ChatGPT Hits the Travel Planning Space

ChatGPT, the miracle app that can pretty much to everything except cook a burger and do your laundry, is getting into the travel booking space in a big way, courtesy of Expedia. The capabilities of ChatGPT are still being explore and test so Expedia announce this week that it is looking into a new use for artificial intelligence with the beta launch of a new in-app travel planning experience power by ChatGPT.

People planning their travel calendar can now sign into Expedia and start an open-end conversation in the Expedia app to get recommendations on places to go, where to stay, how to get around, and what to see and do base on the chat. And, of course, much of that new trip planning includes intelligent shopping and savings. The “trip” section in the app, helps users stay organizes and making it easier for them to start choosing dates, checking availability, and adding on flights, cars or activities.

ChatGPT Hits the Travel Planning Space

“Every great trip can made or lost while planning and shopping. As the leader in travel tech, Expedia continues to build out the core operating system for the industry, constantly enhancing capabilities and making trip planning faster, simpler and even more informative,” said Peter Kern, Vice Chairman and CEO, Expedia Group. “By integrating ChatGPT into the Expedia app and combining it with our other AI-base 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.”

With the ChatGPT app, travelers can also start a conversation directly on the ChatGPT site and select the Expedia plugin to bring a trip to life. When they’re ready to book, they go straight to Expedia. It’s also easier for users to access exclusive discounts and rewards for their trip.

Expedia already integrates artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) throughout its platform in these ways:

- Helping travelers shop. AI and ML are use to deliver personalize and relevant trip options out of 1.26 quadrillion variables like hotel location, room type, date ranges, price points and much more.

- For confidence in flight booking, Price Tracking uses comprehensive flight data as AI and ML compare today’s flight price with historical price trends and track price fluctuations, so travelers can confidently decide when to book and earn rewards.

- For unexpect trip changes, travelers can resolve issues quickly using Expedia’s AI-power Virtual agent available 24/7.

Final Thought

This collaboration with OpenAI is currently in the beta testing phase, allowing Expedia to rapidly evolve the experience based on how members interact with it. It’s also important to remember that while many measures have been taken to limit inaccurate results and inappropriate responses, at times the experience may not work exactly as expected. Feedback from both our employees and all those using the experience will be continually looked at to make sure responses meet our standards.