AI is now the hotel CISO's biggest headache

A report gathering the views of more than 200 security leaders across hospitality, published by Hospitality Net, lands an awkward headline for anyone still thinking AI is a marketing department thing. AI governance has become the main friction point for hotel CISOs heading into 2026, ahead of the usual suspects, and budgets are growing, yes, but only modestly.

What the study describes is less glamorous than it sounds. The hotel CISO has stopped being the person who reviewed firewalls and become the one deciding which AI models can touch guest data, who audits them and to what standard. That is the real clash: commercial teams want AI pilots for everything, and security teams are still shaping the rules.

I see a clear opportunity here. For years, security in hotels was a cost centre nobody looked at until something went wrong. Now, if the CISO sits at the table where AI strategy gets decided, they gain weight, budget and relevance. Those who read it that way come out stronger. Those who still treat cybersecurity as a necessary evil end up watching problems walk in through the back door.