Like other global travel platforms, Booking.com is expanding its AI-powered features in a bid to deliver its users greater personalisation and speedier interactions. Harnessing Generative AI, the platform’s new Smart Filter, Property Q&A, and Review Summaries all aim to provide ways for users to find the answers they need efficiently before confirming their reservations.
New AI features
1. Smart filter
Would-be travellers can now describe their ideal property in their own words and the Smart Filter tool will apply relevant filters to the platform’s inventory to select a list of properties tailored to bookers’ needs. This intuitive function effectively removes the requirement to manually go through a tedious checklist of criteria that don’t always describe exactly what one is searching for.
2. Property Q&A
AI is also now being recruited to find the answers to users’ questions. The Property Q&A function allows travellers to ask specific questions without having to wait for a real human to come up with a reply or trawl through the small print. Instead, GenAI runs the questions through the property listing, as well as through guest reviews and retrieves relevant info.
The Smart Filter and Property Q&A features are already available in the firm’s AI Trip Planner, which rolled out in the United States in June 2023, and can be accessed by app in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and most recently, Singapore. In the coming months, local language versions will go live across Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Poland, and the Netherlands. The online roll-out to property pages is coming “in the near term,” a press release said.
3. Review Summaries
The booking giant is also testing a “review summary” feature, “designed to provide key insights about a property without the need to browse through numerous reviews.” This tool promises to “further distill reviews into tailored summaries to highlight what matters most to them, whether that is parking availability or wheelchair accessibility.”
Making it easier for everyone to experience the world?
The use of AI as a source of travel advice is accelerating but so far has not always proved popular. Germany’s tourism agency recently launched “Emma”, an AI travel influencer designed to resemble a young blonde woman, which claims to “show you the many facets of this country and provide you with the best travel tips.” Commenters on social media slammed the innovation and expressed disappointment with the use of tech over human guides.
But research commissioned by Booking.com, among over 27,000 respondents across 33 countries, found that with 41% of all travellers “would be interested in using a personalized, curated itinerary driven by AI.”
“Our journey with AI for over a decade has always been about leveraging technology to make travel more intuitive and personalized, helping us fulfill our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world,” said Joe Futty, VP of Product Marketplace at Booking.com. “With GenAI, we’re not just enhancing the trip planning process—we’re facilitating more tailored experiences that adapt and respond to travelers’ needs faster than ever before. Looking ahead, we’re excited about our future plans, where GenAI will play a proactive role in managing trips, helping travelers navigate disruptions like flight cancellations with real-time solutions, making the entire travel experience smoother and more seamless.”
