IHG Hotels & Resorts has begun testing an AI-powered conversational search tool that allows travelers to find hotels by describing a trip in ordinary language rather than filling in traditional filters.
The beta is launching on IHG.com and the IHG One Rewards mobile app in the United States before expanding to additional markets. It covers more than 7,000 hotels across the company’s portfolio and is designed to move travelers more quickly from inspiration to booking.
Users can enter details such as a destination, trip purpose, preferred amenities and the type of experience they want. The system then returns tailored recommendations supported by interactive maps, real-time availability, pricing and detailed hotel information. Travelers can search using cash rates, loyalty points or a combination of points and cash.
IHG says the recommendations are grounded in verified property information and guest reviews. That distinction matters as travel companies experiment with generative AI, which can produce inaccurate answers when it is not connected to reliable data.
How AI Could Change Direct Hotel Booking
The conversational tool is not replacing IHG’s traditional search during the beta. Travelers can continue using familiar date, destination and room filters while choosing the AI option when they need help narrowing a broad request.
For IHG, the goal goes beyond making discovery easier. CEO Elie Maalouf has said conversational search could attract more direct bookings, helping the company retain customers inside its own digital channels rather than losing them to online travel agencies or AI assistants.
The system could also make smaller or less familiar properties easier to discover. A traveler asking for a family-friendly hotel near public transportation, with a pool and points availability, may receive a result that would otherwise be buried behind better-known brands.
IHG is also rolling out an AI-optimized content platform for hotel owners. Properties will be able to upload richer materials including floor plans, videos and refreshed imagery, giving the search system more detail to use when matching hotels with specific requests.
The Hotel Industry Is Racing Into Conversational Search
IHG’s launch follows the introduction of its app in ChatGPT and forms part of a wider AI strategy covering guest acquisition, loyalty, hotel performance and corporate efficiency. Future additions are expected to include deeper personalization and agentic booking capabilities that could allow software to complete more of the reservation process.
The company is also preparing a refreshed loyalty platform and a cloud-based customer relationship management system powered by Salesforce. These tools are intended to help hotels provide more relevant promotions, recognize guest preferences and deliver rewards more efficiently.
IHG is not alone. Marriott International has introduced Ask Bonvoy, Hilton has rolled out a generative AI concierge, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has launched a ChatGPT app. Choice Hotels International is also investing in guest-facing AI, although it has not yet released a comparable conversational search product.
The competition is shifting hotel search away from rigid lists and toward dialogue. The winning platforms will need to do more than produce attractive recommendations. They will have to provide accurate rates, explain why a hotel fits the request and make the transition from conversation to booking almost effortless.
For travelers, IHG’s beta offers a glimpse of a future in which finding a hotel starts less like completing a form and more like asking a knowledgeable travel advisor.
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