Marriott Adds AI-Powered Conversational Search Tool to Drive Direct Bookings

Marriott International accelerated the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for customers of its properties and its travel platform during the second quarter. "In June, we began our phased rollout of Ask Bonvoy, our AI-powered conversational search experience on Marriott.com and the Marriott Bonvoy App, reflecting our commitment to using technology to enhance the customer experience, strengthen engagement with our members and drive greater operational efficiency," Marriott International President and CEO Tony Capuano said Monday (Aug. 3) during the company’s second quarter earnings call. Ask Bonvoy provides an AI-powered, conversational, natural language search experience that is designed to help members of Marriott International’s loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy, explore the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of 10,000 properties in 146 countries and territories, Marriott International said in a June 16 press release. The tool is designed to complement the existing search function on Marriott.com and in the Marriott Bonvoy App by allowing guests to use conversational prompts covering travel purpose, location attributes and desired amenities. Because Ask Bonvoy’s responses are grounded in property data owned and verified by Marriot, it delivers information that is more reliable than that provided by open web content, according to the release. "With our well-respected brands and industry-leading scale, we are also working closely with Google and other leading AI platform providers as their travel search and commerce tools evolve," Capuano said during Monday’s earnings call. During the second quarter, Marriott International saw its global revenue per available room (RevPAR) increase 3.4%. RevPAR in the United States and Canada was up 5%, driven by strong and broad-based travel demand, while international RevPAR was down 0.5%, as headwinds from the conflict in the Middle East more than offset growth in other regions, according to a Monday earnings release. Capuano said during the call that looking ahead, "with strong, broad-based demand generally expected to continue, we are raising our full-year of 2026 guidance range to 3% to 3.5% global RevPAR growth." Marriott International’s loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy, grew to more than 295 million members during the quarter. The company said in the earnings release that it further strengthened the program during the second quarter by signing new long-term agreements for its co-branded credit card program in the U.S. with JPMorganChase and American Express. JPMorganChase and American Express are the program’s longstanding partners, Capuano said during the call. "These agreements reflect the strength of the Marriott Bonvoy brand and the extraordinary value of our brand portfolio, the continued growth of our lodging system, and the powerful combination of scale and engagement represented by our cardholders and more than 295 million loyalty program members," Capuano said.