Will Agentic AI Turn OTAs Into Passive Order Takers?
Photo Credit: Skift
Skift Take
No one yet knows who will be the winners and losers in the agentic AI battle. Developments are happening too fast. But few would argue with the fact that the online travel agencies face a substantial disruption risk.
The rapid development of agentic AI raises an important question for OTAs: Do Expedia, Booking.com, Trip.com, and MakeMyTrip risk becoming mere fulfillment arms of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude?
I just booked a hotel for the holidays in New York City using ChatGPT's Agent Mode in its new Atlas browser. The booking was through Expedia, but I never had to leave ChatGPT to complete the transaction.
I simply told Agent Mode what I wanted to book and specified that I wanted to use Expedia (I could have also chosen others). ChatGPT took care of nearly everything else: It entered the destination, dates and number of travelers on Expedia, sorted search results, and recommended a room type.
source: OPenAIBefore agentic AI completed the booking, I just needed to enter my name and payment information, and whether I wanted travel insurance (I didn't). I opted to pay at the property instead of immediately.
The reservation confirmation
