At ITB Berlin, travel technology executives discussed how artificial intelligence is reshaping the industry’s foundations. The conversation highlighted a shift toward becoming “AI-native,” meaning companies design their systems, products and processes around AI rather than treating it as an optional add-on. Leaders from Sabre, Booking.com, Google and Skyscanner emphasized that AI will increasingly influence everything from pricing and search to retailing and customer service. While the industry is already experimenting with new AI capabilities, the broader transformation will depend on infrastructure readiness, consumer trust and the complexity of travel transactions.

Key takeaways

Becoming AI-native: Travel companies are beginning to embed AI across the entire product lifecycle—from pricing and search to booking, payments and customer service—rather than deploying it as a standalone feature.

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Artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape the hotel industry far beyond isolated tools such as chatbots or automated pricing systems. According to Boston Consulting Group, the next wave of innovation will come from “AI-first” hotels—properties that integrate AI across their entire operating model rather than treating it as an add-on technology.

By embedding AI into commercial, operational, and guest-facing processes, hotels can streamline workflows, improve decision-making, and deliver more personalized experiences. However, achieving these benefits requires significant changes in data infrastructure, talent, and leadership commitment.

Key takeaways

• AI-first operating model: Hotels that redesign their operations around AI rather than layering it on top of existing systems can achieve leaner teams, faster processes, and more data-driven decision-making."

Suchmaschinen und Buchungsplattformen sind nicht mehr die einzigen Vermittler zwischen Hotels und ihren Kunden. KI-basierte Assistenten – ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini, Perplexity oder auch die Chatbots der OTAs – verändern grundlegend die Art und Weise, wie Reisende nach Unterkünften suchen, diese vergleichen und auswählen. In diesem neuen Ökosystem reicht es nicht mehr aus, gut platziert zu sein: man muss auch von der KI verstanden werden. Genau auf diese Herausforderung geht unser neues Whitepaper „Werden Sie für KI sichtbar – Die Schlüssel zur semantischen Optimierung und GEO für Hotels” ein, das sich an Hoteliers, Reiseziele und Akteure im Tourismusbereich richtet.  Von SEO zu GEO: Warum sich die Spielregeln ändern Jahrelang basierte die Online-Sichtbarkeit hauptsächlich auf klassischer SEO: Schlüsselwörter, eingehende Links, Positionierung in den Google-Ergebnissen. Heute funktionieren generative Antwortmaschinen anders. Sie listen nicht mehr Dutzende von Links auf, sondern geben direkt einige Empfehlungen – oft drei bis fünf Hotels – als Antwort auf eine in natürlicher Sprache formulierte Anfrage. Diese Veränderung markiert den Übergang von Search Engine Optimization (SEO) zu Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Um von einer KI ausgewählt zu werden, muss ein Hotel klare, strukturierte, kohärente und überprüfbare Informationen aus verschiedenen Quellen (Website, OTA, Google Business Profile, SIT, Plattform) bereitstellen können.

OpenAI has reduced the scope of its plans to enable direct product purchases inside ChatGPT. The company had explored allowing users to discover products and complete transactions entirely within the chatbot interface. Instead, the current direction focuses on using ChatGPT as a discovery and recommendation layer that sends users to external websites or apps to finalize purchases.

For travel and hospitality, this signals that AI assistants may increasingly influence where travelers look and compare options, even if bookings themselves still occur on hotel or platform websites.

Key takeaways

AI as a discovery channel: ChatGPT is likely to act primarily as a recommendation and discovery tool rather than a booking engine, helping travelers find hotels before sending them to external booking channels.
Transactions remain external: OpenAI’s shift means that bookings will still be completed on hotel websites, OTAs, or other travel platforms rather than directly inside the AI interface.

Travel companies across the industry are investing heavily in AI-powered travel assistants designed to plan, compare, and eventually book trips automatically. The technology promises to transform travel planning into a conversational experience where AI agents handle research, itinerary building, and booking decisions. However, consumer adoption of fully automated travel planning remains limited, and many travelers still prefer to remain directly involved in the booking process. As a result, much of the current investment reflects a strategic bet on how travel discovery and booking may evolve rather than a response to existing customer demand.

Phocuswright’s latest study, Budgets, Barriers and the Race to Agentic AI, finds that more than 60% of travel companies are already engaging with agentic AI, marking a decisive shift from experimentation to operational ambition. Presented ahead of discussions at ITB Berlin, the research suggests 2026 could be the year AI moves into the core of travel operations. Unlike earlier generative tools focused on content, agentic AI is designed to execute complex, real-world tasks across systems using real-time data. While enthusiasm and budgets are rising, many companies are still in early stages of scaling and organizational readiness.

Two months ago, a hotel that wanted a direct presence inside ChatGPT had no real path to get there. Booking.com and Expedia had secured their places as launch partners. The OTAs moved fast, as they always do. Hotels watched.

That has changed, visibly, in the past six weeks. The question is no longer whether direct AI distribution is possible. It is whether any given hotel is building it or waiting to see how it goes.

The ones building it fall into roughly three categories. Each is doing something meaningfully different. The differences matter.

The chain that treated AI as infrastructure

Hyatt is the clearest example of a hotel company that made a decision — not a pilot, a decision — to rebuild around conversational search before the channel existed.

In BCG’s 2025 global pan-industry analysis of AI adoption, fewer than 10% of hospitality companies surveyed could be called “future built,” defined as having cutting edge AI capabilities and generating substantial value from it. Twenty-five percent of hospitality firms fell into the “AI-scaling” category, meaning that they have an AI strategy that is starting to produce real returns across multiple organizational activities.

Search engines and booking platforms are no longer the only intermediaries between hotels and their customers. Artificial intelligence-based assistants – ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini, Perplexity and even OTA chatbots – are profoundly transforming the way travellers search for, compare and choose accommodation. In this new ecosystem, being well ranked is no longer enough: you need to be understood by AI. This is precisely the challenge addressed by our new white paper, ‘Become visible to AI – The keys to semantic optimisation and GEO for hotels’, aimed at hoteliers, destinations and tourism stakeholders. From SEO to GEO: why the rules of the game are changing For years, online visibility relied mainly on traditional SEO: keywords, inbound links, positioning in Google results. Today, generative response engines work differently. They no longer list dozens of links, but directly offer a few recommendations – often three to five hotels – in response to a request made in natural language. This change marks the transition from Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). To be selected by AI, a hotel must be able to provide clear, structured, consistent and verifiable information from multiple sources (website, OTA, Google Business Profile, SIT, platform, etc.).

"Airbnb is moving beyond its core short-term rental business and expanding toward a platform that covers the entire travel journey. Speaking at ITB Berlin, company executives outlined a strategy that includes vacation rentals, boutique hotels, experiences, and potentially airport transportation services within the same ecosystem. The move revives Airbnb’s pre-pandemic ambition to become a comprehensive travel platform rather than just a marketplace for homes. For hoteliers, this signals that Airbnb increasingly sees hotels as part of its growth strategy — not just as competitors.

Key takeaways

Airbnb’s strategy is expanding beyond rentals: The company is positioning itself as a platform where travelers can plan and book their entire trip, including accommodation, experiences, and transportation.
Airport transportation may be added soon: Airbnb is already testing airport pickups and private car transfers in several regions, suggesting ground transportation could soon become part of the booking journey.
Hotels are becoming part of the platform: Airbnb executives highlighted hotels — especially independent and boutique properties — as an important addition that could significantly expand the platform’s customer base."

"The European Commission has introduced a voluntary Code of Conduct on Online Ratings and Reviews for Tourism Accommodation to address fake and misleading hotel reviews. The initiative aims to improve transparency, strengthen consumer trust and support fair competition within the European hospitality market. Major booking platforms and industry associations have joined the framework, which sets common principles for review verification and clearer rating methodologies. While not legally binding, the code aligns with broader EU digital regulation and signals continued scrutiny of online platform accountability."

In his recent Skift article, Rafat Ali uses the term “Claude Effect” to describe a new market pattern linked to Anthropic and its AI model Claude. The phrase does not refer to a specific travel product. Instead, it describes what happens when Anthropic announces a new AI capability: investors rapidly sell shares in the sector that could be affected, even if the tool is still early or unproven. Ali argues that travel — an industry built on managing complexity through intermediaries — could be next to experience this kind of market shock.

Key takeaways

The Claude effect is about anticipation, not replacement: Markets have reacted strongly to AI previews in legal, finance, and cybersecurity. The disruption is based on perceived future capability, not fully deployed products.
Travel’s business model is built on managing complexity: OTAs, GDSs, and TMCs earn margins by simplifying search, comparison, booking, policy enforcement, and pricing. If AI agents absorb that complexity, their role could be questioned.
Consumer booking is an obvious pressure point: An AI agent that can search, compare, and book trips through conversation — connected directly to airline and hotel systems — could challenge the traditional OTA interface model.