Skift Global Forum Preview: Wyndham CEO on Placing Its Own Agents Inside the AI Models

Skift Take Wyndham isn't waiting to see whether AI recommends its hotels. It feeds live data straight into ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, then uses AI to watch AI and refine what it supplies. Geoff Ballotti runs every such call through one test: does it pay off for owners? We'll get into it at Skift Global Forum. Every decision at Wyndham runs through a single question, does it benefit the franchisee who owns the hotel? That “Owner First” lens is how Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, who joins Skift Global Forum on September 22–24, 2026, is steering the company’s AI push, from placing its own agents inside the LLMs to the guest platform now live in thousands of hotels. Ahead of his session in New York City, Ballotti lays out where the bets are paying off. Earning the AI Recommendation Skift: As AI starts deciding who gets recommended and who doesn’t, what have you had to do differently to earn a spot in that recommendation? Ballotti: In 2016 we did not know the names ChatGPT by OpenAI, Claude by Anthropic or Google Gemini, but Wyndham knew we had to prepare for the future by investing in our tech stack. We modernized our data architecture, consolidated platforms and standardized information across systems creating a foundation allowing us to deploy AI at scale today. By leveraging AI, Wyndham is able to get in front of guests wherever they’re searching for travel and enhance their experiences, and AI is helping our owners be more efficient while driving more revenue to their bottom lines. We’ve placed Wyndham agents in each of the LLM’S where we’re providing real-time rates, inventory, guaranteed room types and personalized loyalty perks to prioritize trust and accuracy for guests determining their travel plans. We use AI to watch AI – meaning we monitor the types of long form searches being undertaken and then correspondingly adjust the data we share with LLMs. For example, we learned that searches for some of our beach hotels were specifically looking for dedicated beaches with umbrella coverage and have now added that into the data. From Wyndham Connect to Wyndham AI Concierge, AI is enabling text-based guest communication across thousands of hotels in more than 100 languages, automatically escalating questions to staff when needed. It also enhances call center operations by surfacing guest preferences, loyalty status and travel history for agents in real time. The same tools that improve service also generate insights into traveler behavior fueling smarter marketing and better support for franchisees, and these tools are giving hotels the opportunity to capture upsells from early check-in/check-out to unique packages curated to the hotel and its area. Earning the AI Recommendation Using AI to watch AI How Wyndham keeps its hotels surfacing accurately inside the models travelers now search 01 Place agents in the LLMs Live rates, inventory, room types and loyalty perks fed into ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini 02 Monitor long-form searches Watch how travelers actually phrase what they want 03 Learn the real intent e.g. beach hotels searched for dedicated beaches with umbrella coverage 04 Adjust the data supplied Add the missing detail so the model can match it Better data means Wyndham hotels surface more accurately for the next traveler, and the cycle repeats. The practice Ballotti describes: rather than hope the models recommend its hotels, Wyndham feeds them structured data, watches what travelers search, and keeps refining what it supplies so its properties keep matching real intent. Skift: What’s a behavior shift you’re seeing in your own data right now that would surprise people outside your company? Ballotti: Increased franchisee engagement and comfort with AI tools that are not only improving profitability, but also increasing overall Guest Satisfaction leading to historic levels of franchisee retention—nearly 96%. Our franchisees are engaging because they are seeing results. More than 5000 hotels are live on Wyndham Connect our all-in-one guest engagement platform, helping owners drive revenue, enable mobile tipping, save staff time, and elevate the guest experience, generating $11M+ through upsells in 2025 and an average of ~$10 a tip for hotel staff. Powered by agentic AI, Wyndham AI Concierge uses voice and text assistants to independently manage guest requests and streamline interactions—converting 35% of calls into bookings. The Owner-First Test Skift: The pace of change is only increasing. When you’re trying to make a decision, what’s the actual test or rule you use? Ballotti: Core to Wyndham’s business strategy is our “Owner First” approach. Meaning every decision we make is made through the lens of “does this benefit our owners?” Are we lowering franchisee cost or increasing owner revenues and profitability? From Wyndham Connect – our guest engagement platform enabling mobile check-in/out, guest messaging and dynamic upsells – to Wyndham Gateway – a property Wi-Fi login that can automatically enroll new Wyndham Rewards members – to Wyndham MarketPlace – our shopping platform making it easier and faster for owners to find, compare and purchase brand-approved products at deeply negotiated prices – Wyndham is helping owners save time and money as well as drive more to their bottom lines. We’ve also launched programs making Wyndham Rewards even more enticing for members. Wyndham Rewards Experiences leverages our partnerships with world-renowned sports and entertainment brands like Madison Square Garden, the Radio City Rockettes, and Minor League Baseball giving members memory-making access and Wyndham Rewards Insider is a first-of-its-kind travel and entertainment subscription that unlock perks like automatic Gold level status, concierge services and the ability to double-dip on points with select partners, all while saving on hotels, flights, car rentals, cruises and more. These programs help grow Wyndham Rewards members, who account for nearly half of our nightly check-ins worldwide. The Talent Gap Nobody Solves Skift: What is one area that the travel industry doesn’t discuss or pay attention to enough? Ballotti: We don’t spend enough time talking about how all of us can help attract new front-line, guest-facing talent to our industry. According to data released this month by the AHLA, the hotel industry employes about 2.2 million people with more that 200 career pathways – from guest services to F&B to housekeeping to sales and operations. Yet we also have a 97% turnover rate and the oversupply of jobs to applicants is increasing. We have to do a better job showcasing how hotel jobs turn into hotel careers. Like Omar Bouchaar who started in housekeeping and is now a General Manager at the Wyndham Garden Brooklyn Sunset Park. It’s up to all of us to invest in our current talent to attract and retain tomorrow’s hospitality superstars. Where This Conversation Lands Placing agents in the models: Wyndham feeds its own data into the LLMs rather than hoping to be recommended. It’s an early, concrete answer to AI search, but it leans on the model-makers’ terms, and those can change the moment a platform reworks how it surfaces results. Watching AI with AI: monitoring long-form searches and adjusting the data supplied is a genuinely novel practice. The open question is whether that edge holds as every major chain builds the same capability, or compresses into table stakes fast. Owner First as the filter: running every decision through franchisee profitability is a clean rule with real retention behind it, near 96%. We’ll press where that lens constrains Wyndham, and what guest-side bet it talks the company out of making. The AI results: $11M in upsells, 35% of calls converted to bookings, 5,000 hotels live. Strong numbers, and the test is whether they compound into a durable moat or a head start rivals close. The turnover problem: a 97% front-line turnover rate is the industry’s quiet tax, and the one issue here AI doesn’t obviously fix. Ballotti frames it as everyone’s job, which raises whether a franchisor can actually move it at the property level. Hear from Geoff Ballotti alongside Hilton’s Christopher Nassetta, Accor’s Sébastien Bazin, and Booking Holdings’ Glenn Fogel, live at Skift Global Forum, September 22–24 in New York, now just days away.