Marriott and Hilton now warn investors that AI platforms could become the next powerful intermediaries, reshaping travel discovery, diverting bookings from direct channels, and introducing a new generation of digital gatekeepers.
Agentic Booking Is Not Here. But the Claims Are.
Despite headlines declaring that ‘agentic booking is here,’ today’s AI tools still offer assisted, not fully automated, travel purchases. Google is developing agentic capabilities, but true end-to-end booking remains at least a year away.
OTAs Just Took Over the Chat
OTA inventories are now powering hotel searches directly inside ChatGPT and Perplexity’s Comet browser, putting Booking.com and Expedia at the top of the AI planning funnel and pushing hotels even further from direct discovery.
Tick Tock… There Go Your Direct Bookings
TikTok dives into travel: creators can now tag hotels, earn booking commissions, and close sales via Booking.com, all without leaving the app.
