What I Learned From Kay Walten About Why Storytelling Beats Feature Lists in Hospitality

That is information. It is not a reason to care.

In my AI Tourism Talks episode with Kay Walten, Founder of Smart Pineapple, we talked about why human stories still win in hospitality and how AI can support those stories without killing your voice.

If you work in hospitality and feel behind on tech, this is a better place to start.

Watch the full replay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCaIcQbwfZw

Who is Kay Walten?

Kay did not start in a corporate office. She started underwater.

She moved to Mexico as a cave diver, then became one of the early online tourism pioneers in the Riviera Maya, building an online reservation system back in 1996.

Since then, she has worked with:

• Small hotels

• Vacation rentals

• Local tourism groups and destinations

Her focus is simple. Use storytelling and smart tools to help real places connect with real guests.

1. Guests remember stories, not amenity lists

Most hospitality marketing looks like a brochure:

• Room type

• Features

• Price

But guests talk about:

• How the host made them feel welcome

• The small moment that surprised them

• The sense that the place was “right” for them

Stories answer questions such as:

• Who is this place really for

• What will I feel if I stay here

• Why should I trust these people with my time off

Features confirm the choice. Stories create the choice.

If you run a small hotel, rental, or guesthouse, your real advantage is not your list of services.

It is your story, your people, and the guests you serve best.

2. AI should support hospitality, not replace it

Kay’s position on AI is very clear. AI is a tool. Hospitality is the job.

The mistake many brands make is to hand over their voice to AI and accept whatever comes back. The result is generic copy that could belong to any property.

Instead, Kay uses AI with her clients to:

• Capture how owners and teams actually speak

• Turn real guest experiences into content ideas

• Turn reviews and feedback into usable copy

• Keep a consistent tone across the website, email, and social media

AI is there to help you:

• Write first drafts faster

• Publish more often

• Stay on message

But the inputs must stay human:

• Your story

• Your values

• Your guest experiences

If the inputs are generic, AI will only scale generic.

3. A simple playbook for small operators

You do not need a content team to start with this.

Here is a light version of Kay’s approach you can apply this week.

Step 1: Collect three real guest stories

Choose:

• One guest who came back

• One guest who chose you over a chain

• One guest who recommended you to friends

Ask them or read their reviews and look for the line that explains: Why did this place feel right for you

Pull out one or two sentences from each.

These sentences are more powerful than any long feature list.

Step 2: Build one “hero story” on your main page

On your homepage or primary listing:

• Start with a short story about the guest you serve best

• Then share features and practical details

• Use photos that support the story, not just empty room shots

This is how a small property becomes easy to remember instead of easy to forget.

Step 3: Use AI to keep your voice consistent

Feed AI:

• Three or four guest stories

• A couple of messages that sound like you

Then ask it to:

• Draft new posts in the same tone

• Turn one story into a website version, an email version, and a social version

You are not asking AI to decide who you are.

You are asking it to help you say who you are more often and with less effort.

4. Kay’s resources for hospitality brands

During the session, Kay shared a few free resources that go deeper into this work.

From Kay:

• 30-Minute Direct-Booking Playbook

• Personas to Profit (2025 Edition)

To get them:
Send Kay Walten a DM on LinkedIn with the keyword “DirectBooking” or “Profit”.

You can follow more of her work here:

• Website → https://www.smartpineapple.ai/

• Substack → https://www.aiforhospitality.info/

5. Why this matters now

Big brands will always have:

• Bigger budgets

• Bigger teams

• More tools

What they cannot copy:

• Your story

• Your relationship with guests

• The way it feels to stay with you

This is where storytelling and AI fit together:

• Storytelling gives people a reason to care

• AI helps you share that story clearly and consistently

If you feel lost in tools and platforms, pause.

Start with your story.

Then pick the tools that help you tell it, not hide it.

Watch the full conversation with Kay Walten:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCaIcQbwfZw

If you want more examples like this for travel tech and tourism, you can subscribe here and get each new breakdown straight in your inbox.

Why You’re Receiving This

You’re receiving this because you are part of my LinkedIn network. If you prefer not to receive these updates, you can always unsubscribe.

That said, I see this as a great opportunity for all of us to connect, share ideas, and make the most of these exciting changes in tourism.

After all, more minds are better than one! 🙌

Kind regards,
Ivan Ivanovic
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-ivanovic-marketing/