redefining the commercial playbook.
Across sectors, leaders agree that AI’s real value lies in augmenting—not replacing—human connection. Sam Weston, Head of AI & Marketing at 80 DAYS, notes that “AI can help hotels understand guests a little better, spotting patterns and preferences that, ironically, make personalization feel more natural and human.” For marketers, the principle is identical: AI reveals patterns in customer behaviour, intent and sentiment, enabling more context-aware communication while freeing teams to focus on creativity and higher-impact human engagement.
That balance between automation and empathy is increasingly crucial as customer journeys become more complex. As Michael Marchand, Regional Director Sales, EMEA at Canary Technologies, observes, “AI allows hotels to personalize every interaction at scale,” enabling teams to redirect time toward “ .” The same dynamic now shapes marketing organizations: automation of routine interactions unlocks capacity for brand building, creative storytelling, and deeper customer relationships.
AI’s influence is most visible in the evolution of search. Consumer behavior is shifting rapidly from keyword-based browsing to conversational discovery, reshaping how brands are discovered and recommended. Marchand points out that “Half of travellers now use AI to plan trips… To be discoverable in these searches, hotels need clear, structured website content supported by AI chat.” More broadly, brands across categories will need content that is easy for AI systems to interpret and recommend. Weston reinforces this direction when he says, “It’s not just about being listed anymore, it’s about being understood and ultimately recommended.”
Preference-driven search and predictive discovery are beginning to extend beyond travel. As Paul Rantilla, Senior Vice President, CRO at Plusgrade, puts it, “Guests now get suggestions that actually match what they want. Soon, AI won’t just suggest rooms. It’ll help curate the whole stay.” This mirrors a larger shift in marketing where AI curates product recommendations, content pathways and purchase journeys tailored to individual intent.
Commercial leaders also emphasize that successful AI integration depends on people and purpose rather than technology alone. Weston advises teams to “stay open-minded,” adding that “the clearer the inputs, the more useful the outcomes.” Canary Technologies stresses the importance of internal champions: “The most important step is building internal champions. The combination of trust plus enablement is what turns AI into a true partner.” Rantilla adds that “AI works best when it’s tied to real outcomes — more bookings, better offers, higher spend,” while RateGain highlights the need for organizational alignment: “When teams see AI turning insights into results, trust builds naturally and adoption follows.”
Loyalty, too, is undergoing a transformation that extends beyond travel. Weston notes that brand loyalty will depend increasingly on clarity and trust — not just customer recognition but how well a brand is understood by AI systems that influence consumer decisions. RateGain summarizes the shift succinctly: “Future loyalty will reward relevance instead of repetition.” Yango Ads expands this future vision: “Programs must also cater to both human guests and the AI agents increasingly influencing bookings.”
As industries gather at CSC MEA 2025, one message stands out across marketing and commercial disciplines: AI is no longer an add-on. It is a transformative force reshaping how brands compete, communicate and connect. And as these leaders emphasize, its greatest power lies not in replacing human intelligence, but in amplifying it.
