Industry project: IE Business School with Mastercard
Agentic AI for hospitality, from problem to business case
I took an agentic AI idea from problem to business case: mapped how the work is done today, designed the solution, built the cost-saving case and the implementation plan, and tested it with a major bedbank in Spain.
- Programme
- IE Business Impact Lab, MBA industry project with Mastercard
- When
- May – Jun 2026
- Topic
- Agentic AI for the travel and hospitality industry
- Industry input
- Interviews with a major bedbank in Spain
- Output
- Solution design, business case and implementation plan
How I approached it
Problem framing
Defined the problem, who has it and why it matters enough to solve.
How it's done today
Mapped the current process step by step, with the people and tools involved.
Effort and cost today
Estimated the time and cost the current process takes.
Solution design
Designed an agentic AI product that takes over repetitive steps, with people kept in control of key decisions.
Business case
Compared effort and cost today with effort and cost using the product.
Implementation plan
Planned a phased rollout, with what is needed at each step.
Testing it with industry
To check the idea against the real world, I spoke with a major bedbank in Spain about how they handle the problem today and whether the solution would fit their work. Their input shaped the solution design and the business case.
This project is under a confidentiality agreement with Mastercard. This page shows how I worked, not the solution details or financial figures.
What I took away
An agentic AI idea is only as strong as its today-versus-tomorrow numbers. Mapping the current process and its cost first made the solution and the savings case concrete, and made the conversation with an industry player much more useful.