Travel companies harness AI innovation to revolutionise booking experience

Travel providers are harnessing AI technology to enhance the experience of booking travel for their customers.

The travel industry is embracing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to redefine the way travellers plan and book their trips. Travel booking juggernaut, Expedia, along with NASDAQ-listed newcomer, Mondee, have recently unveiled groundbreaking AI-driven enhancements to their platforms, making the experience of booking travel even more seamless.

Expedia’s innovative beta feature leverages AI powered by ChatGPT, for an enhanced in-app travel planning experience. This new capability facilitates open-ended conversations within the Expedia app, providing users with tailored recommendations for destinations, accommodations, transportation and experiences. The AI integration goes beyond mere suggestions, automatically saving discussed hotels to a designated “trip” section in the app, streamlining the process of selecting dates, checking availability, and even adding flights, cars, or activities, ensuring users remain organised and informed.

“Every great trip can be made or lost while planning and shopping,” Peter Kern, Vice Chairman and CEO of Expedia Group, stated, highlighting that by incorporating ChatGPT into the Expedia app, alongside existing AI-based tools like hotel comparison and flight price tracking, travellers can now effortlessly craft their ideal holidays, enjoying a heightened level of intuitive guidance.

As for Mondee Holdings Inc., a technology-driven travel marketplace, its recently unveiled AI platform, Abhi, serves as a versatile mobile-first AI tool, enriching the travel experience through multi-party “conversational commerce”. Like Expedia’s AI, Mondee’s platform aims to redefines travel booking by personalising and streamlining every aspect of the process.

Taking it one step further, Abhi incorporates three AI engines, including Google Bard, ChatGPT and IBM Watson, to generate immersive hyper-local and personalised experiences. Abhi engages in meaningful conversations, comprehends complex queries, and crafts comprehensive responses. Users can benefit from Abhi’s expertise in creating personalised travel guides, allowing them to immerse themselves like locals, gaining unique insights into each destination.

Abhi and the Mondee Marketplace’s user base consists of not only travellers but travel influencers, local experts and travel agents to provide unprecedented access to a unified marketplace with diverse travel content.

Both Expedia and Mondee’s AI-driven enhancements mark a significant stride toward personalised and intuitive travel planning. As these innovations continue to evolve, travellers can expect more tailored and immersive experiences that cater to their unique preferences and needs.