We’ve heard many leaders say: “I don’t want to lose control if everything is automated.”
The Control Illusion
Many leaders fear that automation means losing control, and it’s an understandable concern. Especially when facing pressure from owners to show clear ROI before committing to automating at scale.
But here’s the paradox: with manual workflows, you already have less control.
Different reps quote differently. Errors slip into proposals. Pricing discipline breaks down under pressure. That inconsistency undermines owner trust and planner confidence.
The Control Illusion Comes with Higher Hidden Costs
Sales teams are under strain. In G&M, responding to just one proposal takes 65–81 minutes on average. Multiply that across dozens of inbound RFPs, and salespeople spend more time updating systems, toggling between screens, and formatting proposals than actually selling.
The result?
- Revenue Loss: Leads time out, go out too late, or go unanswered, costing up to 50% of G&M revenue.
- Talent Strain: Reps burn out on repetitive work, increasing turnover risk.
- Margin Erosion: Manual quoting often introduces errors that chip away at profits.
These costs rarely show up on a balance sheet, but they’re very real.
According to industry research, 87% of hotels report staffing shortages, with more than a third calling them “severe.” Layering more manual work onto stretched teams isn’t sustainable. Automation has become a necessity to protect both staff and revenue.
Planners Are Frustrated
For meeting planners, every RFP is a test of a hotel’s responsiveness. A delayed or generic proposal sends a clear message: “You’re not a priority.”
Planners cite slow response and inflexible contracts as their biggest frustrations (Cvent 2024). Manual oversight doesn’t fix that, but automated guardrails can deliver both speed and consistency.
Reclaim Control (and Revenue) in G&M Sales
Skift’s 2025 report on hotel technology emphasizes that AI success depends on balancing speed with oversight.
With Group AI, you set the rules. This enables you to set guardrails to ensure oversight while delivering speed. Why it works:
- Consistency: Every property follows the same pricing and branding rules.
- Accuracy: Pre-approved logic eliminates quoting errors.
- Flexibility: Leaders determine the level of automation to permit at each stage.
Following the rules you set, Group AI automates the busywork, such as lead triage, availability checks, pricing pulls, and proposal drafting. Sales teams spend less time on admin and more time building relationships with planners.
Automate as much (or as little) as you’re comfortable with. From simple follow-ups to full proposal handling, the choice is yours.
Proof in Action
Fleming Hotels described Group AI as a “real game changer,” allowing them to maintain strict rate integrity, cut timeouts to zero, and win more business with AI-powered proposals delivered in under 60 seconds. Other hotel clients cut admin workload by 40% while reducing quoting errors.
Take Back (Scalable) Control
Real control comes with smarter guardrails that ensure every proposal reflects your strategy, rates, and branding, delivered faster than the competition.
Let’s discuss how we can tailor automation to fit your team’s comfort level.
