Ascott shares plans for agentic commerce investment

Singapore: The Ascott Limited (Ascott), the wholly owned lodging business unit of CapitaLand Investment (CLI), will invest in agentic commerce across its existing digital architecture, distribution and people capabilities.

A collaboration between Accenture Consulting, Amadeus IT Group, and EHL Hospitality Business School will help Ascott to make its move into agentic commerce.

The partnerships involve:

• Accenture: Will improve the personalisation of Ascott’s existing chatbot, Cubby, and evolve it from a travel companion to functioning as a personal travel agent that can plan itineraries and complete bookings on behalf of guests. 
• Amadeus: Ascott will deploy Amadeus’ Central Reservations System (ACRS) to define and distribute inventory by both room categories and property attributes, giving guests and AI agents access to a full picture of what each property offers.
• EHL Hospitality Business School: EHL will develop training programmes to build internal certified trainers at Ascott, giving regional and property teams the skills, models and tools to uphold brand standards and service philosophy.

The tech investments and updates will connect to Ascott’s core systems, including central reservation, property management, customer relationship management, and its loyalty platform.

Kevin Goh, chief executive officer of Ascott, said: “Distribution shifts, labour pressures and rising guest expectations are reshaping hospitality. While AI is already helping Ascott make meaningful strides across commercial and operational functions, the bigger opportunity lies in what comes next. Instead of waiting to see how agentic AI plays out in travel, we are building the infrastructure to shape how it does. With more than 1,000 properties across 14 brands in over 230 cities, the opportunity before us is significant. The work we are announcing today covers how our workflows are redesigned, how our inventory reaches guests and how our people are equipped to deliver. AI can power our operations, but only our people can exercise the judgement that turns a stay into a memory. That balance will guide how we continue to invest and operate.”

Tan Bee Leng, chief commercial officer of Ascott, added: “In an agent-led travel ecosystem, Ascott properties will have to be visible where the real decisions are made — inside algorithms. Brand and property information must become machine-readable and optimised for generative engines. That requires smarter recommendations, more precise inventory matching and loyalty experiences that recognise our Ascott Star Rewards members at every touchpoint, whether they are searching on their own or through an agent. Our work with Accenture and Amadeus is building exactly that foundation. But technology alone cannot deliver the heartfelt experiences that define an Ascott stay. Our collaboration with EHL is about keeping our people as the human advantage, bringing warmth and genuine care that no AI can fully replicate.”

Highlights:

• The Ascott Limited is developing its tech systems to enable AI-driven booking, personalisation, and autonomous travel planning.
• Collaborations with Accenture, Amadeus IT Group, and EHL Hospitality Business School will support AI deployment across technology, distribution, and workforce training.
• Accenture is enhancing Ascott’s chatbot Cubby into a personal AI travel agent capable of itinerary planning and end-to-end booking execution.
• Amadeus will implement its central reservation system to surface improved property data, dynamic inventory distribution, and AI-accessible content.
• EHL will develop training programs to embed AI capabilities across teams.