Quick Overview

  • IHG Hotels & Resorts announced on Tuesday that it has launched an AI-driven conversational search tool (beta) on its website and mobile app.
  • According to a press release, the new AI search feature aims to make it easier for guests to discover and book IHG's more than 7,000 hotels worldwide, while enabling owners to increase their properties' visibility in AI searches.
  • The launch follows IHG's introduction of an app in ChatGPT last month as part of its "broader AI strategy to enrich the ways travelers discover and engage with IHG," the press release said. The company expects further AI advancements later this year.

Deep Insights

With the new conversational search feature, travelers can describe their needs, including destination, trip purpose, amenities, or preferences, and the AI tool will provide personalized hotel recommendations based on their specifications.

Travelers will see content including interactive maps, real-time availability, pricing, and detailed property information, which is "based on IHG's verified property data and guest reviews," the press release said. Travelers can also search for hotels using loyalty points as well as cash rates.

IHG is rolling out the conversational search tool in phases, launching first in the U.S. before expanding to multiple markets, the press release said.

The launch "builds on our years of strategic investment in our digital foundation, including the unification of data in the cloud and the continued evolution of our best-in-class technology platform," IHG CEO Elie Maalouf said in a statement.

During an earnings call in May, Maalouf said IHG takes a three-tiered approach to its AI strategy, focusing on guest acquisition and loyalty, hotel commercial optimization, and corporate cost efficiency. He praised the new conversational search tool on the call, saying it will "transform how guests discover and book stays... while driving more direct bookings."

Also on the call, Maalouf said IHG is on track to begin deploying a new AI-driven content management platform this year. The company also plans to update its loyalty platform and launch a new cloud-based CRM tool powered by Salesforce, "so our hotels can deliver more personalized experiences, offer more relevant promotions, and provide loyalty rewards faster and more efficiently," Maalouf said.

According to Tuesday's press release, IHG will launch a new AI-optimized hotel content platform in the coming months, "making it easier for hotels to upload rich, detailed information and increasing the likelihood of their properties being discovered." The platform will support new content, including floor plans, videos, and updated images.

IHG is one of several hotel competitors expanding their conversational search capabilities as travelers increasingly use AI for trip planning.

Last month, Marriott International launched Ask Bonvoy, a conversational search tool, as part of its enterprise-wide AI deployment strategy. Meanwhile, Hilton introduced a generative AI-powered digital concierge earlier this year, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts launched a native ChatGPT app.

Choice Hotels International does not yet have a consumer-facing conversational search tool, but the company is innovating on the guest side, Choice's chief data, AI, and technology officer Anna Scozzafava told Hotel Dive last month.