Watch: How golf clubs and resorts can embrace AI
To understand how Ben’s insights are translating into day-to-day reality, we caught up with Heribert Rubiano, Sales Manager at Arabella, for an on-the-ground perspective.
AI as an ‘invisible operator’
“The idea of AI as an ‘invisible operator’ resonates strongly with how we’re adopting it at Arabella Golf Resort Mallorca,” said Rubiano.
“For us, it’s becoming part of our operational infrastructure – something that sits in the background and helps everything run more effectively. If it’s done well, it enhances the guest experience without them even noticing it’s there.
“We’ve already implemented AI across several areas of the business. One of the most impactful has been for multilingual communications, which is particularly important given the international profile of our golfers and visitors. It allows us to respond more quickly and clearly, while still maintaining a personal tone.
“We’re also using it across our day-to-day operations with things like reports, information analysis and internal documentation. These are essential tasks, but they can be time-consuming. So, by automating such processes, AI helps our teams work more efficiently and focus their time on being more customer-facing and having that important human connection with guests. .
Using AI to enhance, not replace
“This is a really important message for our team. You hear people frequently refer to AI as something that will take their job, but that’s not the case for us. By taking care of the more repetitive and predictable tasks, AI frees up our teams to focus on the guest.
“That means more time spent delivering a personalised experience, having meaningful interactions and ultimately raising the standard of service. In a hospitality environment, that’s where the real value lies.
“As Ben Martin highlights, AI can’t replace the human connection with a guest. It’s the small, personal touches, like being welcomed at the front door or a starter sharing local insight about the course, that really define an experience.
“At the end of a trip, those are the moments guests remember, and the reason they come back.”
Impact of AI on searchability
“In marketing, AI is also supporting how we approach content creation and optimisation, particularly from an SEO perspective. It’s helping us draft social media content or optimise imagery, allowing the team to work more efficiently without sacrificing quality.
“But the bigger shift is how AI is starting to influence how people discover destinations – a key theme at this year’s European Tour Destinations Conference.
“As more users rely on AI-driven platforms and tools to plan their travel and golf experiences, it’s no longer just about ranking well on traditional search engines. Increasingly, it’s about how your resort is understood and recommended by AI. When someone asks where to travel or where to play, you want to feature in the answer and be among the listed recommendations.
“For us, this means placing greater emphasis on clear, structured and high-quality digital content, ensuring Arabella Golf Resort Mallorca is well positioned within these emerging discovery channels.
“Ultimately, AI is a powerful tool for improving how we operate and are discovered. However, the human connection remains at the heart of the guest experience, and our role is to use AI in a way that strengthens that, not replaces it.”
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Get in touch: Ian Knox
