AI in Travel

Millions of road warriors dread filing their trip expenses. SAP Concur believes that generative AI can finally automate expense reporting's most tedious tasks.

The best hospitality lessons in the world might come from a street vendor with a wok and a plastic stool on a Bangkok sidewalk. In an industry chasing AI, automation, and scale, the brands that win will be the ones that remain unmistakably human.

Indians may be traveling far and wide, but personalization and budget continue to be non-negotiable. Enter AI: the tool that's helping all travel aggregators deliver exactly what travelers are looking for.

Two AI assistants. Two of India’s biggest online travel companies. Ten days apart. That’s not coincidence, it’s proof that AI is moving from experiment to core strategy in India’s online travel sector.

Plenty of travel companies have introduced search features for travelers with no destination in mind and flexible timing. Google's Flight Deals adds an AI element.

MakeMyTrip wants to be a superapp, just adding more offerings to its portfolio will not help it get there. Its Gen AI trip planner is the next big differentiator for the online travel company.

With AI now ubiquitous and early-stage sustainability startups multiplying, this year's cohort reflects both immediate and longer-term bets.

Expedia appears to be executing well on key priorities, and its B2B, international and advertising businesses are particular standouts.

Airbnb's Brian Chesky is close to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, but that doesn't mean that Airbnb will necessarily distribute its inventory through Altman's ChatGPT.

Many travel companies have tried to market experiences to both locals and travelers and failed to do so. If Airbnb can really tap into local demand in a substantial way it would be breaking new ground.