Artificial Intelligence tips

It’s not without its tensions, but Google and Booking Holdings have long had a mutually beneficial relationship: Google gets billions of dollars from Booking’s ads, and Booking benefits from all of the customers Google sends along.

Amazon Web Services had a weeklong conference last week, where it shared a slew of updates to services that travel companies are using to build tools powered by generative AI.

Peek, a San Francisco-based tours and activities software vendor, is launching two artificial intelligence data features for its tour operator customers.  

Trip.com Group said Thursday that it has selected Amazon Web Services as its “strategic cloud provider” in a multiyear deal meant to drive innovations in travel bookings, personalized recommendations, and customer service. 

Amazon Web Services is having a conference all week in Las Vegas, and there have already been several reveals of next-generation offerings for the travel industry. 

Travel searches by Indian travelers for Thailand have spiked. Online travel agency Agoda’s search data for the peak December travel period shows recent visa policy changes have impacted travel preferences and top destination choices for Indian travelers.   

Indian travel tech firm RateGain, which is publicly traded, raised $72 million for investments and acquisitions to “build an AI-powered integrated tech stack” to power its travel and hospitality clients, the company said.

From his posts and re-posts on X, it’s clear that Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is highly supportive of Sam Altman, the ousted CEO of OpenAI, and now-former board Chairman Greg Brockman, and Chesky seems to be in-the-know about some of the maneuverings behind the scenes.

California-based RedAwning has introduced updates to its communication features for Airbnb superhosts. 

Mondee has acquired an AI company called Purplegrids in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $19 million.

Airbnb made public filings on Tuesday showing that its acquisition of AI company GamePlanner.AI was paid partially with stock valued at about $104.5 million. 

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, November 15. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Airbnb said Tuesday that it has acquired an AI company founded by a creator of Siri. The company, called GamePlanner.AI, is a 12-person AI company that has been developing outside of the public eye since it was founded.

Uber is working on a lot of projects to push its business beyond its traditional focus. 

Hidden in Tripadvisor’s latest earnings from earlier this week was some updates on its AI-based trip planning feature that it launched in July, along with some concrete numbers on performance of AI-assisted travel planning.

Amadeus and Microsoft have been working together to explore how generative AI can be integrated into new technologies for the travel industry.

If Viator turns profitable in 2024, would Tripadvisor consider a spinoff? Or would that be like giving up your favorite child?

Now that Airbnb has seen its listings numbers collapse in New York City because of a regulatory crackdown, the short-term rental company thinks boutique hotels can help fill the gap.

IHG Hotels & Resorts recently rolled out a function that allows guests to find and book rooms based on certain attributes, a project it says has been years in the making.

Google on late Thursday outlined its highly anticipated updates to Google Maps, which it began rolling out to users in a select list of cities — mainly in North America and Europe to start.

Amadeus is piloting a new AI-powered retail system meant to make airlines sales more like shopping on Amazon.