18/09/2026
A big thank you to New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) for helping host our 1st hospitality industry executive educational briefing this week at the New Zealand Trade & Enterprise Boardroom in Hong Kong.
“The Future of Hospitality AI: Beyond Chatbots, Towards AI Intent & AI Discovery.”
It was an honour to have the Hong Kong Hotels Association represented, alongside hotel owners and industry leaders, and to be joined by New Zealand Consul-General Mr Peter Lund in person and Trade Commissioner Ms Maggie Christie via teams.
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise office is 65 floors above Hong Kong, certainly providing an incredible backdrop — but the real highlight was the open and frank discussion around the room. What was planned as a one-hour session ended up running for 1 hour and 45 minutes, simply because of the quality of the discussion and engagement in the room.
One theme that stood out to me was that, when it comes to AI, we are all in the same boat. Nobody knows exactly where it will take us, but we do know hospitality needs to adapt because our customers have.
The conversation is quickly moving beyond chatbots towards AI Intent and AI Discovery — and how travellers will find, engage with and choose hotels in an AI-first world.
Thank you, NZTE, Peter, Maggie & Billy and everyone who joined us for a great discussion.