Glenn Fogel says travel remains a highly complex consumer experience that burdens travelers, justifying Booking's $100M bet on the AI trip-management startup Vayo.
Travel is one of the most complex consumer experiences, and too much of the work still falls on the traveler to manage.
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Fogel described AI as a "big positive" for Booking in a CNBC interview, signaling management's optimism about the technology.
In a CNBC interview Wednesday, CEO Glenn Fogel described AI as a "big positive" for Booking, reinforcing management's optimism about the technology.
Fogel said Booking Holdings is testing AI across the whole traveler journey and scaling the capabilities that deliver the most value.
We are actively testing AI across the traveler journey, learning from real-world usage and scaling the capabilities that create the most value for travelers and partners.
Fogel argued that combining AI assistants with Booking's live inventory and booking capabilities turns trip recommendations into seamless bookings.
These experiences show the difference between recommending a trip and actually enabling someone to book it seamlessly. Whether it's comparing locations, photos, room choices and prices, we can combine the ease of an AI assistant with the information, live inventory, booking capabilities and service of our platforms.
Fogel described Lola and Vayo as testing grounds for new AI capabilities that will be applied across Booking Holdings.
These platforms are testing grounds where we can explore new AI capabilities, iterate quickly and apply what we learn across Booking Holdings.
Fogel warned that geopolitical and macro uncertainty could affect near-term travel trends, while Booking stays focused on long-term investment and making travel easier.
While geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty may affect near-term travel trends, we remain focused on making travel easier, helping our partners succeed, and investing in our business for the long term,