Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa is rolling out AI-powered taste-based recommendations for guests through a new partnership with a New York software firm, the companies announced Tuesday.

Through the Tastefuli app by Preferabli, guests can receive personalized itineraries and recommendations for wine, spirits, food and local experiences, driven by the patented “Preferabli Sensorial AI.” The software will support both concierge services and food-and-beverage operations, including pairing suggestions for wine and spirits based on each guest’s flavor profile.

Preferabli CEO Pam Dillon said the technology is increasingly valuable as hospitality businesses navigate shifting consumer patterns.
“Hotels, restaurants and wineries want loyal guests and given current market trends are now realizing the need to earn that loyalty,” she said. “Travelers want food and drink that appeals to their personal tastes when out and about, and where they stay. Our software brings them together with those hotels, restaurants and wineries they will like based on individual taste preferences. A win for everyone.”
“Tastefuli is a huge driver of guest satisfaction,” said Rachel Wilson, general manager of the 275-room hotel, in the announcement. “We’re enhancing the guest journey while addressing the realities of a dynamic labor market, ensuring consistently high levels of guest satisfaction as we drive long- term growth.”

She said the app will allow the hotel staff to “meet the evolving expectations of today’s travelers by offering curated, personalized service that starts even before guests even set foot in Napa Valley.”
Preferabli’s expansion into hospitality-oriented experiences accelerated earlier this year. The New York-based company in January acquired Libation Labs, the Napa parent of Cuvée Collective, the Journal reported at the time.

That deal combined Preferabli’s patented AI recommendation engine with Libation Labs’ Wine Country–focused experience platform, built by a team including software engineers and a group of master sommeliers and masters of wine.

At the time, CEO Pam Dillon told the Journal, “These industry veterans have meticulously cataloged the sensory characteristics of hundreds of products, ensuring the AI’s recommendations are grounded in deep, nuanced understanding.”
Libation Labs’ evolution toward a digital concierge model was driven by its own customer research. CEO Andrew Allison told the Journal in 2023 that his company had purchased hot-air balloon touring firms because internal surveys of its 1,850 customers showed strong demand for curated Wine Country experiences — including a finding that 78% of respondents wanted a hot-air balloon ride.
Those insights underpinned Libation Labs’ effort to pair visitors with activities beyond traditional tastings, a strategy Preferabli later absorbed through the acquisition.
Preferabli’s broader mission, as Dillon said in January, is to scale the storytelling and guidance typically provided by expert sommeliers.
“We don’t want to take the sommelier out of the equation,” Dillon said. “We want to enhance their role by handling the initial discovery process.”
Chief Technical Officer and cofounder Andrew Sussman said in Tuesday’s announcement the company’s platform supports “a personalized journey anywhere in the world of hospitality and travel.”
Dillon said Preferabli’s recommendation ecosystem spans “thousands of wineries, restaurants and hotels,” with some fully deployed and others still being introduced into the system. She noted the company emphasizes “quality over quantity” in curating businesses on the platform to maintain “supply and demand balance across geographies.”
She said the software is designed to avoid skewed results.
“Preferabli software was built to work like a human expert at scale in a way that is accurate, unbiased and calibrated across products and experiences,” Dillon said. “Turns out that neither businesses nor consumers want things any other way.”
Pricing for the company’s services varies by client type and scope of work. Wineries pay as little as $10 for performance marketing fees. The fees for small hotels, restaurants and retailers start at $100 per month.
“Our brand promise is that our partners see a return on investment right away – with increased consumer engagement, revenue lift and labor cost savings,” Dillon said.
The Napa Valley Marriott, part of Sage Hospitality Group, said the integration aligns with its emphasis on high-touch Wine Country service. The 3425 Solano Ave. property has 22,000 square feet of event space, SpaWell and amenities centered on regional food, wine and relaxation.
Preferabli, which also has offered its AI tools to retailer chains Albertsons in the U.S. and M&S in the United Kingdom, said it has business and consumer users in 100 countries.
Jeff Quackenbush joined North Bay Business Journal in May 1999. He covers primarily wine, construction and real estate.

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