The State of AI Adoption on Hotel Booking Sites: A Survey of Japan's 15 Major Hotel Groups

Summary

Stellagent Inc. surveyed 15 major Japanese hotel chains and groups on the state of AI adoption across their official booking sites and official digital channels.

The survey looked beyond AI chatbots for inquiry handling and analyzed whether, when a user expresses their conditions in natural language, AI can search, compare, and suggest accommodations and connect the user to a booking flow. As a result, 12 of the 15 major domestic groups were found to use AI/chatbots, but a flow where AI understands stay conditions and suggests candidates across multiple properties, rooms, and rates was not found within the scope of this survey.

By contrast, in a reference survey of 7 major global hotel chains and groups, 6 — Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and Accor — offered AI-driven hotel selection, implemented or piloted via official digital channels such as their websites, apps, and ChatGPT apps. Best Western / BWH Hotels is classified as Phase 3 for partial candidate suggestions through a co-marketing campaign with Tripadvisor.

※ Each company is classified by the most advanced phase confirmed (no double counting).

The chart above may be reproduced in reporting, articles, and other materials as-is, provided that "Stellagent Inc." is credited as the source and a link to this page is included.

This survey was conducted within the scope verifiable from each company's official website and publicly available information. The global comparison is treated as a reference survey, distinguishing implementations on official booking sites, offerings via official apps/ChatGPT apps, limited beta releases, and co-marketing campaigns.

Background

We are approaching an era in which AI agents organize travel and business-trip plans on behalf of users, comparing transportation, accommodations, rates, and conditions and proceeding all the way to booking.

Rather than opening booking sites one by one and entering region, dates, number of guests, budget, and facility conditions, users will increasingly ask an AI agent things like "Find a hotel for next week's Osaka business trip, near the station, with breakfast, and ideally a large public bath," or "Compare hotels that fit a family of four and are easy to reach from the airport."

What this asks of hotel operators is not simply placing an AI chat on the official website. The issue is to organize one's own official booking site and booking infrastructure so that AI can use them — so that an AI agent can understand properties, availability, rates, plans, membership benefits, and payment conditions, and present them to users.

In light of this shift, we surveyed the state of AI booking readiness across the official booking sites of 15 major Japanese hotel chains and groups.

Phase definitions

In this survey, we organized AI booking readiness on official hotel booking sites into the following five stages.

Phase	Definition
Phase 1	Traditional booking flow only. No AI-assisted booking flow can be confirmed.
Phase 2	An AI or chatbot for FAQ/inquiry handling exists.
Phase 3	AI search or limited condition input enables candidate suggestions for some conditions.
Phase 4	Based on natural-language conditions, hotel candidates within the brand can be explored and suggested across official channels such as the website, app, and official ChatGPT app.
Phase 5	Booking and payment are completed within the conversation.

※ Each company is classified by the most advanced phase confirmed (no double counting).

※ A ChatGPT app (apps in ChatGPT) is an app feature that a company officially provides inside OpenAI's ChatGPT. Users can invoke the company's official functions, such as hotel search, from within a ChatGPT conversation.

Results for Japan's 15 major hotel groups

Of the 15 major Japanese hotel chains and groups, 12 were found to use AI/chatbots. However, most were aimed at FAQ or inquiry handling and pre/post-stay guidance, and flows in which AI assists hotel selection itself were limited.

No	Company	Phase	Assessment	Source
1	APA Hotel	Phase 2	AI chatbot use is seen in some property FAQs and the guest app. However, no flow was found where AI explores hotel conditions and proceeds to booking/payment.	Source
2	Toyoko Inn	Phase 2	An AI chatbot has been introduced on the official site to strengthen inquiry handling. Booking centers on the traditional search/booking flow.	Source
3	Route Inn Hotels	Phase 2	There is information on tripla Book and tripla Bot adoption, and inquiry AI and official booking infrastructure are advancing. However, no flow was found where AI suggests candidates from conditions and completes booking within the conversation.	Source
4	Super Hotel	Phase 1	Search/booking flows via the official site and app are in place, but within the survey scope no AI chat or AI-assisted booking flow was found.	Source
5	Hotel MyStays	Phase 2	With an 8-language tripla Bot, inquiry handling and official booking support are advancing. At present, no flow was found where AI explores accommodation candidates from travel conditions and completes booking.	Source
6	Dormy Inn / Kyoritsu Maintenance	Phase 1	FAQ and official booking flows are in place, but within the survey scope no AI chat or AI candidate suggestions were found.	Source
7	Daiwa Roynet Hotels	Phase 1	Search, booking, and self check-in flows exist via the official site and app, but within the survey scope no AI chat or AI-assisted booking flow was found.	Source
8	Sotetsu Hotels	Phase 2	An official column states that a chatbot is installed on the official sites of all Sotetsu Fresa Inn hotels, and inquiry handling is advancing. However, no flow was found where AI handles everything from conditional search to booking completion.	Source
9	Prince Hotels & Resorts	Phase 2	Multilingual AI chatbots and AI concierges are seen at some properties. However, no group-wide AI booking-completion flow was found.	Source
10	Tokyu Hotels	Phase 2	A multilingual AI chatbot flow can be confirmed on some hotel pages, such as Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu. The start of tripla booking-infrastructure service for 44 Tokyu Hotels properties has also been announced, but no AI flow completing booking/payment within the conversation was found.	Source
11	Richmond Hotels	Phase 2	There is information on integration with tripla Book and tripla Bot, and official booking infrastructure and inquiry AI are in place. No flow was found where AI suggests candidates from conditions and completes booking.	Source
12	Mitsui Garden Hotels	Phase 2	AI auto-response has been introduced at domestic hotels, and an AI answer flow is seen on the official inquiry page. No candidate exploration or in-conversation payment was found.	Source
13	Okura Nikko Hotels	Phase 2	AI chatbot adoption is seen at some properties, but no group-wide AI booking-support flow was found.	Source
14	JR Hotel Group	Phase 2	Chatbot use is seen at some group companies, such as JR-West Hotels announcing the introduction of the multilingual app "VERY," which includes an AI auto-response chatbot. However, no JR Hotel Group–wide AI booking-completion flow was found.	Source
15	Hoshino Resorts	Phase 2	The official FAQ guides users to chat consultations and chatbot support on each hotel's official site. Business use of generative AI has also been announced, but no flow completing booking/payment within the conversation was found.	Source

Within the scope of this survey, for the 15 major domestic groups — looking not only at flows on the official sites but also at official announcements and case studies — no initiative was found where AI understands a user's natural-language conditions and suggests candidates across multiple properties, rooms, and rates.

Results for the 7 major global hotel groups

In a reference survey of 7 major global hotel chains and groups, Phase 4–equivalent cases — implementing or piloting a flow where AI assists hotel selection — were confirmed at 6 companies. Cases equivalent to Phase 3, such as AI search or co-marketing campaigns offering limited candidate suggestions, were also confirmed; however, because each company is classified by its most advanced phase, Phase 3 totals 1 company.

That said, not all overseas cases complete booking and payment within the conversation. Implementations on official booking sites, offerings via official apps or ChatGPT apps, limited betas, and co-marketing campaigns must be viewed separately, and some features are limited by region, language, or eligible members.

No	Company	Category	Phase	Details / notes	Source
1	Hilton	Implemented on official site	Phase 4	Offers "AI Stay Planner" on the official Locations page. It supports destination discovery, hotel comparison, and amenity checks; per the official release, it rolled out to all hilton.com visitors by March 17, 2026.	Source
2	Hyatt	Implemented on official site	Phase 4	In addition to natural-language search on Hyatt.com, the Hyatt app in ChatGPT was announced in February 2026. It supports Hyatt hotel exploration inside ChatGPT, with booking connecting to Hyatt.com.	Source
3	Marriott International	In limited beta	Phase 4	Began a US-English beta of the AI hotel-selection feature "Ask Bonvoy" on Marriott.com and the Marriott Bonvoy app. Phased rollout starting from some Marriott Bonvoy members and enrolled users.	Source
4	IHG Hotels & Resorts	Implemented as official ChatGPT app	Phase 4	Launched an IHG app inside ChatGPT. Conversational search is also planned to be added soon to IHG.com and the IHG One Rewards app.	Source
5	Wyndham Hotels & Resorts	Implemented as official ChatGPT app	Phase 4	Launched a native ChatGPT app. It offers hotel exploration inside ChatGPT with a flow connecting to WyndhamHotels.com.	Source
6	Accor	Implemented as official ChatGPT app	Phase 4	Launched the ALL Accor app in ChatGPT. It offers an experience of searching for hotels within the ChatGPT app and connecting to the ALL Accor booking platform.	Source
7	Best Western / BWH Hotels	Co-marketing campaign	Phase 3	The AI Trip Planner with Tripadvisor is treated as a supplementary co-marketing campaign.	Source

Overseas activity is concentrated in the first half of 2026

Arranging the reference set's main announcements and launch dates in chronological order shows that, after early cases appeared in 2024, announcements and launches are concentrated in the first half of 2026.

Timing	Company	Announcement / offering
Apr 2024	IHG Hotels & Resorts	Announced an AI travel planner powered by Google Cloud AI
Jan 2026	Accor	Launched the ALL Accor app in ChatGPT
Feb 2026	Hyatt	Shared results of Hyatt.com natural-language search and announced the Hyatt app in ChatGPT
Mar 2026	Hilton	Began general availability of AI Stay Planner on hilton.com
May 2026	Wyndham Hotels & Resorts	Released a native ChatGPT app
Jun 2026	Marriott International	Announced the beta of the AI search experience "Ask Bonvoy"

Among major global hotels, the point that stands out as a difference from Japan's 15 major groups is that official digital channels — not only the website but also official apps and ChatGPT apps — are beginning to become the entry point for AI-driven hotel selection.

From "installing AI chat" to "a booking flow AI chooses"

Among major Japanese hotel chains and groups, Q&A via AI/chatbots has progressed to a certain degree. Abroad, however, cases and announcements are beginning to appear where AI assists hotel selection on a hotel brand's official channels — official booking sites, official apps, and ChatGPT apps.

If AI agents become the entry point to hotel booking, what will first be required is to organize properties, rooms, rates, availability, and plan conditions in a form AI can understand, and to build a flow that can query inventory and rates from natural-language conditions. Beyond that, the issue becomes designing so that even via AI agents, connections reach the official booking site, membership base, and payment — keeping customer touchpoints and data on one's own side even as bookings via external AI platforms increase.

AI readiness in hotel booking is expanding beyond FAQ handling and inquiry reduction toward designing official booking sites and apps to be chosen and used by AI agents.

We plan to continue this survey as an ongoing benchmark, tracking and publishing changes in AI booking readiness in Japan and abroad.

Notes on the survey

• This survey was conducted within the scope verifiable from each company's official website and publicly available information.
• This report is based on information confirmed as of the survey date (June 26, 2026) and does not reflect announcements or implementation changes made after that date. If we confirm a significant change, we will update this page and note it in the change log.
• Subjects were selected by number of properties/rooms, general recognition, representativeness in travel/business booking, and verifiability of the official booking site.
• Each company is classified by the most advanced phase confirmed (no double counting).
• We evaluate AI readiness of booking-system infrastructure (such as renewing the booking engine or business use of generative AI) separately from flows that suggest accommodation candidates from a user's natural-language conditions on official channels. Even if infrastructure initiatives are announced, if a candidate-suggestion flow cannot be confirmed on official channels, this survey classifies the company as Phase 1–2.
• Because market environment, official app rollout, and ChatGPT app integration differ between the domestic survey and the overseas reference survey, we organize the findings as differences in areas of AI use rather than as a simple superiority comparison.
• The overseas survey reflects not only the official booking site itself but also official apps, official ChatGPT apps, and features in limited beta. Many overseas cases are limited by region, language, or eligible members, and the same experience may not be available from Japan.
• Phase 5, completing booking and payment within the conversation, was not confirmed in either Japan or abroad within the scope of this survey.

Change log

• July 7, 2026: First edition published