HomeToGo links operational gains to internal AI use

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PhocusWire: HomeToGo links operational gains to internal AI use

What It Says

HomeToGo SE reported significant financial and operational improvements in the first half of 2026, attributed to the widespread integration of artificial intelligence. The company has provided its entire workforce with access to 15 specific AI tools to streamline internal workflows.

Key performance indicators show that AI-driven automation has made customer email replies three times faster and slashed the number of chat sessions requiring human intervention by 85%. In the marketing department, AI is now generating responsive search ads that outperform traditional human-made content, resulting in a 44% increase in return on ad spend (ROAS) during testing.

Why It Matters

HomeToGo is moving beyond the "hype" phase of generative AI by demonstrating quantifiable impacts on the bottom line. For the short-term rental industry, this provides a blueprint for how mid-to-large scale platforms can use automation to lower overhead while improving the guest experience. The high reduction in support escalations suggests that AI is becoming proficient at handling the nuanced queries typical of vacation rental bookings.

Useful Signals

Support Efficiency: 85% reduction in human chat escalations.
Speed to Market: Email response times improved by 300%.
Marketing ROI: 44% lift in ROAS for AI-generated search advertisements.
Operational Scale: 100% of employees are now utilizing internal AI toolsets.
Cost Management: Ad copy generation costs have dropped to nearly zero.

STR Tech Report Take

The HomeToGo data confirms that the most immediate "wins" for AI in the STR space are happening in the back office rather than the front end. While guest-facing chatbots get the most attention, the real margin expansion is coming from automating labor-intensive tasks like ad copywriting and tier-one support. Vendors who can offer "near zero generation cost" for marketing and support assets will likely see higher adoption rates from operators looking to mimic this efficiency. CEO Patrick Andrae notes that AI ads are "outperforming human-written ad copy... driving a 44% lift in return on advertisement spend."

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