AI’s new gatekeepers: How Booking.com and Expedia are hijacking the future of travel
Opinion

AI’s new gatekeepers: How Booking.com and Expedia are hijacking the future of travel

Just days into OpenAI’s new app marketplace, Booking.com and Expedia have seized a commanding lead. They’re not just experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI). They’re embedding themselves directly into the core of how travelers search, discov...

Brad Brewer
Brad Brewer
Chief AI Offcer
Agentic Hospitality
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Travel Technology
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Online Travel Agencies (OTA)
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Chatbots, Robotics & AI
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Brad Brewer
by Brad Brewer
28 October 2025Agentic HospitalityOnline Travel Agencies (OTA)
AI’s new gatekeepers: How Booking.com and Expedia are hijacking the future of travel
The New AI-OTA War: Why AI is Scraping Your Data to Kill Your Direct Channel
Opinion

The New AI-OTA War: Why AI is Scraping Your Data to Kill Your Direct Channel

The hospitality industry is facing an immediate and existential competitive threat unlike any seen since the rise of the OTAs. In the past, your website data was a marketing expense; today, it has become the primary fuel source for the next generati...

Mark Fancourt
Mark Fancourt
Co-Founder at TRAVHOTECH
TRAVHOTECH
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Revenue Management
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Online Travel Agencies (OTA)
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Mark Fancourt
by Mark Fancourt
17 October 2025TRAVHOTECHOnline Travel Agencies (OTA)
The New AI-OTA War: Why AI is Scraping Your Data to Kill Your Direct Channel
Opinion

The Great Tech Reset: Agentic AI and the Coming Rebalance of Power in Hospitality

The hospitality industry stands on the precipice of its most profound disruption since the internet. It’s an existential shift, driven by Agentic AI, and it threatens to dismantle the decades-old power structure of hotel distribution. For years, hot...

Mark Fancourt
Mark Fancourt
Co-Founder at TRAVHOTECH
TRAVHOTECH
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Sales & Marketing
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Online Travel Agencies (OTA)
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Chatbots, Robotics & AI
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Mark Fancourt
by Mark Fancourt
1 October 2025TRAVHOTECHOnline Travel Agencies (OTA)
TRAVHOTECH
No, Booking Won’t Be the Plumbing for OpenAI’s Agents
Opinion

No, Booking Won’t Be the Plumbing for OpenAI’s Agents

The hype cycle on AI agents keeps going. The Financial Times tells us that the “rise of AI shopping agents” is set to transform e-commerce. OpenAI even renamed its Operator system simply “Agent,” making the pitch clear: AI will browse and buy on our...

Martin Soler
Martin Soler
Partner at Soler & Associates
Soler & Associates
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Online Travel Agencies (OTA)
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Digital Marketing
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Innovation
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Chatbots, Robotics & AI
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Martin Soler
by Martin Soler
18 September 2025Soler & AssociatesOnline Travel Agencies (OTA)
No, Booking Won’t Be the Plumbing for OpenAI’s Agents
Europe’s underappreciated superpower
Opinion

Europe’s underappreciated superpower

While Europe’s policymakers and opinion leaders obsess over semiconductors and clean tech, another economic engine is humming along with far less fanfare – and far greater local impact. In its forecast for the five-year period from 2024 to 2029, Oxf...

Peter Lochbihler
Peter Lochbihler
Global Director Public Affairs, Booking.com
Booking.com
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Online Travel Agencies (OTA)
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Markets & Performance
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Innovation
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National & International Policy
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Peter Lochbihler
by Peter Lochbihler
18 September 2025Booking.comOnline Travel Agencies (OTA)
Europe’s underappreciated superpower
EU’s code of conduct for online ratings endorsed by Booking.com
Opinion

EU’s code of conduct for online ratings endorsed by Booking.com

At Booking.com, we welcome the launch of the Code of Conduct for Online Ratings and Reviews for Tourism Accommodation, presented by Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.

Peter Lochbihler
Peter Lochbihler
Global Director Public Affairs, Booking.com
Booking.com
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Reputation Management
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Online Travel Agencies (OTA)
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Lodging Industry
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National & International Policy
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Peter Lochbihler
by Peter Lochbihler
15 September 2025Booking.comOnline Travel Agencies (OTA)
EU’s code of conduct for online ratings endorsed by Booking.com
When it Comes to Identity Verification, Vacation Rental Platforms Need a Timely Solution to an Age-Old Problem
Opinion

When it Comes to Identity Verification, Vacation Rental Platforms Need a Timely Solution to an Age-Old Problem

Vacation rental platforms have transformed how people travel, offering convenient and flexible alternatives to hotels. But using these platforms comes with risks for both renters and hosts. Specifically, this sector faces significant security and tr...

Kaarel Kotkas
Kaarel Kotkas
CEO & Founder, Veriff
veriff
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Safety & Security
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Online Travel Agencies (OTA)
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Vacation Rentals
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Kaarel Kotkas
by Kaarel Kotkas
8 September 2025veriffOnline Travel Agencies (OTA)
When it Comes to Identity Verification, Vacation Rental Platforms Need a Timely Solution to an Age-Old Problem
How Much Should Hoteliers Be Spending on Marketing?
Opinion

How Much Should Hoteliers Be Spending on Marketing?

With the 2026 budgeting season around the corner, the question of marketing investment has once again become front and centre. In a recent Hospitality Net Viewpoint, Max Starkov set the stage by highlighting a striking imbalance: while U.S. hotels t...

Henri Roelings
Henri Roelings
Founder, Hospitality Net
Hospitality Net
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Sales & Marketing
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Online Travel Agencies (OTA)
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Henri Roelings
by Henri Roelings
19 August 2025Hospitality NetOnline Travel Agencies (OTA)
How Much Should Hoteliers Be Spending on Marketing?
ChatGPT Booked My Hotel While I Made My Coffee
Opinion

ChatGPT Booked My Hotel While I Made My Coffee

Earlier this morning, a hotel reservation was made under my name. But to be accurate, I didn’t make it. It was executed on my behalf by the recently launched ChatGPT agent, an autonomous AI system capable of parsing ambiguous input, retaining contex...

Simone Puorto
Simone Puorto
Head of Emerging Trends and Strategic Innovation, Hospitality Net
Hospitality Net
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Online Travel Agencies (OTA)
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Digital Marketing
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Chatbots, Robotics & AI
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Simone Puorto
by Simone Puorto
25 July 2025Hospitality NetOnline Travel Agencies (OTA)
ChatGPT Booked My Hotel While I Made My Coffee