How South Place hotel uses AI to drive bookings and transform the guest experience

Culpan’s aim was to drive revenue through smarter pricing, deepening guest personalisation and improving the guest journey, as well as embedding more efficient back of house operations.

The time and investment paid off. A year later, by April 2025, AI-driven website improvements have increased unique visitors from 17,000 a month to 25,000 a day, with booking conversion rates doubling from around 20% to nearly 40%.

But how did Culpan and his team do it?

AI-driven, multilingual search engine optimisation

Culpan developed and implemented an AI-driven SEO strategy in 12 different languages, including French, German and Japanese. By using AI to analyse and adapt search phrases for different key markets, the hotel’s website appeared more frequently in relevant search results, driving increased web traffic and higher booking conversion rates.

AI-powered booking systems

Implementing AI-driven booking processes for both rooms and restaurant reservations improved booking conversion rates, doubling them from around 20% to nearly 40% as more website visitors directly booked rooms and restaurant tables because, as Culpan shares, “the bots attached to the website will actually drive you to book more facilities within it”.

AI-led targeted marketing

Culpan used AI for targeted marketing campaigns. For example, by using German-language content and understanding German travellers’ preferences (Culpan explains Germans tend to “want convenience – they want mixer taps, food on-site and easy transport”), bookings from German guests increased by 120% in just one year. The hotel went from selling about nine rooms a week to selling about 40 to 50 rooms a week. AI-generated data, he says, “is teaching us that these populations are looking for different things and we’re plugging into that. AI learns it and then feeds it back to us, so that we understand”. Marketing communications are then adapted accordingly.

AI-driven guest journeys

AI allowed for more personalised guest journeys, with systems that recognised guest preferences and provided tailored experiences and recommendations, further boosting satisfaction and repeat bookings. Culpan says that if a guest books through a social media platform, the hotel will “pick up titbits through the socials and add some notes to the system”.

Hear more from Culpan during The Caterer’s AI for Guest Experience webinar on 28 January 2026 at 10am. Whatever the scale of your hospitality operation, the webinar will provide actionable strategies and insider insights to help you stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market. Book your place on the free one-hour webinar now.