Otelier Interview Series: Woodworth Group on Data, AI, and the Future of Hotel Decision-Making

Otelier's Jason Freed recently caught up with Jeremy Gilston, Vice President at Woodworth Core Group, one of the hospitality industry's leading advisory, valuation, research, and asset management firms. Woodworth Core Group works with hotel owners, developers, lenders, management companies, and more to evaluate investments, forecast performance, and guide strategic decisions across the lodging industry.

Gilston brings a unique perspective; Prior to joining Woodworth, he held roles spanning hospitality advisory, acquisitions, and institutional hotel ownership, including experience with Kalibri Labs and Brookfield Asset Management. Today, he helps investors and owners understand how hotels are likely to perform, what drives value creation, and where opportunities and risks exist within changing market conditions.

As Gilston explains in the video above, the hospitality industry has entered a period of unprecedented data availability – but collecting information is only the beginning. "Data is gold," he said, "but you have to make meaning of it. You have to pull it together and come up with the big picture."

Looking ahead, Gilston believes one of the most valuable untapped data sources may be hiding in plain sight: guest reviews. While operators already monitor reviews property by property, he sees significant potential for AI to analyze guest sentiment across entire markets and uncover patterns that influence pricing, investment decisions, renovations, and operational strategy.

While many headlines suggest a transformational future led by AI, Gilston believes the industry is still in the early innings of AI adoption. His message is clear: the future belongs not to those with the most data, but to those who can turn it into smarter decisions.