During the EHL Open Innovation Summit, we spoke with Romy Abbrederis, Co-founder of Lobby, about how generative AI is reshaping hotel operations behind the scenes. Our conversation explored how Lobby tackles the complexity of reservation emails, why modular systems are key to adapting to different hotel needs, and how AI can support hospitality teams without replacing the human element.
Which technology or innovation do you think will reshape our industry the most over the next 5 to 10 years?
Definitely AI, especially generative AI. These agents can actually perform different actions—they can create recipes, book flights, access multiple sources, and reason through steps to reach a goal. Generative means they can execute, not just respond. We already know text-to-text, like ChatGPT, but now it’s text-to-action or text-to-multistep execution. In the US, operator agents are already being used. Europe is still catching up. We are using US-based models like OpenAI’s chatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic because of how fast they innovate, although there are promising European players like Mistral.
Can I ask you which problem you’re trying to solve and how?
We are solving the problem of emails—specifically, reservation-related emails that overwhelm hotel teams. Some RFPs can take up to two hours to answer. What makes email complex is its lack of synchronicity. You can’t just ask back and forth like in a chat. So we built Lobby to sit between the inbox and the reservation system. It pulls in the request, fetches data from the PMS, and can handle full reservation workflows—creating, modifying, and cancelling bookings. We focused on complex bookings, not the easy ones others tackle. What’s different is our human-in-the-loop approach. That means the system prepares everything—rate plans, guest details, reply—and the staff approves or edits before it’s executed. The AI doesn’t just dump duplicate profiles into the CRM. It’s precise and careful. We give hoteliers control, not replacement, and allow for full automation where appropriate—like with simple cancellations.
Do you agree with the statement that the human will never be completely out of the loop in hospitality?
It depends on the segment. If a hotel has a very simple rate setup—one category, one refundable and one non-refundable—it could be fully automated. But in many cases, especially premium properties, the service element matters. That’s why we made Lobby modular. Some hotels want to create bookings with status inquiry first, some don’t want to auto-book at all. Every hotel has its own logic, and we’ve built our tech to support that diversity. That’s what makes it successful. It’s also why we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all AI.
Can you see Lobby evolving beyond emails, for example with voice or instant messaging?
Definitely. We chose email because no one else is solving it at this level of complexity. But we are already planning for chat and voice. Voice is a bit different—you have less context, and it’s real-time—but we are already deeply integrated with PMS platforms like MEWS and soon Oracle’s Opera Cloud. So we are prepared. In the future, we believe there might not even be Booking.com as we know it. You’ll talk to your travel agent, who talks to Lobby’s agent. Our agent will handle the complexity and book the trip, fully conversationally. That’s the vision we’re building toward. And because our system is modular, we’re also exploring partnerships with other hospitality tech vendors who want to stay competitive but don’t have the infrastructure to develop this in-house.
About the EHL Open Innovation Summit 2025
This interview was recorded during the EHL Open Innovation Summit in Lausanne, where Hospitality Net joined as official media partner.
The event brought together a global mix of thinkers and doers to explore the future of hospitality, food, and travel through open innovation. What made it special was the mix of ideas, formats, and people. It was not only about tech or talks. It was also about people showing up, working together, and sharing energy in real time.
Key Figures
- 385 participants
- 48 speakers and contributors from more than 20 countries
- 7 innovation challenges collectively addressed
- 45 sessions
- 25 student volunteers
- 15 F&B startups letting us taste the future
- 1.5 days of connection, learning, and co-creation
Key Insights from the Summit
- A new benchmark for hospitality innovation
The summit set a new standard by weaving together AI, sustainability, regeneration, and human connection – showing that innovation in hospitality, luxury and food must be holistic, human-centric, and purpose-driven. Participants repeatedly highlighted the need to go beyond efficiency and into meaningful transformation. - From knowledge exchange to real-time co-creation
More than just a series of talks, the summit was an activation space – a living lab where diverse minds worked together on pressing challenges, from regenerative tourism to circular luxury to AI in guest experience. It was a showcase of collective intelligence in motion. - Collaboration as the engine of systems change
Open Innovation came alive not as a buzzword, but as a relational practice. From panelists to students, from global explorers to startup founders, everyone was invited to co-create, connect dots, and contribute. Participants repeatedly said they experienced true collaboration across boundaries, industry, sector, age, and background. - The power of presence: hearts, minds, and hands
Whether walking in the forest, painting together, or debating future systems, attendees embraced the idea that innovation isn’t only about tech and metrics – it’s also about embodied experience, slowing down to speed up, and nurturing a regenerative mindset. - The future is “AND” – not “either/or”
A recurring takeaway: we must stop choosing between extremes. The future is tech AND human, healthy AND delicious, profitable AND impactful. This “integration mindset” is already informing how leaders, startups, and educators present are reshaping their strategies. - The beginning of a long-term movement
Attendees described the summit as the start of something much bigger – a platform for experimentation, learning, and alliance-building. The EHL Innovation Hub was recognized not only as an academic powerhouse, but as a true catalyst for regenerative innovation across hospitality, service, food, and travel.
Abbrederis
Hospitality Net
Please visit:
Our Sponsor