GOOD MORNING, READERS.
Travel booking is about to get that much slicker, as Google is expanding its AI-driven ad system to travel brands. This means that hotel ads and booking links can now appear inside Gemini AI search answers. Things are also switching up on the operator side. Instead of having to bid on keywords, operators can now see their ads matching to relevant queries, even if they’re complex and conversational.
This delivers a mixed bag for operators. While their ads can have a broader reach, there’s less control over which searches will trigger these ads, what creative will run in these search results and, ultimately, where users will land. As ever, when it comes to Google, participation means playing by the tech giant’s rules, which aren’t always that transparent.
Women Leading Travel Forum
The women running travel and hospitality don't have many places to talk honestly about what it actually takes.
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SkiftX spoke with Amperity co-founder and CTO Derek Slager about how leading travel brands are building the data foundations that make personalization, AI, and loyalty actually work.
Travel marketing is being rewritten in real time — and most brands are still playing by the old rules. See what 10 industry leaders are doing differently. Get the report.
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SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK
Uber starts booking hotels through Expedia, AI’s role in travel booking is still evolving, and travelers are prioritizing speed over service style.
On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Uber’s hotel feature is really about subscriptions, what the AI debate reveals about the future of booking, and why travelers care more about fast answers than whether they come from humans or machines.
SKIFT TRAVEL 200
How are public travel companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to understand global market movements. Paid subscribers get full access here.
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