For a global hotel company, group business such as corporate retreats, industry conferences, and major events is a high-stakes revenue stream. But managing group leads across its portfolio of properties, especially large-format hotels, posed a challenge. Sales teams were spending valuable time manually sorting through hundreds of requests, evaluating which to pursue, and generating proposals from scratch. With increasing volume and expectations for speed, something had to change.

The organization recognized artificial intelligence as a strategic lever for improving its internal sales process. The goal was to support human decision-making with tools that prioritize leads, generate proposals, and ultimately increase win rates. SPR was brought in to help architect and integrate two key solutions into the company’s technology ecosystem. Each solution was designed to make group sales faster, smarter, and more scalable.

The first AI-driven capability focused on solving a critical bottleneck: evaluating incoming leads. The hotel conglomerate receives thousands of group booking requests annually through platforms like Cvent and direct outreach. Each hotel’s sales team had to manually assess these requests to determine fit and value, which was often a time-consuming and inconsistent process.

SPR worked with the company’s data science and engineering teams to implement a machine learning-based lead scoring engine. This tool evaluates leads using a range of weighted variables, such as:

• Client history (new vs. returning customers)
• Event timing and urgency (for example, lead time and seasonality)
• Revenue potential based on group size and services
• Hotel availability for requested dates and room types
• Market occupancy forecasts to fill low-demand periods

“Salespeople don’t have to start from a blank list anymore,” said Andy Korza, senior agile project manager at SPR. “They begin with leads that are ranked by likelihood to close and profitability based on real data, not gut feel.”

SPR’s application development team built the integration to connect these insights to the company’s sales platform. Whenever a new booking request arrives or an existing one changes, relevant data is automatically gathered, passed to the AI service, and returned to the hotel’s sales interface with a lead score. This system now powers smarter workflows and helps staff focus on the most promising opportunities first.

After prioritizing the best leads, the next task is crafting compelling proposals. Previously, salespeople had to manually write and format proposals using templates. This meant adding hotel details, event packages, imagery, and more by hand. The work could take anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour per proposal.

SPR helped design and implement a generative AI-powered proposal builder, which automates much of this process:

• Pulls event details, customer needs, and hotel offerings
• Uses generative AI to draft tailored, high-quality copy
• Incorporates external data sources including Google Maps, reviews, and local attractions
• Integrates with a third-party platform to deliver proposals as interactive web pages
• Allows manual review and editing before sending to the client

“The difference is night and day,” said Jason Wu, principal software architect at SPR. “What once took an hour now takes minutes. The customer gets a customized proposal in a sleek, interactive format.”

While generative AI handles the initial content creation, the final proposal is always reviewed by a human. Salespeople can modify the content as needed to ensure accuracy and consistency with the brand. This tool not only improves productivity but also enhances the customer experience by providing a more modern, digital-forward presentation. It even includes a “Book Now” button for faster conversions.

The AI tools were initially launched as a pilot with approximately 20 hotels to validate performance and gather feedback. After successful testing and refinement, the company expanded the rollout to more than 180 hotels in the U.S.

Key elements of the rollout included:

• User feedback loops with hotel sales teams
• Iterative tuning of machine learning models and generative prompts
• Performance optimization to meet expectations, such as keeping generation time under two minutes
• Training and change management support to ensure adoption

SPR also collaborated with the hotel conglomerate’s internal technology teams to provide guidance around responsible AI usage. Topics included data privacy, third-party API protections, and appropriate enterprise licensing structures for AI tools.

“AI can offer incredible efficiencies,” said Korza. “But companies need to be thoughtful about how they use it. We worked closely to ensure privacy, performance, and adoption were all part of the equation.”

With both solutions live across more than 180 hotels, the company’s group sales process is now more intelligent, responsive, and scalable. And this is just the beginning.

Key outcomes include:

• Improved efficiency: Salespeople now spend less time evaluating leads and writing proposals, and more time building client relationships.
• Faster turnaround: Proposals that once took an hour can now be drafted in minutes.
• Better alignment: High-value leads are surfaced first, improving conversion rates and reducing missed opportunities.
• Enhanced customer experience: Prospects receive tailored, visually engaging proposals with the option to take immediate action.
• Organizational readiness for AI: The company now has a tested blueprint for responsible AI integration that balances innovation with data protection and scalability.

SPR continues to support the organization as it explores a global rollout of these tools. New considerations such as local regulations, language support, and regional infrastructure are now part of planning.

The success of this project has opened the door for additional AI initiatives across the company. With executive sponsorship and a dedicated innovation team driving new ideas, AI is becoming a foundational part of the organization’s digital strategy.