Marriott International launched Ask Bonvoy, an AI-powered conversational search tool, on Tuesday, giving travelers a natural language way to discover hotels across its portfolio of 10,000 properties. The beta launch marks a step in the company's enterprise-wide AI strategy and puts Marriott alongside rivals that have debuted similar search experiences this year.
How Ask Bonvoy works
Ask Bonvoy interprets natural language queries, identifies the trip purpose, and returns curated results from Marriott's portfolio. Users can search with conversational prompts that mention travel intent, location features, or desired amenities like dining, spa, and golf. Traditional date and location filters remain available. Once a traveler picks a hotel, the tool hands off to Marriott's existing booking engine to complete the reservation. Future updates will support loyalty points-based searches.
The tool is initially available in U.S. English on Marriott's website and mobile apps for a subset of Marriott Bonvoy members. CEO Anthony Capuano said in a statement that the launch is "a powerful example of our continued investment in technology as we aim to make travel planning easier, more intuitive, and more personal."
Technology and measured rollout
The platform runs on Marriott's proprietary AI architecture, with responses grounded exclusively in company-owned, verified property data rather than open web content. During a virtual event last month, CIO Naveen Manga said there would be "guardrails built into the safety and security" of the conversations. Drew Pinto, executive vice president and chief revenue and technology officer, said the measured approach is intentional: "Ask Bonvoy is designed to meet travelers in a modern way at every point in their journey, whether they know exactly where and when they'd like to travel or are just beginning their trip discovery. Our measured launch allows us to learn directly from our customers on how they like to search so we can refine and adapt before we scale globally."
Competitors make similar moves
IHG Hotels & Resorts earlier this month launched an app in OpenAI's ChatGPT for searching and exploring its hotels. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts debuted its own native ChatGPT app for hotel discovery and booking. Hilton rolled out a generative AI-powered digital concierge in March. Choice Hotels International focused on franchisee tools, launching several AI-powered products last month to help owners capture demand and operate more efficiently. These developments reflect a broader shift toward AI for hospitality and events.
Why this matters for hospitality and events professionals
The rise of natural language search tools changes how guests find and book venues. Meeting planners and event organizers can expect travelers to arrive at their properties through increasingly conversational queries, not just filtered searches. Understanding how AI interprets trip purpose and amenity requests will help property marketers optimize their descriptions and service offerings. The trend also points to a future where event venue search could mirror this behavior, making familiarity with AI-driven discovery a practical skill for professionals managing guest experiences.
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