Marriott International is advancing a multiyear digital transformation aimed at retooling its infrastructure through cloud-native systems and generative AI. According to global CIO Naveen Manga, Marriott is developing what it calls an “agentic mesh”—a shared orchestration layer in its horizontal AI architecture that enables once-developed AI capabilities to be reused across multiple functions. Manga described the approach to CIO Dive as “deep discovery with agents,” noting existing prototypes but no active agent pilots yet. He emphasized that the company is proceeding with both ambition and caution, under a governance framework focused on trust, accountability, prioritization, and human-centered innovation.
The company is currently beta-launching next-generation systems—central reservations, property management, and loyalty platforms—at six properties, with a phased rollout planned over the next 18 months. Efforts also include automating high-cost and manual back-of-house processes, piloting Microsoft 365 Copilot across thousands of associates, and using generative AI for SEO content generation, contact-center coaching, and trial trip-planning tools for Bonvoy members.
Cybersecurity receives heightened attention following past breaches. Marriott is reinforcing its security and privacy posture by aligning AI deployments with strict governance and ethical standards, which are especially critical as analysts warn that over 40% of enterprise AI projects may fail by 2027.
Meanwhile, Hyatt is moving forward with a parallel digital transformation that emphasizes guest-facing experiences and data consolidation. In collaboration with Slalom, Hyatt revamped its “World of Hyatt” mobile app to allow guests to manage stays, access amenities, and request services—all through a seamless, mobile-native interface. This initiative resulted in an over 80% increase in booking revenue via the mobile app within the first month. Hyatt also unified guest data with Snowflake’s platform, enabling staff to deliver personalized experiences using real-time analytics and natural language processing insights. While Hyatt is not publicly pursuing agentic AI, its focus on mobile engagement and data-driven personalization marks a strategic shift toward digital hospitality.
Accor is pursuing a comprehensive global transformation. In partnership with Deloitte, Accor deployed a cloud-based AI-enhanced telephony platform across seven contact centers and over 2,000 lines, enabling bots to handle routine guest inquiries while humans manage more complex needs. The platform significantly improved responsiveness and operational efficiency. Accor has now migrated more than half its application stack to AWS, delivering 66% faster response times and reducing its data-center carbon footprint by 80%. The company is also embedding generative AI into customer-facing tools, such as its AWS-backed Travel Assistant, demonstrating a broad adoption of automation across front- and back-of-house functions.
Collectively, these efforts illustrate how global hospitality leaders are reengineering their technology foundations. Marriott’s strategy stands out with its ambition to embed reusable AI capabilities into a cloud-native architecture. Hyatt is differentiating through a mobile-first, data-rich guest experience. Accor is transforming at scale by modernizing contact services and leveraging AI in customer interactions.
All three share a common imperative: to modernize digitally, adopt AI strategically, and blend automation with the human touch, though each is pursuing its own path. As the hospitality industry evolves, the question becomes: which strategy will yield the most impactful results in guest satisfaction, operational efficiency, and sustainable innovation?
