Hotels gain a direct connection to travelers in AI search results with brand-controlled content, live rates and commission-free bookings
DENVER, COLORADO / ACCESS Newswire / March 4, 2026 / Lighthouse, the AI commercial operating system for the travel and hospitality industry, today announced the launch of The Hotels Network app, the first direct booking app for hotels available inside ChatGPT. Powered by Lighthouse's Connect AI engine, the app gives hotels a direct presence in AI conversations for the first time.
The app is available to hotels of every size worldwide on a flat fee subscription with zero booking commissions.
A new direct booking channel for hotel discovery
ChatGPT now reaches more than 800 million users globally, a user base 133 times larger than the iPhone App Store at launch in 2008. According to a recent Simon-Kucher survey, 43% of travelers already use AI tools during their trip planning process and 62% prefer to book directly with hotels when given the option.
Lighthouse has been building toward this moment since June 2025, when the company outlined a clear thesis: AI platforms are becoming the new front door for hotel discovery, and hotels need a direct presence or risk ceding control to third parties. Booking.com and Expedia moved quickly to secure their place as ChatGPT App launch partners. Hotels had no comparable path. The Hotels Network app changes that, giving hotels a direct booking channel inside the AI conversations where trip planning increasingly starts.
What this means for travelers
Today, travelers asking ChatGPT for hotel recommendations get results shaped largely by OTA listings and scraped web content - generic summaries that miss what actually makes a property worth booking. The Hotels Network app changes what they see. Results are now built on verified, hotel-provided content: accurate descriptions, real photography and live rates direct from the property, often at better prices than OTA listings. And with one click, travelers are routed to the hotel's own website to complete the reservation.
What this means for hotels
The app gives hotels three capabilities that were previously unavailable inside AI platforms:
Brand narrative control. Instead of relying on AI-scraped generic summaries, hotels can present their story the way they want it told. Properties can showcase what makes them unique, from a recently renovated spa to a rooftop bar with city views, ensuring AI recommendations reflect the real guest experience.
Direct rates, inside the conversation. Hotels can surface their own rates inside AI conversations. This means hotels can offer competitive pricing and direct-booking perks, like complimentary upgrades, loyalty benefits and best-rate guarantees.
Answer the questions travelers actually ask. With Connect AI, hotels can better answer the kinds of questions travelers bring to AI platforms: "Which hotels near the beach in Barcelona are good for families?" "What activities does this hotel offer for toddlers?" The app surfaces properties with the rich, structured information needed to match traveler intent, not just a price and a star rating.
"AI is the biggest shift in how travelers plan their trips and discover hotels since Google, and the OTAs have already moved," said Juanjo Rodriguez, Head of Direct Booking at Lighthouse. "The Hotels Network app is the industry's answer. Properties can now control how they're discovered, tell their own story and surface their own rates, all inside the conversations where trip planning starts. This isn't an incremental improvement. It's a new distribution channel. And the hotels going live today are shaping how the next generation of travelers discovers and books hotels."
How it works
The Hotels Network app is powered by Connect AI, Lighthouse's AI engine built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard. Connect AI creates a live data bridge between hotels and AI platforms, ensuring that when a traveler asks ChatGPT for hotel recommendations, the response draws on accurate, real-time information directly from the property, not scraped summaries or outdated training data.
Hotels appear with brand-verified content, live rates and one-click direct booking links that route guests to the hotel's own website to complete the booking. Hotels control their full brand narrative inside AI conversations - property descriptions, amenities, guest experience details and photography - not just rates and availability.
Live in the ChatGPT App Directory
The Hotels Network app is live now in the ChatGPT App Directory. The app is open to hotel chains, groups, and independent properties, and no changes to existing hotel websites, booking engines or property management systems are required. The launch marks the next step in the evolution of Connect AI.
As new AI channels emerge, Connect AI is built to grow with the AI ecosystem, extending hotel visibility to new conversational platforms and emerging initiatives such as WebMCP.
Travelers can start discovering hotels directly inside ChatGPT today. Hotels can learn more and request a demo at: mylighthouse.com/connect-ai.
Contact information:
Adam Swart: adam.swart@mylighthouse.com
(917) 359-8969
SOURCE: Lighthouse
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/travel/the-first-direct-booking-app-for-hotels-launches-in-chatgpt-powered-by-lighthouse-1143449
