Leading digital travel agency Booking.com has revealed its new AI Trip Planner, where users can ask travel-specific questions to plan their journey better. The beta version was released on 28th June to a sample of American Booking.com Genius members.
Like the platform, Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner is built on the same foundations of the company’s existing machine learning models. These models recommend destinations and accommodations to users, helping them discover valuable stays and hidden gems.
Furthermore, the AI Trip Planner is powered partially by OpenAI’s ChatGPT API’s Large Language Model (LLM) technology, which allows the platform to conduct a more casual, conversational experience with users when planning their holidays.
Glenn Fogel, the CEO of Booking.com, said that generative AI’s recent developments have accelerated years of work tremendously, improving and enhancing the platform’s overall customer experience. “Our new AI Trip Planner is simply the next step in our ongoing journey to explore how we can bring even more value, and hopefully enjoyment, to the entire trip planning process.”
How the Booking.com AI Trip Planner Works
For starters, travellers can ask general or detailed travel-related questions about any part of their trip-planning process. These queries can range from the type of currency used in a specific country to the latest COVID-19 requirements and guidelines.
The tool is also capable of suggesting potential destinations and accommodations. If users haven’t set their sights on a holiday location, the AI Trip Planner can recommend a few options based on their criteria.
Even better, travellers can curate travel inspiration based on their unique needs and requisites and plan detailed itineraries. This advantage makes it easier to scope out restaurants that fulfil dietary requirements or stays with air-conditioning and a private pool.
If you’ve always been a visual person, the AI Trip Planner goes one step further. Travellers can look through a visual list of properties and destinations, complete with prices and additional information. Plus, the transition between the Booking.com app and the AI Trip Planner chat is so well integrated, travellers can make a booking immediately.
Altogether, the AI Trip Planner presents itself as a travel consultant – in some form. Like having one-to-one conversations with your friends or partner while planning a trip, Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner is with you every step of the way.
