AI in Hotels: New Search Tools, Call Centers – and Why Robots Aren’t in the U.S.

Major hotel chains are testing artificial intelligence tools across their operations, but executives are still sorting through fundamental questions about where the technology is effective and where it isn't.

Leaders from IHG, Wyndham, Choice Hotels, Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott's vacation rentals division gathered to discuss their AI experiments at the Destination AI forum in Washington, D.C. The conversation revealed early progress on back-office automation, but uncertainty about customer-facing applications, data infrastructure, and security.

Contact centers are a proving ground.

The clearest wins for AI have come from hotels automating routine queries that don't require human judgment.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts receives thousands of daily calls from guests who simply want to confirm their reservations, according to Josh Dow, VP, hotel technology strategy & services.

"It's a remarkable number of people who call to confirm," Dow sa