Dive Brief:
- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Choice Hotels International each debuted new AI-powered tools this week, the companies announced in separate news releases.
- Wyndham launched a native ChatGPT app, designed for conversational search, that aims to make hotel discovery and booking “more intuitive,” per the company. Users can explore approximately 8,400 hotels across Wyndham’s global portfolio using map-based navigation and amenity filters. Meanwhile, Choice Hotels announced a new slate of AI-powered tools to “help owners capture demand and operate more efficiently,” the company said.
- The pair are among hotel competitors investing in artificial intelligence to not only ease the trip planning process for travelers who are increasingly turning to generative AI, but also to optimize operations for associates and owners.
Dive Insight:
Wyndham’s new app represents the first native hotel app from a major economy and midscale franchisor in the U.S. available within OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the company claims. But hotel competitors are bringing conversational search to travelers in different ways.
Hilton launched a generative AI-powered digital concierge in March to help customers plan trips, while Marriott International CEO Anthony Capuano shared during a Wednesday earnings call that the company plans to roll out a “robust natural language search experience” on its website in the second quarter of this year.
Meanwhile, Choice Hotels partnered with AWS last month on an enterprisewide AI deployment that will impact how guests discover and book Choice properties as well as how franchisees manage operations. The company’s latest slate of AI-powered tools is concentrating on the latter. On Thursday, Choice announced the new solutions, which are aimed at helping franchise owners “drive more revenue and improve operating efficiency,” according to a release.
Choice’s new tools include Hotels Business Direct, a self-service digital booking platform for small- and medium-sized businesses; EasyBid, an AI-enhanced group Request for Proposals tool; CHARLIE, an AI-powered virtual “teammate” designed to assist staff through core operating platforms; and RAISE, a rate management tool designed to streamline how owners manage pricing, rates and inventory.
Wyndham is also incorporating AI systemwide to deliver measurable returns to its franchisees, the company detailed Wednesday.
“As AI becomes central to how travel is planned and purchased, our focus is on translating innovation into real results for owners,” Michael Mahar, senior vice president and head of commercial technology at Wyndham, said in a statement. “Whether it’s helping reduce operating costs, drive incremental revenue or expand distribution through new platforms like ChatGPT, our goal is to enable franchisees to compete more effectively while delivering a better experience for guests.”
Since 2018, Wyndham has invested more than $450 million in technology, including launching its AI-powered guest engagement platform Wyndham Connect in 2024.
The majority of hospitality IT decision-makers currently believe AI is having a significant or transformative impact on the hotel industry, according to a March report from Canary Technologies.
