Google and ChatGPT are moving in on your next hotel booking
Key Points
- IHG has launched conversational search across its websites and app, so travellers can describe a trip in plain English
- A ChatGPT plug-in now recommends IHG hotels with live availability, pricing and maps
- Google began a limited test of hotel booking inside AI Mode this month, with IHG among its partners
- The Google test runs in the United States only, and its Ask Maps hotel search stops short of taking a booking
- 83% of room revenue at IHG hotels comes through channels the company controls
IHG Hotels & Resorts has put its 7,109 hotels inside AI tools built by Google and OpenAI in a bid to make booking a hotel easier.
The company launched conversational search across its websites and app in July, letting travellers describe what they want in their own words rather than filtering by date, location and price.
Its ChatGPT plug-in recommends IHG hotels based on stated preferences and shows live availability, pricing, interactive maps and amenities.
IHG is one of the partners in Google’s pilot for booking hotels inside AI Mode. Bookings made that way still count as direct bookings with IHG, and travellers can be sent to IHG.com to see loyalty member rates.
A second Google pilot, Direct Offers, places IHG promotions inside AI-assisted trip planning with a link to book.
83% of room revenue at hotels in IHG’s system came through IHG-managed channels in the first half of 2026, and direct digital channels delivered 26% of total room revenue. Visits to the IHG app grew 9% over the last 12 months, and 65% of elite loyalty members used it.
“Thanks to the hard work of our teams, we’re making excellent progress on growing our brands, expanding in key geographic markets, developing our leading technology and enterprise platform, and driving ancillary fee streams,” said Elie Maalouf, Chief Executive Officer of IHG Hotels & Resorts.
A new hotel content platform is rolling out across the IHG app and all its booking websites through 2026, adding machine translation, video, 360 images, floor plans and virtual tours.
IHG is also building a customer relationship platform to hold a single view of each guest, and says AI-driven marketing campaigns using predictive analytics have delivered three to four times higher returns.
Its digital chatbot service is on track to top six million conversations this year.
Digital check-out has reached more than 4,000 hotels, and next-generation property management systems from HotelKey, Oracle and Shiji will reach 4,000 hotels by the end of 2026, bringing mobile check-in, digital room keys and in-stay requests over platforms including WhatsApp.
