On June 27, 2023, Booking.com, one of the popular travel booking platforms, announced a new AI-powered trip planner feature in its travel booking app. Partially powered by the advanced language model — ChatGPT, the innovative tool will leverage machine learning and AI models to help users find destination and accommodation options.
Rob Francis, CTO of Booking.com, said, “Our new AI trip planner feature provides us with some exciting possibilities to help our customers plan and search for travel options in a very natural and human manner.” Today, i.e., on June 28, 2023, the beta AI trip planner feature will become available to some Booking.com Genius members in the US.
Features of Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner
Travelers often look for personalized and customized solutions while choosing their travel destination. As one of the world’s leading digital travel platforms, Booking.com is taking things up a notch by introducing its AI trip planner.
According to the company, the AI trip planner feature partially incorporates OpenAI’s large language model (LLM) in its existing machine learning models. The primary goal behind the incorporation of the latest technologies is to create a unique conversational experience for travelers.
🛎️ Existing day for #BookingCom
🛎️ Today we have launched a New #AI Trip Planner to Enhance Travel Planning Experience 🚀https://t.co/QCRPAaGKJ3— Booking.com Public Affairs (@bookingcomPA) June 27, 2023
Let’s check out a few ways in which the AI trip planner can revolutionize the trip planning process.
Customized & Relevant Travel Recommendations
The pilot AI trip planner allows travelers to chat, ask questions, and seek personalized destination options. Similar to ChatGPT, users can enter their query in a broad or specific manner, and the AI trip planner will offer suitable options in a matter of seconds.
Whether looking for a family trip to a beach or zeroing in on specific accommodation options, the artificial intelligence chatbot will refine your search and help you find the best stay! The best part about the innovative virtual trip planning tool is its quick, conversational way that ensures anyone can use the AI trip planner to plan their vacations.
Integrated Trip Planning Experience
Booking.com’s virtual trip planning assistant takes things up a notch by helping travelers with a visual list of accommodations and destinations. They also get access to the pricing information of Booking.com in the user-friendly interface of the travel planning app.
As the AI travel planning feature is directly integrated with the accommodation booking experience, it streamlines the process of finding or choosing the right travel location. Hence, it helps travelers make their trip-planning process more enjoyable and more straightforward.
Glenn Fogel, the CEO of Booking.com, said, “Our primary aim at Booking.com has always been to leverage technology to make travel experience easier.”
Search and Refine Booking Options
ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, all thanks to its easy-to-use nature and user-friendly interface. Built on the same thought, Booking.com’s AI trip planner lets users input their general travel-related questions or specific queries in the tool.
Based on the input text, the virtual travel planning tool will quickly refine the search and offer relevant solutions. In order to further improve the travel experience, the AI-enabled app will display the hotel’s pictures and other details. This generative AI tech will also provide answers to follow-up questions, acknowledge errors, and challenge incorrect assumptions.
Future of AI Trip Planners in the Travel Industry
Booking.com is not the first travel company to integrate AI solutions into their offerings. In April 2023, Expedia travel company launched a chatbot tool powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Travel planning just got easier in the @Expedia app, thanks to the iOS beta launch of a new experience powered by #ChatGPT. See how Expedia members can start an open-ended conversation to get inspired for their next trip: https://t.co/qpMiaYxi9d pic.twitter.com/ddDzUgCigc
— Expedia Group (@ExpediaGroup) April 4, 2023
The ChatGPT plugin and in-app conversational trip planning feature help users plan their trips and get recommendations on travel destinations, hotel bookings, and flights.
Peter Kern, the Vice Chairman and CEO of Expedia Group, said that “By integrating ChatGPT into the Expedia app and combining it with our other AI-based shopping capabilities, like hotel comparison, price tracking for flights, and trip collaboration tools, we can now offer travelers an even more intuitive way to build their perfect trip.”
Let’s talk about the main benefits of integrating AI planner features for travel companies.
Better Customer Service: AI solutions in travel industries help companies offer better customer service. This ensures customers are satisfied with their trip-planning process, leading to an improved brand reputation in the market.
Competitive Advantage: With the increasing competition in the market, the only way to stand ahead is by providing innovative and user-friendly tools. AI trip planner apps can be a compelling selling point to set your company apart and boost brand loyalty.
Data-Driven Insights: Integrating AI trip planner features helps companies collect valuable data about customer preferences, travel trends, and behavior patterns. This data can then be used to create personalized offers, targeted marketing campaigns, and trip-planning services.
Want to create an AI chatbot like ChatGPT for your travel company? Check out our comprehensive tutorial to build a ChatGPT-like chatbot for Windows, iOS, and the web in 2023.
Integrate AI-Powered Features in Your Travel Business
Artificial intelligence excels in every sector, whether healthcare, travel, retail, or business. Booking.com’s new feature will not only make travelers’ lives easier, but it will also ensure they have all the information handy. If you are a travel business planning to stand ahead of the curve, it’s time to invest in AI-powered tools and technology.
You can build a ChatGPT-like chatbot using ChatGPT API for your business or partner with a skilled team like Inferenz. Having developed AI chatbots for businesses of all sizes and industries, the Inferenz team can help you streamline the chatbot creation tasks from start to end. The professional developers will analyze your business needs and offer solutions that align with the intent.
Get in touch with Inferenz artificial intelligence and machine learning experts today, and let us help you build a feature-rich AI trip planner for your business!
