TLDR: Major online travel companies, including Expedia and Booking.com, have launched or are developing AI-powered applications within ChatGPT to revolutionize trip planning. Kayak has also introduced an ‘AI Mode’ on its platform, leveraging ChatGPT technology to offer dynamic travel insights, personalized recommendations, and streamlined booking processes directly through conversational interfaces.
Online travel giants are embracing artificial intelligence to transform how consumers plan and book their trips. As of October 17, 2025, companies like Expedia and Booking.com have partnered with ChatGPT, introducing innovative applications that allow users to access travel information and plan itineraries through an AI chat interface. This move follows OpenAI’s (ChatGPT’s parent company) recent announcement of new apps on its platform, making these travel tools accessible to U.S. users via direct conversation or by calling them by name.
These new applications are built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a framework that enables ChatGPT to connect with external data and tools, providing dynamic and real-time information.
Clayton Nelson, Expedia Group’s Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Affiliations, highlighted the significance of this integration. “What’s really exciting about the Expedia app in ChatGPT is that for the first time, travelers have access to dynamic travel insights within a ChatGPT conversation,” Nelson stated. “This means that they will have access to live pricing and inventory so they can easily browse and compare options directly in the conversation before clicking through to book on Expedia.”
As an example, Nelson described a scenario where a ChatGPT user could prompt, “Expedia, find me a hotel room in New York for under $400 in November.” The chat would then display matching hotels, flight options, destinations with interactive maps, and real-time prices and availability from Expedia. While users can plan their entire trip within ChatGPT, the final booking still requires a click-through to Expedia’s platform. Nelson acknowledged a “gap between having a Generative AI-powered conversation about a trip and actually booking,” but noted that GenAI search, though a small subset of Expedia’s traffic, is rapidly growing and shows a higher conversion rate to bookings.
Tripadvisor is also set to launch its own ChatGPT app in the coming weeks. Rahul Todkar, Tripadvisor’s Head of Data and AI, emphasized the importance of being present where travelers are. “If our travelers are in ChatGPT looking for trusted guidance and recommendations and personalized insights, we want to be available there for them,” he said, adding that the app will offer access to reviews, ratings, and images directly within the chat.
In a parallel development, travel search engine Kayak has rolled out its “AI Mode,” an integrated chatbot on its website, also powered by ChatGPT technology. This feature, available in the U.S. on both desktop and mobile web, allows users to ask for flight deals, compare hotels, and get destination ideas within a single conversational interface. Kayak’s AI Mode builds upon its experimental Kayak.ai site, which combined Kayak’s extensive travel data with OpenAI’s technology.
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The broader trend indicates a significant shift in the travel sector, with AI solutions aiming to simplify the often tedious online booking experience. Experts suggest that AI trip planner apps can lead to 3x faster itinerary generation, 40% cost savings for users, and 92% satisfaction rates, by offering customized itineraries, relevant local attractions, real-time updates, and personalized recommendations.
