IHG Rolls Out AI Conversational Search Letting Guests Book With Points

IHG Hotels & Resorts has launched a beta version of AI-powered conversational search on its website and the IHG One Rewards mobile app in the US. The new functionality allows travellers to bypass standard search filters and use everyday language to find and book hotels, uniquely offering the ability to pay with points, cash, or a combination of both directly within the chat.

How does the new AI search functionality work?

Travellers can describe their travel needs using natural language prompts, detailing their destination, trip purpose, preferences, and specific amenities. According to Skift, the tool serves up tailored recommendations alongside interactive maps, live availability, pricing, and property details. The generative recommendations are grounded in IHG’s verified first-party property data and authenticated guest reviews, ensuring accuracy and preventing hallucinations, as noted by Hospitality Technology.

During the beta phase, which is currently rolling out to random US users regardless of their loyalty status, the traditional search form will remain available alongside the AI option. IHG plans to expand the feature to other markets following this initial US rollout, refining the experience based on user behaviour and feedback.

What makes IHG's approach different from its competitors?

While IHG is the third major hotel group to formally launch conversational AI search—following Hilton's AI Planner in March and Marriott's Ask Bonvoy in June—it differentiates itself through its payment integration. Skift reported that IHG uniquely allows users to shop using loyalty points, cash, or a combination of both directly within the chat interface, a capability that rivals have not yet enabled.

The system integrates directly with the IHG One Rewards loyalty ledger to facilitate these mixed-payment searches. Looking ahead, IHG is working towards adding agentic booking capabilities, which would push the AI beyond discovery and into autonomous transaction execution.

How are hotel owners expected to prepare for AI search?

To ensure properties are visible and accurately represented in AI-driven searches, IHG is rolling out a new AI-optimised hotel content platform over the next several months. As reported by Hospitality Technology, legacy property data fields are insufficient for answering nuanced AI queries. The new backend platform will allow hotels to upload rich, unstructured data, such as architectural floor plans, high-resolution videos, and updated imagery.

This initiative aims to help hotel owners improve how their properties are discovered on both first-party channels and third-party discovery channels like OTAs and Google. By providing more detailed information, hotels can better showcase their unique attributes and match with travellers seeking specific experiences.

What technology underpins this new capability?

The launch of conversational search builds on years of strategic investment in IHG's digital foundations. According to Hotel Dive, IHG CEO Elie Maalouf stated that the company takes a three-tiered approach to its AI strategy: focusing on guest acquisition and loyalty, hotel commercial optimization, and corporate cost efficiency.

The capability is supported by significant infrastructure investments, including the migration of guest data to Google Cloud and a move to an Amadeus-built cloud reservation system. These foundational changes allow the Central Reservation System to execute highly complex, multi-variable queries in real-time.