Apparently, the new way to break free from OTA dependence is to hire ex-Google and ex-Tripadvisor execs… to become your new middleman. DirectBooker, backed by former Tripadvisor CEO Steve Kaufer and ex-Google Travel head Richard Holden, wants to pump your hotel data straight into ChatGPT and Gemini so travelers can “book direct”, just not direct.
The pitch is that they’ll beat the OTAs at their own game by giving LLMs richer info and better prices. The reality? You’re still paying someone in the middle, only now it’s a startup with no product, no hotel partners, and a “pre-seed” war chest to burn. Sure, OTAs are expensive, but swapping one tollbooth for another isn’t exactly the revolution.
And while DirectBooker tries to wedge itself between hotels and guests, Airbnb is quietly muscling in from the other side. CEO Brian Chesky says the company is “going significantly more aggressively into hotels,” courting independents and filling gaps in high-demand markets. You might remember they acquired HotelTonight in 2019; now it looks like they actually plan to use it. Between AI intermediaries and Airbnb’s renewed hotel push, “direct” bookings may soon need their own air quotes.
Check out DirectBooker.com.
