The quiet data revolution happening inside the world's biggest hotel brands (www.businessinsider.com)

IHG Hotels & Resorts is undergoing a significant data modernization initiative aimed at improving guest experiences and operational efficiency across its vast network of over 6,800 hotels. Faced with fragmented data from legacy systems, IHG transitioned to a cloud-native platform developed by Reltio, which unifies and manages data in real time. This transformation has already yielded impressive results, such as a 34% reduction in duplicate guest profiles and the resolution of about 95% of system performance issues, enabling IHG to process 1.5 million messages daily and operate more seamlessly. This modernization is crucial for the AI/ML community as it establishes a foundation for advanced applications like real-time personalization, predictive analytics, and smarter decision-making in hospitality. By ensuring accurate, connected, and readily available data, IHG is positioning itself to harness AI's full potential while setting a precedent for other enterprises undergoing digital transformation. The overarching lesson is clear: successful AI implementation relies heavily on unified and trusted data, which will become an essential asset for innovation and growth in the AI era. Reltio's outlined framework, the "10 Rules for Data Readiness in the Age of AI," serves as a guide for other organizations looking to follow a similar path.