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Model Context Protocol (MCP) (source: Anthropic)

When AI agents can finally access the tools and data your hotel already uses, they stop being expensive chatbots and start doing real work. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) – an open standard developed and released by Anthropic – shows exactly how this transformation happens.

The Travel Adapter Analogy: What MCP Actually Does

Picture that universal travel adapter you keep on every hotel nightstand – one side accepts plugs from any country, the other fits into your existing wall socket. MCP works exactly the same way, but for software systems.

On one side, you have an AI agent. This could be a built-in AI feature in an existing hotel system, or a standalone AI assistant like Claude. On the other side, you have all your hotel's operational tools: your property management system (PMS), point-of-sale terminals, maintenance software, revenue management system, housekeeping platform, guest messaging tools, and energy management controls. You can even connect simple tools like Google Drive folders if needed.

MCP is the neutral connector in between. Just like that travel adapter eliminates the need for dozens of different plug converters for every country combination, MCP removes the need for custom software integrations between every possible AI-to-system pairing.

Here's what makes it powerful: because every request and response follows the same standardized format (using JSON, a common data language), the AI can automatically discover new tools, read their capabilities, and start using them immediately – no additional programming required.

Today's reality: Your revenue manager needs to analyze next week's group bookings to optimize room allocation. They export group reservations from the PMS, download occupancy forecasts from the revenue management system, pull catering requirements from the events platform, cross-reference VIP guest preferences from the CRM, and manually compile everything into a presentation for the weekly operations meeting.

With MCP: The AI agent receives a single request: "Prepare next week's group analysis for the ops meeting." It automatically pulls group bookings from your PMS, overlays revenue forecasts, incorporates catering logistics, flags VIP requirements, identifies potential overbooking issues, and generates a comprehensive briefing document with actionable recommendations – transforming hours of manual work into a two-minute automated process.

Why This Matters for Hotel Operations

Modern hotels run on a complex web of specialized software. You likely use separate systems for reservations, payments, housekeeping, maintenance, guest communications, revenue optimization, restaurant operations, and more. Many of these systems already connect to each other through APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) – technical bridges that suppliers build to allow automatic data sharing between platforms.

However, these supplier-built integrations create two significant challenges: First, they're designed for system-to-system communication, not human-to-system interaction. When your front desk manager needs data from three different systems to answer a guest question, they still have to log into each platform separately, even though those systems exchange data automatically behind the scenes.

Second, suppliers must build and maintain separate API connections for every possible system combination. Your PMS vendor writes one integration for your payment processor, another for your housekeeping system, and yet another for your revenue management platform. This creates a web of dependencies where adding new systems or changing vendors requires extensive integration work.

MCP solves both problems simultaneously. Instead of suppliers building dozens of point-to-point connections, each system only needs one MCP adapter. Hotels can then connect to individual systems and interact with all of them through a single AI agent interface. Your staff gets unified access to everything, while suppliers dramatically reduce their integration workload.

This shift from supplier-managed system-to-system connectivity to hotelier-controlled user-to-everything access is what makes MCP transformative for the industry.

MCP transforms this maze of disconnected systems into a unified pathway. Early adopters in other industries report their AI agents now seamlessly fetch files, post updates to team chats, and create support tickets in one continuous workflow – all through the same standardized connection.

For hotels, this same simplicity means you could test new guest-facing applications faster, connect older back-office systems that never had modern interfaces, and prepare your property for the next generation of AI-powered hospitality tools.

Real-World Impact: Before and After Scenarios

Here's how MCP changes daily hotel operations:

Front Desk Check-in

• Traditional process: Guest approaches desk, staff member opens three different screens to verify identity, assign room, and process payment
• With MCP: Single request triggers the AI to update your PMS with the booking details, confirm payment through your payment processor, and program the keycard system – all simultaneously

Restaurant Inventory Management

• Traditional process: Chef prints yesterday's sales reports, manually counts storeroom inventory, then emails supplier order lists
• With MCP: AI reads sales data directly from your point-of-sale system, checks current inventory levels against preset minimums, and automatically drafts purchase orders for supplier systems

Night Audit Procedures

• Traditional process: Night auditor downloads guest folios, manually uploads files to accounting software
• With MCP: AI bundles all daily transactions from your PMS and automatically posts journal entries to your accounting system

Kitchen Preparation Planning

• Traditional process: Sous chef estimates meal quantities based on occupancy reports
• With MCP: AI pulls tomorrow's forecast from your revenue management system and generates timed preparation lists for kitchen staff

Maintenance Request Handling

• Traditional process: Housekeepers text or call engineering about room issues
• With MCP: AI automatically transfers room fault reports from housekeeping systems to your maintenance management platform, schedules repair tasks, and updates room availability status

Guest Reservation Management

• Traditional process: Guest calls front desk to modify their booking, staff member opens reservation system, manually checks availability, updates details, and calls back to confirm
• With MCP: Guest tells AI "Move my Friday reservation to Saturday and add a late checkout," AI instantly checks availability across your PMS, updates the booking, and confirms the change – handling complex requests like "I need two adjoining rooms, one with a king bed facing the ocean, the other with twins, and can you check if the spa has a 3PM slot available?"

Concierge Services

• Traditional process: Guest asks concierge for restaurant recommendations, staff manually calls restaurants to check availability, writes down confirmation details
• With MCP: AI accesses your local restaurant booking system, guest preference data, and real-time availability to instantly secure reservations while suggesting activities based on guest history and weather forecasts

Success Stories: Suppliers Already Using MCP

Apaleo's Agent Hub Initiative

The German cloud-based PMS provider has created a marketplace where any AI agent can read and write hotel data through MCP connections. Here's a practical example: a boutique hotel could allow Claude to automatically approve late checkout requests. The AI calls the "modify_booking" function on Apaleo's server, sends confirmation messages to guests, and updates housekeeping schedules – all without custom programming.

Mews Community Integration

Independent developers have added Mews PMS to the growing catalog of MCP-compatible systems. Chain properties can now ask ChatGPT questions like "Create a spreadsheet of tomorrow's VIP guest arrivals," and the AI instantly pulls data from Mews and formats it into Google Sheets.

Both examples demonstrate that modern, cloud-based hotel systems need only lightweight adapters to become fully AI-compatible.

MCP vs. AI Agents: Clearing Up the Confusion

With "AI agents" being a buzzword in technology right now, it's important to understand how MCP fits into this picture – because they're related but fundamentally different concepts.

MCP is the Protocol, Not the Agent. Think of MCP as the standardized language that allows AI agents to communicate with your hotel systems. It's not artificial intelligence itself – it's the universal adapter that makes AI useful in your property.

Here's a helpful analogy: imagine a master chef (the AI agent) walking into a new kitchen (your hotel's technology systems). Without MCP, the chef is essentially blindfolded – they can't find the ingredients, don't know which appliances are available, or understand how anything works. With MCP, it's like having clearly labeled cabinets, organized utensils, and recipe books that explain exactly what's available and how to use it.

AI Agents are the Workers, MCP is the Infrastructure. AI agents are the intelligent systems that can plan, decide, and take action to complete tasks. They can break down complex requests into steps, learn from outcomes, and adapt their approach. But to be useful in hotels, they need structured access to your operational systems – and that's exactly what MCP provides.

A Practical Example

When a guest calls the front desk asking to "move my reservation to next weekend and add airport pickup," your staff member can ask the AI agent to handle this request. Here's what happens:

Without MCP: Your front desk employee must manually open the reservation system, search for the booking, check weekend availability, call the guest back if there are issues, then separately contact your transportation partner or concierge to arrange pickup – a process taking 10-15 minutes with multiple system switches.

With MCP: Your staff member simply tells the AI agent the guest's request. The agent immediately accesses your reservation system, checks availability for the new dates, updates the booking, and connects to your transportation booking system to arrange pickup – completing everything in under a minute while your employee stays focused on the guest conversation.

The Bottom Line: MCP makes AI agents practical for real hotel operations. It bridges the gap between what artificial intelligence can understand and the actual systems it needs to work with. Without MCP, even the most sophisticated AI agent is just an expensive chatbot. With MCP, that same agent becomes a powerful operational assistant that can genuinely help your staff and guests.

What Other Industries Are Already Achieving

Hotels aren't the first to recognize MCP's potential. Early adopters across different sectors are already seeing significant operational improvements, offering valuable lessons for hospitality leaders considering this technology.

Aviation Industry: Travel technology company Amadeus now has community-built MCP connections that let AI agents search and book flights without learning complex booking system interfaces. Airlines are testing automatic rebooking when passengers miss connections, reducing call center volume and passenger stress.

Financial Services: Payment company Block (formerly Square) wrapped their internal transaction systems with MCP, allowing AI agents to pull payment data and create fraud alerts within seconds, eliminating months-long integration projects for their engineering teams.

Software Development: Online coding platform Replit connected their development environment through MCP, enabling Claude to read multiple code files, run tests, and save changes in one continuous process – no separate plugins needed for different programming languages.

The pattern is clear: once business tools can communicate through MCP, AI agents evolve from simple chat interfaces into comprehensive workflow automation engines.

Security Considerations: Protecting Your Hotel's Data

Opening one gateway to multiple systems might seem risky, but the security principles are familiar to hospitality professionals. Think of it like your master key system: ensure each key only opens necessary doors, monitor who uses it, and maintain activity logs.

In practical terms, this means:

• Limiting each MCP connection to the minimum access rights that staff members would have
• Storing system passwords and access tokens in encrypted digital vaults
• Recording every action for audit purposes
• Monitoring unusual activity patterns
• Applying the same security standards you use for payment terminals or Wi-Fi controllers

MCP supports encrypted communication channels and role-based permission controls, but each hotel must activate and maintain these security features according to their specific requirements.

The Future of Hotel Operations

MCP won't replace your existing systems or your staff, but it will eliminate the technological friction that prevents AI from truly helping your team. As this protocol becomes standard, guests may never notice the underlying technology – they'll simply experience faster responses, cleaner rooms, and more personalized service.

The human element remains central to hospitality. The difference is that your staff will spend their time creating memorable guest experiences instead of wrestling with multiple computer screens and manual data entry.

Hospitality Net is preparing a comprehensive World Panel Viewpoint on MCP adoption in the hotel industry. Stay tuned for additional insights, and if you wish to contribute your perspective, please contact panel@hospitalitynet.org.

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Hospitality Net
https://www.hospitalitynet.org
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Maastricht, 6221 JR
Netherlands, The
Email: info@hospitalitynet.org

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