The Prompt

Tripadvisor has borne the brunt of declining SEO traffic from Google for many years. Now AI Overviews are pinching Tripadvisor even harder.

Marriott is the first major hotel to publicly discuss its work with Google on its upcoming agentic AI travel booking tool. But it raises more questions than answers — especially whether AI Mode offers in-chat checkout for partners and link-outs for everyone else.

OpenAI has crossed the advertising threshold. ChatGPT is now a potential marketing channel for travel brands — one that could surface hotel and flight ads at the exact moment a traveler is planning a trip inside a conversation.

Google’s AI search is changing how travelers find trips. The booking tools aren’t here yet, but the traffic dynamics are already shifting — and the rules for capturing demand are shifting with them.

Google is stitching its AI search features into a single workflow. For some users, that means a smarter, more personalized experience, with AI that shapes responses based on real travel preferences without leaving search.

Kirby's framework — AI for optimization, humans for judgment — is more specific than what most travel executives have articulated. It's worth paying attention to.

Expedia’s Seattle WARN filing does more than quantify the 162 job cuts. The mix of eliminated technical roles — including a VP — shows how the company’s efficiency push is reshaping where core work gets done.

Meta highlighted key AI developments on its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call in consumer, retail and developer terms. But there are obvious travel applications too, and they could solve some of the industry's toughest challenges.

There's always a "pirate" in the wings when it comes to travel distribution.

Brett Keller has seen it all at Priceline, including the disruption that takes place when there are platform shifts. He thinks the AI revolution will be true to form.