Travel just got a whole lot easier as Expedia
Group unveiled the innovative and comprehensive release of more than 40 new
products and features at the EXPLORE conference in Las Vegas.
Ariane Gorin, CEO, Expedia Group said in a statement, “At
Expedia Group, we embrace the transformative power of AI to create personalized
travel experiences. Our long-standing investments in this space enable us to
capitalize on the breathtaking pace of AI innovation, and today’s Spring
Release demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative products and
features that enhance the way people explore the world.”
Romie, the travel industry’s first AI assistant helps with
planning, shopping, booking and even lends a hand when something unexpectedly
changes during a trip — serving as a travel agent, concierge and personal
assistant, all in one. Like the ideal travel companion, Romie gets
progressively intelligent — learning who you are, remembering what type of
trips you like, and even if you prefer Italian food and boutique hotels or an
afternoon hiking through nature.
“We believe in re-imagining the traveler experience, and
then using the latest in AI to bring it to life, and with Romie, we’ve done
just that,” said Rathi Murthy, CTO, Expedia Group. “We created an AI assistant
with hyper-personalization in mind so that travelers can choose when they want
Romie’s help on their own terms. Romie can assist throughout dreaming, planning
and traveling or even when things don’t go as planned, all while getting more
intelligent as the traveler interacts.”
Highlights of Expedia Group’s 2023 Spring Product Release include
a personalized itinerary builder, self-service booking management, a get help
fast option, price comparison, destination comparison and guest review
summaries, all using GenAI technology.
Partner
product highlights offer fraud-prevention as a service, advertiser-funded
loyalty such as OneKeyCash for hotel bookings, guest experiences and recommendations
and vacation rental seasonal cancellation policy all from a single page.
Travel Shops also debuts as a new storefront, allowing
creators to share and save their travel recommendations in one central place on
the Expedia app.
This new storefront allows content creators to earn
commission, increase visibility and customize their own personalized space for
travel content. Advertising partners will soon be able to spotlight
destinations with shoppable links across social channels or partner with
handpicked travel influencers to sponsor a collection via their channels.
“We saw an opportunity to reinvent how consumers interact
with travel content on social media platforms,” said Jochen Koedijk, CMO,
Expedia Group. “Travel Shops are a first-of-its-kind travel platform that
bridges the gap between content creators and travelers, creating a central hub
for curated travel recommendations and a seamless shopping experience. Travel
Shops give creators the tools to build unique marketplaces, making it easy to
share travel recommendations and providing a more personalized experience for
travelers.”
Rob Torres, SVP, Expedia Group Media Solutions added “We’ve
pioneered the travel retail media network model. Our robust, first-party data
and network of industry-wide partnerships gives us the exclusive ability to
translate traveler shopping behavior to actionable insights for our advertising
partners. Our travel media network targets travelers at various touchpoints on
the journey with highly relevant travel content, driving conversion. We’ve only
just scratched the surface with building bespoke media campaigns for partners,
I’m excited for what’s to come.”
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