Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This session explores the “Less-Is-Better Effect” in tourism decision-making — a cognitive bias in which individuals sometimes prefer an objectively inferior option when it is evaluated in isolation. Using realistic travel and hospitality scenarios, the study compares human judgments with evaluations generated by large language models (LLMs). The results reveal a striking difference: while human decision-making is shaped by context-dependent biases, AI systems evaluate offers through stable attribute integration. What happens when hotel offers are increasingly filtered, ranked, or pre-selected by algorithms before guests even see them? As AI becomes part of the booking journey, travel decisions are shaped by two evaluative systems: computational logic and human emotion. Understanding this hybrid dynamic has significant implications for revenue management, product design, bundling strategies, and guest communication. The session provides forward-looking insights into how behavioral science and AI can be aligned — not to replace human judgment, but to design smarter pricing strategies and more emotionally compelling guest experiences in an AI-mediated marketplace.
Keynote Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Kai Markus Müller
Professor of Consumer Behavior / Chief of Behavioral Strategy
Rateboard
This session explores the “Less-Is-Better Effect” in tourism decision-making — a cognitive bias in which individuals sometimes prefer an objectively inferior option when it is evaluated in isolation. Using realistic travel and hospitality scenarios, the study compares human judgments with evaluations generated by large language models (LLMs). The results reveal a striking difference: while human decision-making is shaped by context-dependent biases, AI systems evaluate offers through stable attribute integration. What happens when hotel offers are increasingly filtered, ranked, or pre-selected by algorithms before guests even see them? As AI becomes part of the booking journey, travel decisions are shaped by two evaluative systems: computational logic and human emotion. Understanding this hybrid dynamic has significant implications for revenue management, product design, bundling strategies, and guest communication. The session provides forward-looking insights into how behavioral science and AI can be aligned — not to replace human judgment, but to design smarter pricing strategies and more emotionally compelling guest experiences in an AI-mediated marketplace.
Keynote Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Kai Markus Müller
Professor of Consumer Behavior / Chief of Behavioral Strategy
Rateboard
