What NoVacancy London revealed about AI, PMS strategy and generative search
Today I was at the NoVacancy event at Excel London, a space largely shaped around hotels rather than short stay and parks, and yet it always feels relevant because hospitality tends to move first here, experimenting today and proving what works tomorrow.
It was intense in the best way… AI everywhere, automation everywhere, agents, integrations, segmentation, conversations about roadmaps being no more than 6 months ahead… something we have moved to at Holidaymaker ourselves with the speed of change.
Not slow progress and incremental upgrades, but a genuine sense that technology is compounding and accelerating at a pace that is impossible to ignore.
One of the most compelling sessions for me was with Agilysys, where Senior Sales Director Matthew Prosser shared a video of the CEO of Watergate Bay.
She was speaking about what happens beyond the booking, how they are using their guest surfaces, to not only to see which guests have built itineraries and booked activities, but crucially who has not. That gap is a big opportunity… allowing their human concierge teams and AI agents to then tailor conversations and recommendations, to increase revenue per guest in ways that feel timely and relevant.
They played an AI concierge conversation that was specific, contextual and commercially smart rather than generic, these agents are getting better everyday. The ability to personalise, streamline, provide convenience and allow humans to do what they do best… communicate and connect…. that feels like what’s next, what will make the difference.
Connecting the gaps, removing the third party systems and services that have made customer service worse… impersonal, tired, cold and transactional. These tools and structures of tech with humans where we need them, are more conversational and real.
Sam Weston’s panel “Outsmarting the giants: how independent hotels can use GEO to win generative searches” was one of the most thought-provoking sessions of the day. GEO, or generative engine optimisation, is about structuring content so AI systems surface direct, branded answers rather than defaulting to third-party listings.
What i found interesting was the shift in the non-corporate, unique or independent groups like Red Carnation Hotels and Grosvenor House Suites to GEO, not as a leveller, but as a differentiator… Using GEO as a way to get ahead of OTAs despite the fact many of these tools are supporting them.
By using structured content and mechanisms to feed direct booking links into AI-led discovery rather than defaulting to third parties. Having regular, branded content, galleries and rich information, they can provide more than an OTA for their terms and expertise.
And what about social media? Not quite a dying channel (at least not right now), Molly Peel, Assistant Marketing Director for Red Carnation, shared how social media is being treated as a supporting signal within a much larger ecosystem, with content across every surface feeding AI models.
Consistency across channels, clarity of message and structured storytelling are becoming foundational. Some guests do not trust AI, so maintaining voice and individuality is critical.
Scott Hermiston, Director Of Sales Marketing at Grosvenor House Suites, has invested in richer image galleries and more authentic content so their website carries more depth than any third party OTA listing.
Reviews are being responded to strategically, not just politely, but in ways that add clarity and reinforce positioning. For example, adding key terms into responses for AI to pull from.
Strategic PR, UGC, curated “top 10 boutique stays in…” lists, structured FAQs (not just the homepage), and even planning around compression events like the World Cup, all feed visibility in an AI-shaped reality.
There was also a strong undercurrent in the hotel Property Management System (PMS) chats I had and also the sessions I attended.
One a talk titled “Don’t let your PMS set your AI roadmap”, led by Florian Montag from Apaleo felt less about replacing systems and more about rethinking roles.
The suggestion was that value is shifting towards connected ecosystems, where trusted core platforms sit underneath and specialist layers (like Holidaymaker), agents and integrations operate above.
Innovation in that view often comes from what systems connect to, not from a single monolithic solution trying to do everything… (and generally doing a pretty average job).
The next generation of connected platforms are positioning themselves as strong, stable bases that allow properties to plug into the right technologies for their context. Less about owning the entire stack, more about enabling flexibility and interoperability.
Measuring GEO is complex because there is no single keyword to track. It is personalised, hyper personalised even, which requires iteration and a degree of trust and gut instinct.
They shared how they are rewriting cold, SEO-heavy keyword-driven content to make it more human and conversational. Writing for conversational search, rather than robots.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a leap, but it feels more in our control also… Clarity beats scale. Consistency builds confidence.
Like many of us, I am looking and thinking about what my role will look like in the future… maybe finally there will be less admin, less hours wasted on analytics, ads accounts and running endless reports… more time for real growth.
A world where innovation and creativity are celebrated, experimentation is championed, and there is constant momentum around what is next.
With a brain like mine that environment can be energising under the right conditions, I thrive on joining dots and spotting patterns. But it also brings pressure, to keep creating, to keep driving, to keep proving value in a landscape that is shifting faster than traditional measurement models.
But what encouraged me most was not just the tech, it was the openness.
Yes, there were big platforms and AI teams doing ambitious things, but there were also open conversations, people sharing learning, agencies and operators mapping out what comes next, creating plans together, testing, rewriting, evolving.
When everything feels this fast and, at times, uncertain, I keep coming back to community.
To sharing more, learning more and creating spaces where knowledge is not hoarded or monetised at every turn. None of us have a complete view of where this is heading, the only sustainable response is to stay curious, stay connected and keep developing together.
If there is a thread tying my day together, it is this:
The future belongs to those who integrate well, stay clear in their brand, and remain open and brave enough to keep evolving.
