Marriott International Embraces AI Across Operations, From Trip Planning to Contact Centers
BETHESDA, MD - Marriott International is rapidly integrating artificial intelligence across its global portfolio, piloting and deploying solutions ranging from generative AI-powered content creation to AI-assisted trip planning and meeting summaries. The hospitality giant is prioritizing a phased approach – pilot, adapt, refine, then scale – to maximize impact and speed to market, according to Global CIO Naveen Manga.
Marriott’s AI initiatives span multiple facets of the business, aiming to enhance both guest experiences and internal efficiencies. Earlier this year, the company initiated a pilot program of Microsoft’s 365 Copilot with approximately 100 associates, and is now expanding access to thousands of employees for tasks like meeting summaries and transcriptions. A select group of Bonvoy members are currently testing an AI-powered trip planning tool, with plans to broaden access to hundreds of Marriott associates later this quarter.
“We pilot first, then we adapt, then we refine before we scale our solutions to the global portfolio,” Manga said. “It’s about ruthless prioritization.”
The company is also leveraging generative AI to boost SEO traffic to its website and has implemented an AI coach to support contact center agents. Marriott is shifting away from independent, vertically integrated AI projects, aiming for a model-agnostic technology architecture to accelerate deployment of its planned 10 use cases for 2025.
A governance framework, three years in growth, guides these efforts, but Manga anticipates continuous iteration. ”It’s going to change and continuously iterate,” he said.
