A new study from Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research challenges one of the travel industry’s core assumptions about AI: that a single experience can serve every traveler.
It can’t.
The Curacity-sponsored survey of 1,029 U.S. travelers shows that AI is already widely used, but not in one consistent way. Instead, its role changes depending on how travelers spend.
To understand the nuances of AI usage, the study segments travelers by spending behavior: Budget, Premium, Aspirational, and Luxury.
This framing reflects how travelers make decisions in practice. Different spending levels come with different expectations, whether that’s finding the lowest price, saving time, accessing curated experiences, or receiving high-touch service.
When the study examines how each of these groups uses AI throughout the planning journey, four distinct patterns of adoption emerge.
Budget travelers use AI to identify value. Their engagement centers on price comparison and cost validation. Premium travelers use AI to evaluate options efficiently, focusing on speed and trade-offs between cost and convenience.
Aspirational travelers shift the role of AI toward curation. They rely on it to surface high-quality hotels and experiences, using recommendations as a proxy for quality. Luxury travelers diverge further. While they use AI for research, they do not rely on it for final decisions, where expectations for service and certainty are higher.
While the industry largely assumes that a single, improved product can meet all needs, the study shows that the assumption is flawed.
Differences in traveler expectations are structural. A single AI experience cannot simultaneously function as a pricing tool, an efficiency engine, a curation layer, and a substitute for high-touch service. The study suggests reframing AI not as a universal solution, but as a set of segment-specific use cases.
For travel brands, the implication is clear: effectiveness will not come from aligning AI tools to how different travelers actually plan and decide.
This new reality is where Curacity VISTA helps. If AI is not one-size-fits-all, then the content shaping AI outputs can’t be either. That’s why Curacity partners with a network of leading media outlets, each producing distinct forms of coverage that align with how different traveler segments make decisions.
Best-value lists speak to budget travelers who validate price, while itineraries and neighborhood guides help premium travelers narrow options quickly. Curated lists and editor picks align with aspirational travelers seeking quality and taste, while long-form features and expert recommendations provide the authority that luxury travelers rely on.
These varied signals form part of the source material LLMs draw from, allowing hotels to meet the needs of all traveler segments.
The full Cornell study goes deeper into these differences, showing not just how travelers use AI, but also how those patterns illuminate how hotels can win visibility in the age of AI.
Start driving more discovery and more direct bookings. Schedule a demo to learn how Curacity VISTA keeps you discoverable and bookable as AI continues to reshape travel planning.
