Expedia’s conversational trip planning tool harness the power of ChatGPT to inspire members to ‘dream about travel in new ways’. Olivia Palamountain reports
Expedia has announced the beta launch of an in-app travel planning experience powered by everyone’s favourite AI helper, ChatGPT.
Members of Expedia’s new loyalty scheme One Key can now engage in open-ended conversations within the app to receive personalised recommendations on destinations, accommodation, transportation options and attractions based on the chat.
The collaboration between Expedia and ChatGPT is currently in the beta testing phase, allowing for continuous evolution based on user interactions, building on the AI and ML (machine learning) algorithms already leveraged by the company for price tracking, trip options and customer support.
Not only does it offer travel guidance but it also introduces intelligent shopping capabilities, automatically saving discussed hotels to a dedicated “trip” in the app. This streamlines organisation and facilitates date selection, availability checks, and the addition of flights, cars or activities.
Peter Kern, vice-chairman and CEO of Expedia Group, emphasises the significance of trip planning and shopping, stating: “Every great trip can be made or lost while planning and shopping.”
As reported by Globetrender, travellers using artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT to plan their travel itineraries is set to boom, according to market research company Euromonitor International. AI-authored fake reviews of hotels and restaurants will explode in parallel.
Expedia aims to enhance the travel industry’s core operating system by continually improving capabilities and providing faster, simpler, and more informative trip planning experiences.
Kern further highlighted the integration of ChatGPT, alongside other AI-based features such as hotel comparison, flight price tracking and trip collaboration tools, to offer travellers an intuitive way to create their perfect itinerary.
Expedia has also developed a plugin for ChatGPT. This enables travellers to initiate conversations directly on the ChatGPT site and select the Expedia plugin to further enhance their trip planning process. When ready to book, users are seamlessly directed to the Expedia platform.
With the latest update, conversational trip planning powered by ChatGPT is now available directly within the Expedia app, allowing members to “dream, plan, and book” their travel all in one place. Moreover, the integration facilitates easy access to exclusive discounts and rewards for members’ trips.
The conversational trip planning beta experience is being rolled out globally in English language exclusively on the Expedia iOS app, enabling travellers to embark on a new era of intuitive and personalised trip planning.