Most people love to travel, but few enjoy booking.
A survey of more than 2,400 people who book their own travel found that 71% say the process is somewhat stressful for them, according to a 2024 survey by consumer data firm CivicScience. The percentage was higher among parents with children and teens, the survey found.
Planning a trip can be a daunting task sifting through booking sites, star ratings, travel reviews, and the small print — first to find what to book, then to find the best price available.
AI is set to change this, with ChatGPT already proving that generative AI can deliver travel itineraries and recommendations in seconds.
But Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel told CNBC Travel he wants to “go further.”
Rather than leaving it up to travelers to plan their trips from scratch, Vogel said, he wants Bookings brands — which include Booking.com, Agoda, Kayak, Priceline and OpenTable — to anticipate their needs.
“I want us to go to the traveler and say, ‘Hey, we think, based on everything we know, that you might be thinking about going to Naples, Italy, for example. And using all the data we have, everything we know about our customers, what they might want, we try to start that conversation.’”
“That's the difference,” he said.
In fact, travelers who have preferences — for example, for connecting rooms, cribs, or higher floors in hotels — won't have to ask for these extras as frequently, because the AI will have anticipated the demand.
“It seems like a few years ago, when you had a human travel agent that people dealt with, and that travel agent knew everything about you,” he said. “But technology can do a lot of things better than a human travel agent.”
Generative AI should also grow with travelers as they age, Fogel said, as they move from post-graduation trips to Ibiza in their 20s to trips to Disney World in their 30s.
“He should know everything about you,” Vogel said.
For example, when someone requests a baby seat for the first time, it indicates that the traveler likely has a child and will therefore need similar seats for future bookings, he said.
One stop booking
On average, travelers spent more than five hours reading about 141 travel-related web pages in the 45 days before booking their trip, according to the Expedia Group's Path to Purchase report, conducted in partnership with Lutheran Research.
But booking entire trips — from accommodations and flights to activities and meals — all in one sitting isn't easy, Vogel said.
But “I want more. I want to get suggestions,” he said.
“Let’s say I’m taking a really fancy trip to London,” he said. “For example, our generative AI will tell you there’s a great beef restaurant in Mayfair that we think you’ll love (based on previous bookings). And by the way, they’ll want to offer you an incredible discount on this beautiful red wine that we know you love. The customizations will be really cool.”
How far?
Everyone wants to know when these new advanced planning tools will be available, Vogel added.
But as with all revolutionary technologies, “hype always comes before actual use.”
Vogel said he may not know when those tools will arrive, but he certainly knows how.
“This will be a gradual step, step by step. We will add new services, new products. We will provide our models with more information, we will learn more and we will be able to provide better services,” he added.
The company has launched a generative AI service on Booking.com called “Trip Planner,” which is currently in beta, according to Vogel.
“This still gives you a small idea of what the future will be like,” he added.
As for when the comprehensive, simple planning will arrive, he said: “I can guarantee you that it will not happen tomorrow, but it will come, and that is what I know.”
