Lighthouse launches Ernest Crews for hotel AI adoption

Lighthouse has launched Ernest Crews, small teams of AI and technology specialists designed to integrate its AI platform, Ernest, into hotel commercial operations. According to the company, these crews can get hotel teams running on AI in as little as 30 days, solving the adoption problem that stalls many technology rollouts.

These forward-deployed teams work directly alongside a hotel company's staff. Over a period of 30 to 60 days, a dedicated crew configures the Ernest AI system around the organization's specific systems, processes, and priorities. The goal is to connect Ernest across the commercial stack, bringing revenue management, distribution, sales, and marketing workflows into a single platform.

How an Ernest Crew operates

Each Ernest Crew is composed of four specialist roles. They work together to build custom skills, connectors, and automations that reflect the hotel team's unique way of working.

This team encodes specific workflows, from pricing need dates to delivering morning briefings for general managers in the hotel's own branded format. Lighthouse states that guardrails are built in from the start, and every action Ernest takes is logged, reversible, and under the customer's control.

Solving the AI adoption gap

Lighthouse CEO Sean Fitzpatrick said AI is transformational but many companies waste money on experiments that fail to deliver a return on investment. "Crews solve that by embedding Lighthouse AI experts within the customer’s team, working together until Ernest works the way they want him to in a matter of weeks," Fitzpatrick stated. He claims this is how AI investment turns into measurable results.

The company's 2026 Commercial Leader Survey highlights an adoption gap. It found only 10 percent of hospitality leaders feel fully prepared for AI, while 67 percent expect it to have a major impact on their business. Ivo Minjauw, Lighthouse's Chief Product Officer, said a tech platform only creates value when used daily by real teams. "Ernest is AI that wins in the lab and on the job," Minjauw added, noting that crews build in direct partnership with the customer to tailor the product to how each enterprise operates.

Early customer experience

Viceroy Hotel Group was among the first to work with an Ernest Crew. Scott Muety, Vice President of Revenue & Distribution, credited the crew's hands-on time with staff for the rapid adoption. "That hands-on partnership turned Ernest into something our teams could start using almost immediately," Muety said.

The group is already seeing operational benefits. Patrick Pahlke, Chief Commercial Officer, gave an example: "If you have a question from your owner, you don’t have to wait five hours for your Director of Revenue to pull the data." Viceroy is continuing to roll out the AI system across its organization, including to its General Managers.

Ernest Crews are now available to hotel management groups, ownership companies, chains, and other groups. Demand has been strong since Ernest launched in June 2026, with multiple crew engagements already underway. Lighthouse is expanding the number of crews throughout the remainder of 2026 to manage growing demand. Interested organizations can join a waitlist at the company's website to register for future deployment waves.