Marriott Chief Sees AI Reshaping How Travelers Discover and Book Hotels
Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano told investors that artificial intelligence's most significant effect on the hotel industry will be in distribution, or how guests find and reserve properties. He said the company is actively feeding content to platforms like Google and OpenAI to ensure its hotels appear prominently and authentically in AI-driven search results. Capuano cited recent reports indicating Marriott's portfolio is already more visible in these tools than competitors'.
Speaking at a Bank of America investor conference on Wednesday, Capuano pinpointed distribution as the foremost area where artificial intelligence will alter the hotel sector, affecting how guests locate and reserve rooms.
The company is actively providing extensive property information to prominent AI platforms such as Google and OpenAI. Capuano noted that recent analyses from Skift and Lighthouse indicate Marriott's properties are already surfaced more frequently in these tools compared to rival hotel groups.
Travelers could increasingly rely on AI-generated recommendations, which may favor large portfolios like Marriott's due to their content volume. Smaller independent hotels might find it harder to gain visibility, potentially reducing the diversity of lodging options available to consumers. While AI could streamline booking and offer personalized suggestions, it may also homogenize travel discovery, shifting power toward corporations that can best optimize their digital presence.