But where is Charlie? The Choice Hotels teams could easily answer that: within the American group's operational platforms. Available 24/7, this AI-powered virtual "teammate" meets staff needs, provides insights, and reduces the time spent on their questions. This digital coach then takes care of carrying out recurring tasks within the scope of hotel operations.
With RAISE, a next-generation revenue management tool that the franchisor will soon launch, or AgentCore and AgentForce, facilitating the deployment of AI agents in sales, service, marketing, commerce, and internal operations, Charlie is among the technological innovations that Choice Hotels is offering or will offer to simplify the daily work of staff and improve the operational efficiency of their franchised establishments.
Others have a more direct impact on business travellers. In May, the group launched Choice Hotels Business Direct, a self-service digital booking platform specifically designed for SMEs. This not only helps them book stays but also to create travel policies and gain better visibility on their employees' travel. The idea for the hotels is to "capture more mid-week demand from this rapidly growing segment." Still in connection with business customers, two AI-enhanced management tools, Choice Hotels EasyBid and EasyBid Plus, simplify responses to group tender requests for more efficient replies, hoping that this speed will translate into bookings.
" These tools are designed to help our property owners win more business, as AI continues to transform the way travellers search, compare and book their stays, said Patrick Pacious, who was still CEO of the group last May, before leaving his post since. TThroughout our history, we have been an industry leader in technology and digital transformation, and in today's dynamic world, this is more important than ever. "
An app in ChatGPT for IHG
Hotel groups continue to embrace the world of AI within this framework. Following Accor in January and Wyndham last May, IHG has just launched an application on ChatGPT. Designed to complement IHG's digital platforms, this ChatGPT application allows users to search, compare, and explore IHG's more than 7,000 hotels in over 100 countries. With ChatGPT providing recommendations for hotels that match travellers' preferences and displaying real-time availability, customers are then directed to IHG's booking channels to finalise their reservations.
In parallel with this application in OpenAI's solution, IHG also plans to integrate AI-powered conversational search within its own solutions, on IHG.com and in the IHG One Rewards app, in the near future. " Customer expectations are evolving rapidly, and we're evolving with them, said Jolie Fleming, Director of Products and Technology at IHG Hotels & Resorts. With over a million guests staying in our properties worldwide every night, we are using AI to make the travel experience smoother, from planning and booking through to the stay itself. "
