The leading travel tech company, Expedia Group, which owns major online travel sites such as Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, has added more than 30 new features across all its brands. The travel juggernaut did it to enhance the travel-planning experience.
The update focuses on integrating artificial intelligence into its products to provide travelers with personalized recommendations, flexible booking, and improved customer support.
With the holiday season approaching, the new AI feature aims to help its consumers compare accommodation options, manage collaborative bookings, find activities, and enjoy a more personalized experience.
“Travel is a series of decisions, and travelers want the joy of discovery and planning to last through every stage of the journey. That’s why we’re building AI-powered experiences across our brands that help travelers make informed decisions, give them flexibility and value, and personalize every step of their trip. And when travelers need a person, our human agents step in with the full context to make things right,” Expedia Group’s Chief Product Officer Shilpa Ranganathan said.
Here are the features they added:
Features added to all three brands
Hotels.com
The site has been working to improve its comparison AI feature, which lets users compare properties based on location, amenities, booking terms, and prices.
The site’s homepage will also present personalized offer suggestions based on travelers’ preferences, whether they are booking a vacation or a business trip. It will then suggest the best options directly, making the booking journey more seamless.
Expedia
To make the Expedia homepage more personalized, the company has added improved family-booking options, flexible packages, and more interactive destination maps. After booking a trip, travelers also get a new AI tool to help organize activities. The activity planner also recommends and books hotels, events, and activities based on the itinerary.
Travelers can also access additional airport benefits, which include lounge access during flight delays. Additionally, AI-powered experts will provide AI-generated information about properties, including reservations, reviews, and amenities.
Vrbo
Expedia Group has focused on simplifying group bookings and pay-later mechanisms, improving booking management, and more for Vrbo. Moreover, its enhanced natural language tool lets travelers find their desired property by simply describing it, ditching traditional filters.
In addition, the platform has also improved the on-arrival experience by providing information on door codes, directions, check-in instructions, and more. Together, these features would make booking easier and better for travelers.
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