Expedia tests AI feature to support search and travel planning

To compete better in the travel industry, online travel company Expedia is about to launch a virtual assistant to improve search features, schedule building, trip planning and real-time information updates. real time like being late for a flight.

Expedia will introduce a virtual assistant named Romie that is trained on internal data and OpenAI. This virtual assistant can help users find hotels, build an itinerary for their trip, and make small changes. Romie can be integrated into iMessage chat groups or private chats on WhatsApp.

Users can chat with Romie by mentioning the virtual assistant on iMessage and asking it to summarize the built itinerary or suggest restaurants. Romie can take users directly to the Expedia app with links to schedules or recommendations.

In addition, Expedia also introduced a smart search feature on the website, allowing users to describe the type of hotel they want instead of filtering based on each criteria. For example, you can enter “has a rooftop terrace and ocean view” when searching for hotels, and the results will return the best hotels with those features.

Expedia is testing all of these features with a limited group of users through its EG Labs program, allowing users in the US to try out the new features.

Expedia says it pulls data from various sources like AccuWeather and Yelp Network to customize searches and virtual assistants. This allows travelers to be updated on flight or weather changes. For example, the virtual assistant can recommend hotels near the airport in case the flight is canceled.

Last year, Expedia began experimenting with AI when it introduced an in-app travel planning experience using ChatGPT . It looks like the company is now integrating AI into its core features.

Expedia’s competitors have also made moves. Booking.com introduced AI trip planning features in June 2023, Airbnb tested AI review summaries and is aiming to build a “premium concierge service”. In March, Kayak launched a new conversational tool and screenshot-based price comparison feature.

Startups are also leveraging AI-powered features to compete with major travel platforms. Mindtrip, backed by Costanoa Ventures, is building an AI travel agent for users, while Vancouver-based Pilot is using AI to make travel planning more social.

Layla, a comprehensive travel recommendation app with the backing of investors like firstminute capital, M13, Booking.com co-founder Andy Phillips, Skyscanner co-founder Barry Smith and Paris Hilton, is building the app this with the help of existing data and content from creators.

Rathi Murthy, Chief Technology Officer of Expedia Group, said in a call with Techlade that although there are many competitors in the space, the company is confident its solution will stand out because it plays many roles. trick.

“Everyone talks about virtual assistants, but for me, having a virtual assistant that acts as your travel agent, personal assistant, premium concierge service, and is always available to help you make changes, troubleshooting your trip and taking the hassle out of the entire process is a turning point. […] We’ve been able to take the Expedia experience outside of our ecosystem and into channels like iMessage or WhatsApp, which I think is unique,” ​​he said.

Murthy said the only reason why Romie cannot be used in WhatsApp chat groups yet is because they have not yet figured out how the virtual assistant works in that environment rather than any technical challenges.

Additionally, Expedia said it will launch a daily price comparison tool, an AI-powered help page, and a customer review summary as part of its spring update.