Maureen Holden explains how the iconic Miami hotel uses guest data and AI to personalize at scale and why knowing when not to use data is the smartest marketing move of all.

1. You spoke at our last Travel & Hospitality summit on balancing heritage, humanity, and AI. Have you found any surprising moments where guests prefer automation?

What has been most surprising is not that guests prefer automation, but where they prefer it. In moments that are transactional like arrival logistics, room preferences, billing—guests increasingly value speed, accuracy, and control. Automation, when done well, removes friction and allows them to move seamlessly into the experience they’ve come for.

What we’ve learned is that guests don’t necessarily want less human interaction, they want more meaningful human interaction. Automation succeeds when it clears the path for moments of genuine connection, rather than replacing them. 

2. Where should AI never replace human interaction in luxury hospitality?

AI should never replace moments that require intuition, empathy, or emotional intelligence. The welcome at arrival, the recognition of a returning guest, the handling of a special occasion or even a moment of disappointment, these are deeply human exchanges that define how a guest feels long after their stay.

Luxury is not just about precision; it’s about perception. And perception is shaped by human nuance, the ability to read a room, anticipate unspoken needs, and respond with sincerity. That cannot be replicated or replaced by technology.

3. How do you train teams to recognize what’s “emotionally relevant” vs. just “available” data?

We encourage our teams to think of data as context, not conclusion. Just because something is known does not mean it is meaningful in the moment. Emotional relevance comes from understanding why a detail matters to a guest, not simply that it exists.

Training focuses on observation and listening as much as systems. A guest’s pace, tone, or reason for travel often reveals more than a profile ever could. The goal is to empower team members to use data as guides, but to lead with awareness and judgment.

We have all sorts of data - birthdays, anniversaries, average value of previous stays, how a guest may have scored us on their last stay, etc. but if it’s not a birthday trip or an anniversary that data doesn’t have relevance for this stay. 

4. How do you connect guest experience signals to actual revenue opportunities in a measurable way?

It begins with identifying which moments truly influence guest behavior—whether that’s length of stay, return visits, or on-property spend. We look at patterns: when personalization leads to an extended booking, when a thoughtful recommendation drives dining or spa engagement, when recognition increases loyalty.

The key is aligning qualitative experiences with quantitative outcomes. When teams understand that delivering a more intuitive, tailored experience directly correlates with guest lifetime value, it shifts the mindset from service delivery to relationship building—and that is where sustainable revenue growth happens.

5. If you had to pick one experience of The Biltmore Hotel that truly captures its magic for guests, what would it be and why?

Trick question – LOL.  The Biltmore itself is a collection of experiences.  It is the moment when a guest transitions from arrival into belonging—often unexpectedly and often continuously throughout their visit. That can be different for every guest.  For some, perhaps it’s stepping onto the grounds and realizing the scale and serenity of the property or sitting poolside at one of the largest hotel pools in the US beneath the historic tower as the pace of the outside world fades.

For history and architectural enthusiasts, the sense of arrival when The Biltmore is first revealed through the trees of this quiet neighborhood is something to behold.  It’s not an everyday experience.

What defines the magic is not a single feature, but the feeling that the experience is both grand and deeply personal at once. The heritage is unmistakable, yet the memory that stays with the guest is how it made them feel—seen, welcomed, and part of something timeless.  Here is literally a story to be told and something to discover around every and people continue to discover magical moments with each visit.  

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