Booking.com wants AI to be like a human travel agent — but better

The internet made going to brick-and-mortar travel agencies a thing of the past. Generative artificial intelligence could once again transform the way people plan and book their trips.

Booking.com (BKNG) first rolled out its AI trip planner in June 2023 as the AI chatbot boom took hold. Using the tool, travelers can search, filter, and get their questions answered faster than they used to on the site or on a call with customer service.

And while Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel said introducing AI into the company’s trip booking and planning suite was a “kind of obvious” choice, he believes that the technology has a lot to offer that isn’t even on the table yet.

“What we really want is, as I say, to recreate the effect of dealing with a human being,” Fogel said in the latest episode of Quartz AI Factor, a video series set at the Nasdaq MarketSite (NDAQ).

Before online booking sites, travel agents would search for destinations and itineraries based on their clients’ known needs, wants, likes, and other factors, like budget. Fogel believes that the next iteration of Booking’s AI trip planner will be able to do just that — and then some.

“For example, using AI, you decide that you want to take a boat tour in Amsterdam and you’ve arranged it all,” Fogel said. “We will have AI saying: ‘It’s two days before your boat ride. It looks like it’s going to rain. We’re going to suggest that we change your boat ride for another day, for Friday from Thursday. And Thursday, we’d like to suggest that you spend the day in the rice museum with indoor while it’s raining outside.’”

In September, another of Booking’s companies, OpenTable, announced that it will begin using Salesforce’s (CRM) AI agent Agentforce to provide customer service. The technology has already made it much easier for customers to deal with customer service problems and interactions with restaurants, Fogel said.

Looking ahead, Fogel thinks AI could entirely eliminate any of the friction between diners and restaurants.

“Eventually, I do believe you’ll call a restaurant… and you’ll think you’re talking to a human being,” he said. “You’re not talking to human being. You’re talking to an AI agent. It sounds like a human. It acts like a human. The one difference is it doesn’t get angry at you ever. It’s always nice. It’s always pleasant.”

Watch the latest episode of Quartz AI Factor above.