Microsoft tips

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

The AI assistant in Microsoft Teams can take notes during meetings, list follow-up points, and more. That’s been one of the top uses by Amadeus employees since they started testing Microsoft’s Copilot generative AI chatbot last August.

What is the future of travel? Answering that is Skift’s editorial mission, and the release of our annual Megatrends is core to that mission.

Six travel startups have announced fundraises of nearly $104 million this week.

Among big-name travel and transportation brands, Expedia Group, Airbnb, Uber and Disney have pulled their advertising off X, formerly known as Twitter.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, November 8. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Amadeus is nearly recovered in terms of revenue compared to pre-pandemic levels. Executives shared those details during an earnings call on Tuesday, as well as information about the impact of conflicts in the Middle East and technical innovations the company is developing. 

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

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, October 13 (Boo!). Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

The first generative AI chatbot was released almost a year ago, and there’s been a lot of talk since then about how it could impact travel.

Microsoft’s announcement Thursday of new tools powered by generative AI included several examples relevant to travelers. 

Red Roof, Motel 6, and Extended Stay have all implemented software to reduce the need for workers. 

Marriott is looking to meet new demands from company travel managers, following a ramp up in requests for more culture and trust-boosting team meetings.

Matthew Rosenberg sees the writing on the wall with generative artificial intelligence in travel. That is why his company has refocused to developing the next iteration of its travel guide app, this time powered by the new type of AI. 

Vacation rental property manager Vacasa is eliminating 1,300 positions, which was 17 percent of its workforce, as the company determined it had to make deeper improvements to operations. The firings took place Tuesday, just three months after the company axed 280 staffers.

The Microsoft-owned also-ran search engine Bing has relaunched around conversational chatbot technology powered by ChatGPT, the new sensation owned by OpenAI. In an event today, the CEOs of Microsoft and OpenAI gave a demo of the new Bing, and it will be open to all in coming days. The refreshed Bing provides a chatbox with annotated AI answers — powered by ChatGPT– to the right side of traditional search results. 

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, February 10. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Google released limited access to Bard, essentially its own version of ChatGPT, earlier this week. If today were six months ago, it would be more exciting. But compared to what is available today, the chatbot’s abilities are not particularly impressive. 

Google advertising, search and other revenue revenue grew 2 percent year over year in the first quarter, pushed upwards by increases in revenue from travel and retail ads.

Skift Research believes that generative Artificial Intelligence represents a $28 billion-plus opportunity for the travel industry. It stands to change the way that we search for travel, how companies provide customer service, and could drive operational efficiencies across the industry.

Despite a strong first quarter for Amadeus, analysts question whether post-pandemic recovery is taking longer than expected.