Google Clarifies Its Agentic AI Booking Plans: ‘No Intention of Becoming an OTA’
Photo Credit: Google is working on an agentic AI travel booking tool. Courtesy of Google / Courtesy of Google
Skift Take
Google’s tease — that it’s working on an agentic tool for flights and hotels — raised tough questions for partners. Now it’s clearing the air about its expanding role in travel booking.
Google’s work on an agentic AI tool for booking flights and hotels has raised fresh questions about competition, distribution, and the future of online travel agencies, including Booking.com and Expedia.
The tool is being developed with those OTAs, as well as hotel groups such as Choice Hotels International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
Google stressed that it’s still early in development, but investors reacted anyway. Booking Holdings and Expedia shares fell 4 to 7% after the news, reflecting concern that Google could reshape how travelers plan and book trips.
Some analysts urged caution. BTIG’s Jake Fuller called the risk “overstated.”
In a follow-up with Skift, Julie Farago, Google’s vice president of engineering for Travel and Local, sought to clarify the company’s intentions. “
