Using ChatGPT and Persuasive Technology for Personalized Recommendation Messages in Hotel Upselling

Recommender systems have become indispensable tools in the hotel hospitality industry, enabling personalized and tailored experiences for guests. Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, and persuasive technologies have opened new avenues for enhancing the effectiveness of those systems. This paper explores the potential of integrating ChatGPT and persuasive technologies for automating and improving hotel hospitality recommender systems. First, we delve into the capabilities of ChatGPT, which can understand and generate human-like text, enabling more accurate and context-aware recommendations. We discuss the integration of ChatGPT into recommender systems, highlighting the ability to analyze user preferences, extract valuable insights from online reviews, and generate personalized recommendations based on guest profiles. Second, we investigate the role of persuasive technology in influencing user behavior and enhancing the persuasive impact of hotel recommendations. By incorporating persuasive techniques, such as social proof, scarcity, and personalization, recommender systems can effectively influence user decision making and encourage desired actions, such as booking a specific hotel or upgrading their room. To investigate the efficacy of ChatGPT and persuasive technologies, we present pilot experiments with a case study involving a hotel recommender system. Our inhouse commercial hotel marketing platform, eXclusivi, was extended with a new software module working with ChatGPT prompts and persuasive ads created for its recommendations. In particular, we developed an intelligent advertisement (ad) copy generation tool for the hotel marketing platform. The proposed approach allows for the hotel team to target all guests in their language, leveraging the integration with the hotel’s reservation system. Overall, this paper contributes to the field of hotel hospitality by exploring the synergistic relationship between ChatGPT and persuasive technology in recommender systems, ultimately influencing guest satisfaction and hotel revenue.