The front desk is quietly disappearing. Once the symbolic heart of the hotel experience—a place of greetings, exchanges, and small tasks—it’s quietly fading into irrelevance. And the truth is, most guests aren’t mourning its loss. Today’s guests no longer want to queue, wait, or fill in forms. They want ease, speed, and relevance.
A recent survey of 2,000 U.S. travelers says it all: 70% would prefer to check in via app or kiosk. Among Gen Z, that number jumps to 82%. Travelers want to utilize seamless technology at the start of their journey, and have meaningful human connection when it really matters.
But this isn’t just a hospitality story. It’s a blueprint for how automation is transforming frontline operations across industries. Today’s leaders must design their entire operations around automation and AI. Let technology handle the repetitive tasks so your team can focus their energy on the human moments that matter: creativity, connection, problem-solving, and loyalty building.
According to a 2025 report by McKinsey, while nearly every business is investing in AI today, only 1% consider themselves AI mature. The report suggests that the biggest barrier to scaling is not employees who are not ready, but leaders who are not steering fast enough. While leaders hesitate, the opportunity is flying past: to reimagine operations, remove friction, and empower staff to deliver authentic human moments for their customers that machines can’t replicate.
FROM OPERATORS TO CURATORS
Automation and AI shouldn’t replace humans. It should handle the how so your people can focus on the why. In hospitality, that means technology remembers guest preferences, predicts their needs, and delivers tailored offers. The role of staff transforms from transactional to intentional: hosts, advisors, problem-solvers, and memory makers.
In every industry, this evolution is underway. Your frontline isn’t just a touchpoint. It represents your brand in action. The question isn’t whether automation will affect it, but how you’ll use automation to elevate human value and forge connections.
A WAKE-UP CALL
Frontlines are no longer about transactions; they’ve become platforms for transformation. This shift should prompt every executive, whether in retail, health care, financial services, or hospitality, to rethink what their version of the “front desk” looks like. A recent survey commissioned by Mews revealed:
- 70% of travelers favor self-service check-in.
- 62% say they abandon a brand because of poor service, not price.
- 93% are willing to share personal data in exchange for a better experience.
These are signals that automation isn’t just a tool for cost cutting, but should also be seen as a platform for strategic reinvention. And they point to a broader opportunity: using automation and machine learning not just to streamline your operations, but to elevate your brand and overall customer experience. Brands that set themselves up most effectively for the future are those that deploy automation to free up employees for higher-value work and to inspire more autonomy, ownership, and creativity.
PEOPLE WITH PURPOSE
Automation isn’t the end goal. It should be seen as the starting line. The real competitive advantage is how you use it to unlock human potential. That means repositioning frontline roles not as routine operators, but as curators of experience, trust, and community.
This might be concierge staff who suggest the perfect restaurant instead of printing receipts, or housekeeping staff who recognize that a guest always has bananas in their room and proactively restocks them. In banking, it could be advisors who solve relevant problems, not push products. In every sector, it means people who are trusted to strategize, not just execute.
The front desk may be disappearing. But in its place, we have a huge opportunity to create something richer, more meaningful, and more personal. We have the chance to build seamless systems paired with authentic service, and data-powered decisions paired with human empathy. Is your business ready or are you still waiting in line?
Richard Valtr is an entrepreneur and ex-hotelier with an extensive background in hotel investment and management. He was educated at University College London before returning to his native Czech Republic, where he managed a number of property developments, culminating in creation of the Emblem Hotel.
