At this year’s Westcountry Tourism Conference at Exeter Westpoint, Cosmic’s Paul Turner delivered a powerful message for the region’s tourism and hospitality businesses: you don’t need bigger teams — you need more time.
And the right digital tools can give you exactly that.
Across Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall, hospitality operators are feeling the same pressures: rising guest expectations, staffing shortages, tighter margins and less time than ever to keep the wheels turning. Paul’s session gave businesses something far more useful than buzzwords — practical, immediate ways to lighten the load through smart technology.
The Real Issue: Not Skills, Not Staff… But Time
Paul opened with a striking insight: the biggest barrier facing small tourism businesses isn’t a lack of innovation or ideas — it’s limited capacity. Visitor economy data shows “time poverty” is now a defining pressure for SMEs in hospitality.
Every minute staff spend chasing bookings or replying to routine enquiries is a minute they can’t spend improving guest experience or driving revenue.
Tech won’t replace your team.
But it can give them the gift of time.
Automation: Your Hidden, Untapped Workforce
One of Paul’s strongest points was the sheer amount of work hospitality teams can automate right now:
- Booking confirmations
- Cancellation handling
- Repetitive guest questions
- Stock checks and rota updates
According to the presentation, SMEs can automate 20–30% of routine tasks using tools already widely available.
For a small B&B, café or attraction, that’s like hiring a part‑time member of staff — without the recruitment struggle.
Goodbye Repetitive Admin: The Booking Loop Fix
If your business receives endless emails asking the same five questions, you’re not alone. Paul highlighted how manual booking admin is one of the biggest drains on hospitality time.
Digital booking workflows and automated guest messaging can reduce admin by around 25%, giving staff more time for service — not inbox firefighting.
Generative AI: Your New Content Team
Paul reframed AI in a refreshingly human‑centred way:
AI isn’t replacing creativity — it’s removing the blank page.
One prompt can generate:
- A blog post
- A social media caption
- A guest itinerary
- A customer email
- Seasonal offers and product copy
The presentation highlighted 30–40% time savings for teams using AI for routine content work.
For hospitality businesses that need to stay visible all year — especially in seasonal economies — AI is proving a powerful leveller.
Smoother Operations, Happier Guests
Friction in hospitality is costly. Paul showed how simple digital tools can reduce the stress points that make service harder and more time-consuming.
- Digital ticketing to reduce queues
- Staff scheduling apps to cut rota clashes
- Inventory tools to avoid shortages
- Shared team dashboards to stay aligned
This isn’t “digital transformation” in an intimidating sense — it’s removing the daily pain points that slowly exhaust teams.
Small Data, Big Decisions
One of the most practical sections of Paul’s talk was on Small Data.
Forget Big Data. Most hospitality businesses need only a few simple signals:
- Booking patterns
- Guest satisfaction trends
- Social engagement
- Seasonal search behaviour
With even a lightweight dashboard, businesses can make faster, fact‑based decisions — leading to a 10% uplift in staff productivity, according to the presentation.
The Multiplier Effect: Connecting Your Tools
Paul highlighted something hospitality teams feel every day:
switching between systems eats up hours.
Disconnected booking platforms, POS tools, calendars and email systems create friction. Integrating them creates flow — and unlocks up to 20% of lost time.
Start Simple: Build a 4‑Tool Digital Stack
For businesses unsure where to begin, Paul offered a reassuringly simple starting point.
- Booking system
- Email marketing tool
- AI assistant
- Basic analytics dashboard
No jargon. No overwhelm. Just the essentials.
The One-Hour Rule
This was one of Paul’s most actionable ideas.
Give yourself one hour each month.
Fix one task.
Improve one process.
Invest in one skill.
It’s a simple discipline that makes digital improvement feel achievable — even during peak season.
The Heart of the Message: Tech Doesn’t Replace Hospitality — It Frees It
Paul closed with a reminder that resonates deeply with this sector.
“Automate the mundane so your team has time for the interactions that matter.”
Hospitality is built on warmth, empathy and human service.
Technology should protect that — not compete with it.
Final Thoughts: A Smarter, Kinder Future for Hospitality
Paul Turner’s session was a timely reminder for hospitality leaders who feel overstretched: transformation doesn’t have to be grand or dramatic. It can be incremental, human‑centred and deeply practical.
A few smart tools.
A bit of automation.
A monthly one-hour reset.
And suddenly, small teams can create the kind of big impact the South West visitor economy needs.
Get in touch with Paul to discuss how Cosmic can support your SME to get started with automation.
