The launch of Booking AI brought with it big promises. It aimed to make travel planning not just easier but smarter, predicting and fulfilling your travel needs.
Booking.com is popular with many travellers around the world. Millions use it for their travel bookings. When Booking AI came on the scene, it sparked excitement and hope. But has this advanced tool really lived up to its promise? Let’s look at what Booking AI has achieved after seven months.
Key Points to Remember
- Booking AI keeps getting better, making travel plans more suited to what you like.
- It uses smart AI to understand travel needs and suggest the best options.
- The app is easy to use, helping you plan your trip without hassle.
- You’ll find lots of choices for destinations, accommodations, and activities.
- Booking AI listens to what users say, so it’s constantly improving.
- It includes safety tips to help you stay informed and safe on your travels.
- The booking process is quick, with one easy payment for everything.
What Is Booking AI?
Booking.com announced a new feature called the AI Trip Planner on June 27, 2023, . This tool was first given to a small group of travellers in the US to try out using the Booking.com app.
The Booking AI is built on the same technology Booking.com has always used to suggest where to go and where to stay to millions of us. But, they have also added an integration with large language model (LLM) technology from OpenAI’s ChatGPT API. This means the AI can understand and chat back like a real person.
You can ask this AI Trip Planner anything about travelling. Whether you already know where you want to go or just a general idea, it’s ready to help you. You can easily refine your search, ask more questions and get personalised suggestions. And all this happens in real-time.
The Booking AI offers more than just suggestions. You also get a list of places to go and places to stay. The AI also includes pictures and prices from Booking.com. If you like something, there’s a link to learn more about it. This lets you explore your options without feeling overwhelmed with too many suggestions.
Seven months after its first introduction, this AI Trip Planner has become available to more people in the US. Booking.com has opened up a new way to plan trips, blending technology with personal touch.
Pros and Cons of Booking AI
| Pros | Cons |
| Provides travel tips that match what you like. | Only available in the US. |
| Makes planning trips easy with a chat feature. | Potential privacy concerns with data collection. |
| Offers lots of choices for accommodations and activities. | |
| Makes booking and paying quicker and easier. | |
| Quickly adjusts to new travel plans or feedback. |
Features of Booking AI
Let’s take a closer look at what Booking AI brings. It’s packed with features that make planning your travels easy and enjoyable.
1. Answering General Travel Related Questions
Booking AI is great for answering all your travel questions, no matter where you are in your planning process. You can ask the trip planner any general questions about travelling. This could be anything from the best season to visit a place to advise on must-see spots. It helps the AI understand what you’re looking for in your trip.
2. Customisable Itinerary
Since Booking AI has a chat-like interface, you can type in all your preferences for your trip. When you share these details, Booking AI can tailor its travel suggestions just for you. Booking AI then uses your preferences to create a personalised itinerary. The plan it creates will fit your style, interests, and budget perfectly. This itinerary is customisable as well.
3. Scoping out Destination and Accommodation Choices
The Booking AI can also help you choose your next destination and where to stay. The AI looks at what you like, what time of year you’re travelling, and your budget. It then gives you a list of destinations that match your preferences. This way, you can discover both popular and lesser-known places.
In addition to choosing your destination, Booking AI helps you find the best hotel. The AI can suggest anything – a luxury hotel, a quiet bed and breakfast or a reasonably priced youth hostel. It also searches Booking.com’s huge database to find places that meet your needs.
All the details you need to make your decision are displayed. This includes pictures, reviews from other guests, the price and links for further information.
4. Integrated Booking
Booking AI also makes booking more convenient and hassle-free. It gives you direct links to every hotel it suggests. This means you can jump from a chat about an accommodation directly to the Booking.com app to see all the hotel details. This makes things easy, as you can explore every hotel option without losing track of your conversation with the AI.
Once you’ve found a hotel that suits your needs, Booking AI makes booking easy. Simply click on the integrated booking link, and the AI will take you directly to the shopping cart, where you can complete your payment.
5. Booking Experiences Instantly
Booking.com has made your travel even easier with just one QR code. This clever idea means you can skip the hassle of managing several bookings or waiting in line for tickets.
Whether visiting a museum, concert, or park, you just need to show up, scan your QR code, and step right in to enjoy your activity. This QR code is connected to your credit card, making payments quick and effortless.
How to Use the Booking AI Feature?
Starting with Booking AI is your gateway to easier travel planning. However, this feature is still available for US travellers even after being out for more than seven months.
Let’s walk through how to use this handy feature.
Downloading the App
To start using the AI feature, you need the Booking.com app because the feature is only available there. It is available for both Android or iOS phones. Once the app gets installed, you need to sign up to the platform. You can use your Google ID to sign in. This way, you don’t have to enter your details manually.
Find the AI Option
You’ll land on the homepage as soon as you are logged in. Here, look for the option “Chat with our AI trip planner”. Click on the “Try it out” button to use this feature.
Chatting With the AI
Chatting with AI is like talking to your travel agent. Whether you have a specific plan or just general questions, the AI will help you. You can ask the AI questions like: “Where should you go this summer?” It then searches its database to give you the best suggestions.
Reviewing the Suggestions
The AI doesn’t just answer your questions. It also shows you places you can visit, with pictures and the average cost of hotels per night. So you can figure out which destinations fit your budget.
Book Your Stay
Once you have selected a destination, the next step is to find accommodation. You can tell the AI your travel dates and budget. It will then suggest a few hotels that match your preferences. If you like an option, click “View Details” to learn more about the hotel on Booking.com. From there, you can easily book your hotel.
How Does Booking AI Improve Your Travel Experience?
Booking.com uses artificial intelligence to make planning and going on trips much easier. Here is how it improves your travel experience.
1. Personalised Recommendations
Booking.com uses AI to analyse your preferences, previous searches and even your interactions with the app. It then creates suggestions for destinations, accommodations and activities that match your interests.
2. Simpler Planning
Booking.com’s AI has all the answers. Whether it’s choosing the best time to travel or finding cheap hotels, the AI gives you the best suggestions.
3. Quick and Easy Bookings
Booking.com has introduced a single QR code booking for all your activities. This way, you can visit the venue and enter it without the hassle of carrying cash or cards.
4. Dynamic Adjustments
Booking AI is designed to adapt to you. You can easily switch your destinations or even travel dates. The AI quickly offers new ideas and updates your plans without any hassle.
5. Enhanced Customer Support
In addition to planning and booking, Booking AI answers all your questions in real-time. It’s like having your customer support just for you. With the help of AI, it can answer questions, provide updates and solve problems quickly, often without human intervention.
Has Booking AI Improved Since Its Launch?
Since the introduction of Booking AI, it has always been about changing how we plan our travel. Now it has become even better at providing booking ideas. The AI now goes even deeper into your previous searches and preferences to refine its suggestions.
The app’s navigation is now simpler, as there’s no need to switch between chatting with the AI bot and its suggested options. Apart from that, Booking.com’s AI bot is getting smarter. It learns from what users say and do, quickly adapting itineraries to new preferences or changes. This means that the Booking AI is always up to date with what travellers need.
The only thing it is still missing is an introduction to foreign markets.
Alternatives to Booking AI
Booking AI is an excellent tool for planning your trips, but it’s not the only one out there. If you’re looking for something different, plenty of other options exist.
Google Gemini
Google Gemini makes your travel planning easier. It can automatically put together your itinerary and even help you speak and understand different languages. It can even easily book your flights and hotels and make suggestions to suit your needs.
Gemini also offers customised suggestions for places to eat. And you can access them directly on Google Maps. The design of Google Gemini is also user-friendly and makes it easy for anyone to find their way around the functions.
Abhi AI
Mondee developed Abhi AI and brings personalised travel suggestions directly to your fingertips. It uses Bard from Google, ChatGPT from OpenAI and Watson from IBM. This mix makes Abhi AI a super-smart travel tip and suggestion.
Abhi AI can easily handle all your bookings and give you customised suggestions in real-time. It has a chat-like interface that understands complicated questions and provides clear, detailed answers.
Takeaway
Since its launch, Booking AI has evolved significantly and made impressive changes. It is now even smarter at understanding your preferences and has developed a more user-friendly app. The database has also been expanded and now offers you even more options for accommodation and destinations. Additionally, it’s constantly learning from what users say and do so that it can plan even better trips.
