Marriot’s Way to Rival AI Tools Is to… Join Them?

Marriott has been working closely with Google to help travelers move from research to booking while interacting with Google’s AI Mode.

In November 2025, Google announced that it was developing an AI agent that would allow users to plan and complete travel reservations directly from the search results page. This feature is part of Google’s broader AI Mode initiative, which aims to combine real-time travel data, pricing, availability, and personalized recommendations into a conversational interface.

Travelers will be able to describe their preferences in natural language, review suggested hotels or flights, refine options through follow-up questions, and finalize bookings without leaving the search environment. To support this development, Google has partnered with Marriott along with other major travel companies, such as Booking.com, Expedia Group, Choice Hotels, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

There is very unlikely to be a platform that consistently receives priority in search results. Instead, rankings will shift depending on search intent, available inventory, commercial arrangements, and the traveler’s situation, with the query itself playing a major role. 

When users search in a general way, such as “best hotels near mountains under $400,” OTAs like Booking.com or Expedia might have an advantage because they present options from many brands alongside pricing comparisons. 

However, when the search clearly signals loyalty to a brand, such as “Marriott hotels in Paris for a family,” Marriott’s website may gain visibility. 

Another important factor is that Google must preserve fairness across its ecosystem. Giving disproportionate exposure to one partner could raise competition concerns, particularly in the EU, where regulators already monitor how travel content is displayed. Supporting multiple partners will reduce legal risk.

Finally, business incentives remain important as well. Advertising is a major revenue source for Google, and the company recently announced new ad formats inside AI Mode. According to Google, improved AI understanding allows better monetization of longer, more detailed searches. This suggests sponsored results will continue to influence what users see, though they will still be transparently marked as “sponsored.”

Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano confirmed that the company is participating in an advertising pilot with OpenAI in the US. The test involves displaying sponsored placements within ChatGPT.

Capuano emphasized that the initiative is still in its early stages and that Marriott is working closely with OpenAI’s teams to explore how travel brands might appear within AI-generated experiences. 

According to OpenAI, in the pilot program, advertisements appear below responses, clearly labeled as sponsored content, and separated from the AI system’s reasoning to avoid influencing answers directly.

Since ChatGPT is already being used by many travelers to compare destinations, accommodations, and experiences, advertising within the platform could become a valuable new discovery channel for travel companies.

Seeing AI’s growing influence on travel as inevitable, it seems Marriott decided it’s smarter to partner with these conversational tools rather than compete against them. 

In its annual filing, the company noted, “The introduction of AI capabilities by existing and emerging travel intermediaries may change the way guests plan, book, and pay for travel, which may disrupt how our products and services are marketed and distributed, potentially eroding brand loyalty, increasing distribution costs, and negatively affecting our Loyalty Program, which could adversely impact our financial performance and our ability to grow our business.” 

This shows the hotel industry is fully aware of the risk AI poses to bookings, and those that form early partnerships may avoid falling behind.

Absolutely. 

In its 2025 financial report, Hyatt announced a collaboration with OpenAI to create a branded app in ChatGPT, letting travelers search hotel rooms, ask questions, and explore options conversationally. CEO Mark Hoplamazian added that Hyatt’s broader AI investments are already yielding results, including a revamped website search engine using natural language to mirror how guests research trips. 

Similarly, in January 2026, ALL Accor introduced a ChatGPT app for its booking platform and loyalty ecosystem, allowing users to enter travel dates and destinations to explore available properties across Accor’s global portfolio in a conversational way.

Not everyone thinks this way. 

While Hilton also identified AI as a risk to its room distribution, its leadership appears more confident about the company’s negotiating power and market position.

President and CEO Christopher J. Nassetta argued that Hilton controls more than one-fifth of what he describes as America’s “quality” hotel room inventory. He suggested that this leverage could eventually force platforms such as Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic to provide competitive commission structures if they want access to the hotel’s inventory. Without Hilton, he implied, AI-driven booking systems would struggle to present comprehensive travel options to consumers.

Even if AI platforms could indirectly distribute Hilton rooms via partnerships with OTAs, Hilton still tightly controls pricing, availability, loyalty benefits, and other attributes. The company can restrict certain inventory types or loyalty perks to select channels. “If we don’t want to share it, nobody can get it,” Nassetta said.

Overall, while some hotel groups are moving quickly to partner with AI providers, others are not willing to jump right in yet.