IHG ditches the search box for AI that books like a travel agent

IHG is pushing its direct channels toward a different kind of search. Instead of travelers typing keywords into a box, Kim Smith, SVP of Digital Direct Channels, is betting on conversational AI that feels less like a search engine and more like chatting with a travel advisor. A Google-powered beta is already live on IHG.com, letting guests describe what they want in natural language and getting personalized recommendations back.

This isn't cosmetic. The shift forces hotels to rethink how their content gets discovered and indexed. Search box optimization breaks down when the algorithm is reading prose instead of keywords. Properties that have stuffed their descriptions with SEO terms will find themselves invisible to AI that actually understands intent. Hotels need to start writing for humans again, which means clearer narratives about what makes them different. It's a hard reset on content strategy.

What interests me most is how this shapes IHG's direct distribution play. Conversational AI reduces friction between intent and booking. It cuts the OTA out of the middle. And it gives IHG proprietary data on what guests actually want to talk about when they travel. That's gold for personalization. The chains that crack this first own a direct channel that OTAs can't replicate.