Kayak co-founders Steve Hafner and Paul English are working on Lola, a new Booking Holdings-backed AI travel startup focused on conversational access to travel brands.
Uber is adding hotel bookings, vacation rentals, travel planning tools, and new in-app services as it pushes deeper into travel and strengthens the case for Uber One membership.
Toyota’s Woven City in Japan near Mount Fuji is emerging as one of the country’s most unusual new attractions, blending robotics, AI, and autonomous mobility into a real-world test city that could soon draw global curiosity.
Clarasight has raised $11.5 million in Series A funding to support product development and expansion in Europe and North America. The round highlights continued investor interest in travel technology platforms that combine AI, automation, and enterprise data management.
Hilton plans to launch an app inside ChatGPT within weeks as it expands partnerships across multiple AI platforms. The move reflects a broader hotel industry shift to ensure inventory remains visible wherever travelers begin searching.
Japan Airlines and GMO will begin testing humanoid robots for baggage handling at Haneda Airport in May. The trial reflects growing pressure on airports to automate labor-intensive ground operations as tourism rises and staffing shortages deepen in Japan.
Google and Virgin Voyages are using travel as a high-profile test case for agentic AI, with Rovey designed to guide cruise customers from discovery through booking with more context-aware support.
GetYourGuide has rolled out a new set of AI-powered tools aimed at helping travelers book activities with more confidence while giving tour operators better tools to manage listings, pickups, and customer communication.
Hyatt is deploying ChatGPT Enterprise across its global business, giving teams in finance, marketing, operations, and customer experience broader access to AI tools.
Mews has launched a new AI-powered business intelligence product designed to give hotels real-time insights on revenue, occupancy, and bookings inside the same system they already use daily.
American Express Global Business Travel is giving Egencia a major upgrade with agentic AI and deeper expense integration, aiming to make corporate travel booking faster, more conversational, and less fragmented for both travelers and finance teams.
Expedia Group’s new AI Trust Gap report suggests that travelers are increasingly open to using AI for discovery and planning, but remain cautious when money, booking control, and post-trip support are involved. The findings highlight a growing split between where travel inspiration happens and where transactions still feel safe.
Booking.com has warned some customers that unauthorized parties may have accessed reservation-related personal information. The company says payment data was not taken from its systems, but the incident is likely to deepen concerns around travel-platform security and phishing risks.
Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur is introducing AI-powered tools for meetings, weddings, and corporate events, signaling a new phase in luxury hospitality where technology is used not just behind the scenes, but as part of the guest experience itself.
Minor Hotels is building a new global data and AI platform as hotel groups race to own more of the guest relationship directly. The project is less about adding another digital tool than about redesigning how personalization, booking, and service work across a global portfolio.