Booking.com is the latest online travel agency to add conversational chat capabilities to its mobile app.
The new AI Trip Planner combines the online travel agency’s existing machine learning systems with OpenAI’s ChatGPT application programming interface so users can receive travel recommendations based on preferences they describe in natural language.
“Our primary aim at Booking.com has always been to leverage technology to make travel easier,” said Glenn Fogel, CEO of parent company Booking Holdings and its Booking.com brand.
“The recent developments with generative AI are accelerating the work we’ve been doing for years with machine learning to enhance and improve every aspect of the customer experience on our platform, whether it’s optimizing the right order to display a hotel’s photos to surfacing the most relevant reviews. Our new AI Trip Planner is simply the next step in our ongoing journey to explore how we can bring even more value, and hopefully enjoyment, to the entire trip planning process.”
The chat platform is integrated with Booking.com’s accommodation booking experience in the mobile app, so users will receive a visual list of properties that meet their queries, along with Booking.com’s pricing information and links to view more details. Reservations can be made by tapping on any accommodation in the results list. AI Trip Planner can also create itineraries.
For now, queries related to flights, ground transportation and attractions will redirect to the appropriate landing page in Booking.com’s app, but the company said in the future it will integrate all of these trip components into the chat.
“Our new AI Trip Planner provides us with some really exciting possibilities to help our customers plan and search for travel options in a very natural, human way,” said Rob Francis, chief technology officer of Booking.com.
“Oftentimes, people are asked to adapt to the confines of technology to do what they want, but with generative AI, we’re able to start having scalable, one-to-one conversations with our customers on their terms, much like how you would begin to talk about planning a trip with your partner or friends. It’s just the beginning, but we have lots of runway here to explore in order to innovate and connect the travel experience further on Booking.com, all in a safe, ethical and inclusive way.”
In March, Booking Holdings brand Kayak became one of the first companies to launch a plugin for ChatGPT. Earlier this month another Booking Holdings brand, Priceline, announced it is integrating Google’s generative AI technology in its mobile and desktop interfaces for travel planning.
When asked how it chose to work with OpenAI for this chat tool, Booking.com said it is open to working with other large language models in the future and will “assess as we continue to learn from this pilot and how our customers are interacting with the tool.”
The beta AI Trip Planner rolls out to Booking.com’s Genius loyalty members in the United States beginning Wednesday. Initially it will only be accessible in the OTA’s mobile app, but the company plans to extend it to the desktop platform in the future.
