C.S. Ramachandran, CRME

Artificial intelligence isn’t waiting on the sidelines anymore—it’s working alongside us every day. From digesting lengthy reports to building slide decks in seconds, AI has become a practical ally for revenue optimization and commercial strategy.

Over the past months, I’ve learned that AI hasn’t replaced strategic thinking—but it has amplified it. Used well, it’s the perfect assistant that frees us to do what we do best: drive strategy and results.

• Comet Browser (by Perplexity)
  My new work buddy for market research. Comet acts as an agentic browser, scanning multiple sites and summarizing insights. It connects the dots between open tabs and gives me combined summaries—like having a research assistant that never sleeps.
  “Comet browser has changed the way I research—faster, sharper, and far less overwhelming.”

• Perplexity Pro
  I often upload reports—STR, HVS, market studies—and let it generate structured summaries or even trend lines. With strong prompts, it feels like Bloomberg-level insight without the subscription.
• Grok
  Complements other tools by pulling insights from channels like X (Twitter). Great for catching real-time sentiment shifts in travel.

Faster Analysis & Reporting

• Claude (Anthropic)
  My go-to for lengthy market analysis. Instead of losing hours in a 50-page report, Claude gives me highlights I can act on—and I save the deep reading for weekends or flights.
• YouTube Summary with Claude (Chrome Extension)
  When webinars run long, I use this to get bullet summaries with timestamps. It lets me jump straight to the relevant sections.
• Summarize.io & TL;DR
  Ideal for condensing articles or video scripts—critical when we’re all juggling information overload.
• Notebook LM (Google)
  A versatile tool for learning. I’ve used it to quiz content, summarize videos, and even create podcast-style conversations from scripts—perfect for turning industry material into training modules.

Productivity & Collaboration

• Microsoft Copilot
  For me, Copilot is like having a personal assistant built into Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint. It generates meeting briefs, captures agendas, and pulls action points from recorded sessions. It even transforms raw Excel data into pivot-ready insights.
  “The first thing I do every morning is open Copilot—it gives me a clear view of my calendar, emails, and priorities in minutes.”
• Google Gemini & Gems
  Useful for automating repeated tasks like parity checks or review sentiment summaries. Still in early stages, but the potential is big.
• Manus
  A newer entrant that blends LLMs with agent-like functionality. Worth experimenting with as it edges closer to autonomous task handling.

Marketing & Pre-Opening Support

• Canva AI (Pro)
  For pre-opening hotels without photography, I’ve used Canva Pro to generate realistic renders for rooms and exteriors. They look strikingly  real and help with sales kits, RFPs, and investor decks.
• Gamma
  My shortcut to creating simple yet professional slide decks. A quick way to prepare board-ready presentations on topics like “AI in Hotels.”
• Google Photos AI Editing & Nano Banana
  Both make photo editing faster and sharper—offering Photoshop-level adjustments without the complexity.

On-the-Go Tools

• Meta Smart Glasses
  I’ve tested these during holidays and site visits. They enable hands-free recording and even real-time info about what I’m seeing. Imagine their potential for property inspections or F&B audits.
• Gemini Mobile for Travel
  Recently, while in Sri Lanka, I used Gemini and Perplexity as my travel companions. They helped me discover landmarks, plan routes, and make the most of every day. It reminded me of how easily these tools could evolve into powerful guest-facing concierge solutions.

Tips for Revenue & Marketing Leaders

1. AI amplifies, it doesn’t replace. Strategic judgment is still human work—AI just clears the noise.
2. Prompting is everything. The better the context, the sharper the results.
3. Experiment while it’s free. Many tools are freemium—now is the time to test, learn, and decide what’s worth investing in.
4. Protect sensitive data. Avoid uploading proprietary hotel information into free versions; use enterprise-grade tools for safety.

Final Word

AI has become my collaborative teammate—one that helps me research smarter, analyze faster, and prepare better. It’s not about delegating strategy to machines, but about cutting down the time spent on repetitive tasks so that we can focus on what really matters: driving revenue and commercial growth.

“The leaders experimenting today are the ones positioning their hotels to thrive tomorrow.”