ATLANTA — IHG Hotels & Resorts has launched the beta version of AI-powered conversational search across IHG.com and the IHG One Rewards mobile app in the United States, expanding its artificial intelligence strategy to enhance digital hotel discovery while creating new opportunities for hotel owners to improve property visibility across AI-driven search experiences.
Announced by IHG Hotels & Resorts on July 28, 2026, the initiative represents the company's latest investment in digital commerce and artificial intelligence. The rollout begins in the U.S. as a phased beta launch before expanding to additional markets, allowing IHG to refine the experience through user behavior and feedback while introducing a new way for travelers to search and book from its portfolio of more than 7,000 hotels worldwide.
The conversational search capability allows travelers to search using natural language instead of relying solely on traditional filters or keyword-based queries. Guests can describe destinations, travel purposes, preferred amenities, or other trip requirements in everyday language, enabling the platform to generate tailored hotel recommendations directly within IHG's digital ecosystem.
The search experience combines customized hotel recommendations with interactive maps, real-time availability, pricing information, detailed property content, and multiple payment options. Guests can search and book using cash, IHG One Rewards points, or a combination of points and cash, integrating loyalty redemption into the AI-assisted booking journey.
The launch also carries strategic implications beyond guest convenience. Alongside improving travel discovery, the new AI-powered search is designed to help hotel owners increase the visibility of their properties in AI-generated search results. As conversational search becomes a larger component of digital travel planning, richer property content and structured hotel information become increasingly important for how hotels are presented to potential guests.
IHG stated that recommendations generated through conversational search are based on verified property data and guest reviews. The platform combines reliable hotel information, photography, amenities, and guest-generated content to produce personalized recommendations while maintaining consistency across its digital channels.
During the beta phase, the company will continue offering both the existing search functionality and the new AI conversational search option. This dual approach allows travelers to choose between conventional search methods and AI-assisted trip planning while IHG continues evaluating user engagement with the new technology.
Elie Maalouf, Chief Executive Officer of IHG Hotels & Resorts, said the launch marks a significant milestone in how travelers interact with the company's hotel portfolio and reflects years of investment in digital infrastructure.
He said the development builds upon IHG's strategic work to unify company data within cloud platforms while continuously evolving its technology capabilities. According to Maalouf, these digital foundations position the company to deploy artificial intelligence at scale, enabling richer travel discovery experiences while creating business value for hotel owners operating within the IHG system.
The conversational search launch also supports IHG's broader effort to prepare its hotels for AI-driven discovery across both proprietary and external digital platforms.
Over the coming months, the company plans to introduce an AI-optimized hotel content platform that will allow participating hotels to upload richer and more detailed property information. The platform is expected to support expanded content formats including floor plans, videos, and updated imagery, giving hotels additional tools to present their properties in ways that align with evolving traveler search behavior.
The enhanced content management capabilities are intended to improve how hotel attributes are understood by AI systems and matched with travelers searching for specific experiences, amenities, or accommodation preferences. By expanding the range and quality of available property content, hotels can better communicate their unique characteristics across digital channels.
IHG said the new content platform is designed to support hotel visibility not only through its own booking channels but also across third-party digital platforms where AI-powered hotel discovery continues to evolve. This broader approach reflects the company's objective of improving how properties are surfaced regardless of where travelers begin their search journey.
The conversational search rollout follows another recent AI initiative by IHG with the introduction of its application within ChatGPT. Together, these developments form part of a wider artificial intelligence strategy focused on strengthening how travelers discover, evaluate, and engage with the company's hotel portfolio through digital experiences.
IHG indicated that additional technology developments are scheduled throughout the remainder of the year as the company continues expanding AI capabilities across its booking ecosystem.
Future enhancements under development include more personalized search experiences and agentic booking capabilities designed to further automate elements of trip planning and reservations. The company said these capabilities are intended to deepen guest personalization while strengthening customer loyalty through increasingly tailored digital interactions.
To support these long-term initiatives, IHG is collaborating with technology partners and organizations specializing in artificial intelligence. These collaborations are intended to advance the company's efforts to transform the guest experience through scalable AI technologies integrated across its digital platforms.
The phased rollout strategy enables IHG to collect user feedback and behavioral insights during the beta period before broader international deployment. Beginning with U.S. users on IHG.com and the IHG One Rewards mobile application, the company plans to expand availability across multiple markets as the conversational search experience continues to evolve.
For hotel owners within the IHG portfolio, the launch aligns digital discovery with richer property content and AI-driven search visibility, supporting broader distribution strategies as conversational interfaces become a larger component of online travel planning. Combined with future AI-optimized content tools and planned personalization capabilities, the initiative extends IHG's technology roadmap beyond booking functionality toward a more AI-enabled hotel distribution ecosystem.