New Marriott and Hilton Filings Reveal Risks From AI Platforms to Direct Bookings
Photo Credit: Copilot, Meta AI, DeepSeek, Q-AI Memory, Manus, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, and Gemini app icons on a smartphone screen. Adobe Stock / Tada Images
Skift Take
Artificial intelligence isn’t charging hotels commissions yet. But lawyers at Marriott and Hilton are already preparing for a world where AI platforms could become the next powerful gatekeepers in travel distribution.
Hilton and Marriott flagged artificial intelligence as a potential threat to their direct-booking efforts, warning in filings this week that AI platforms like ChatGPT could steer guests toward online travel agencies and drive up distribution costs.
Hilton's disclosure Wednesday marked the first time the company had formally identified AI as a risk to how it sells rooms.
"Consolidation of internet travel intermediaries, or the entry of major technology platforms, such as large language models, into the internet travel bookings business, also could divert bookings away from our direct channels and increase our hotels' cost of sales," Hilton said in its annual 10-K filing on Wednesday (emphasis added).
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