October 8, 2026, (Inside AI) — Radisson Hotel Group has become one of the first major hospitality chains to embed its booking engine directly inside ChatGPT, reporting that its plugin converts at roughly 1.5 times the rate of its own organic search traffic. The company built the tool with Accenture Song in just six weeks and is now layering sponsored advertising on top of it, turning the chatbot into a full discovery and conversion surface for hotel bookings.
The move signals a broader shift in how travel demand is captured. Travelers now shortlist hotels and build itineraries inside AI assistants before they ever open a brand's website. Radisson's plugin lets users compare prices, view amenities on a map, and complete a booking without leaving the chat window. Early data from July and August 2026 shows the visit-to-booking conversion rate at about 1.5 times Radisson's organic search, according to the company.
Why Hotel Brands Are Racing Into Chat
The strategic logic is straightforward. If a traveler asks ChatGPT for a hotel in Madrid, the brand that appears in the answer captures demand at the moment of decision. Radisson operates more than 1,640 hotels across EMEA and APAC under ten brands, and it has worked with Accenture for seven years to grow direct digital bookings. That existing relationship gave Accenture a close view of the shift.
"Almost overnight, there was a new surface where prospects were getting inspired, comparing different alternatives, and almost making their decision before even reaching a hotel's website," explains Borja Lizarraga Rodríguez, Data & AI Lead at Accenture Song. "It was critical for us to ensure the visibility of Radisson across this new experience."
Accenture, an Elite Partner of the OpenAI Partner Network, worked with OpenAI to design the plugin. The team used agentic development tools to compress the build cycle. The resulting plugin integrates maps, hotel details, and pricing into the chat interface, then hands users off to Radisson's own booking channel to close the sale. A recent ChatGPT update removed the need to type @RadissonHotels before a query. Installed plugins now surface automatically when relevant.
"If you're planning a trip to Madrid, and there's a new Radisson Hotel you might want to consider, now in ChatGPT it will just automatically work," says Brittny Cantor, Agentic Commerce Lead at Accenture. "We're really excited about that change to increase discoverability."
Radisson is also among the first hospitality companies running sponsored advertising inside ChatGPT. Since launching in July, those campaigns have expanded into additional European markets. More than half of recorded checkout and booking events came through view-through measurement rather than direct clicks, a signal that discovery inside chat does not follow the click-based logic of traditional search ads.
The Infrastructure Bet Beyond One Plugin
Accenture built the underlying MCP server and APIs to support more than a single application. The same infrastructure powers the advertising experience and is positioned for future features. That architectural choice matters. It lets Radisson add capabilities without rebuilding from scratch each time ChatGPT changes.
The competitive stakes are clear. Hotel chains have spent years fighting to shift bookings away from online travel agencies and into direct channels. ChatGPT represents a new intermediary, and brands that establish a presence early may avoid repeating the dependency they built with search engines and OTAs. Radisson's stated ambition goes further than bookings. It wants to become an advisor across the entire travel journey, not just a place to sleep.
Read: Meta Launches AI Ad Tools With In-Chat Checkout at Ad Week 2026
"What stands out about Radisson is its ability to move quickly while keeping a clear focus on guests and hotel owners. Together, we are applying new technology where it can make a meaningful difference: helping travelers find the right hotel, strengthening direct guest relationships, and supporting more profitable growth," Borja Lizarraga says.
"Great stays have always started with good advice. Today, more of that advice happens in conversation, and we moved quickly to be there. Initial results are encouraging, with our ChatGPT plugin converting at around 1.5 times organic search. This is just the start: wherever a journey begins, we want Radisson to be the advisor guests trust and the direct channel that delivers lasting value for our hotels and owners," says Velit Dundar, Vice President, Global Ecommerce, Radisson Hotel Group.
Radisson's next priorities include driving plugin adoption and adding functionality inside ChatGPT. The company has not disclosed absolute booking volumes or revenue figures tied to the plugin, and Inside AI could not independently verify the conversion claims. The results cover a two-month window, a short period for judging whether chat-based discovery produces durable, repeat guests or one-time transactions.
For hotel owners, the pitch rests on stronger direct relationships and better commercial performance. Whether that holds as more brands enter ChatGPT remains an open question. Radisson's early lead may narrow quickly once competitors replicate the playbook. What is already clear is that the booking funnel has a new front door, and it does not look like a website.
