Expedia's roadmap rides on a small elite team of AI builders, the top few percent of engineers made exponentially faster by the tech. One principal engineer's team is rebuilding a checkout platform with just 16 people, not the 80 they first estimated they would need. But Skift data shows those gains land on the office side of the payroll. The labor crisis sits on the aging physical frontline — rooms, kitchens, vehicles — that AI can't staff, and every booking only adds to the load.
Meanwhile Fora Travel reached a $1 billion valuation on the opposite play: that human advisors, not chatbots, are the product. Turns out the humans were the hard part.
Skift Data + AI Summit Europe
In August, the EU AI Act's high-risk obligations take effect, and AI governance in Europe becomes a real test for the industry's AI future.
On October 6, Skift Data + AI Summit Europe brings 250 senior operators to London for one capped day where the EU's hard line and the UK's lighter touch work the problem in the same room.
STACKADAPT + SKIFT
AI is making it possible to connect media spend to visitation, traveler value, and economic impact before campaigns end.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Expedia’s AI Timeline Runs Through Its Talent Strategy
July 20, 2026
Expedia is betting its product roadmap on replicating the outsized AI productivity of its elite engineers. According to its CTO, the strategy hinges on a race to hire and retain that talent — making the company's product timeline as much of a recruiting challenge as a technological one.
Hilton’s Chris Nassetta: Why 28 Brands Aren’t Too Many and the ‘Bazillion Points’ Problem
July 16, 2026
Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta defended the company's need for 28 brands as a data-driven strategy rather than sprawl, while also pointing to AI as the next lever for fixing guest problems in the moment.
Fora Travel the Unicorn: It Raised $60 Million at a $1 Billion Valuation
July 16, 2026
Fora Travel has carved out a nice niche for itself as it taps into the desires of a younger generation of travel advisors passionate about travel and looking for side hustles. Its $1 billion valuation came after just five years in business.
Air India Rebuilds Its App With In-House Booking, Payments, and AI
July 16, 2026
Yes, they made the app better and nicer! But the bigger story is that Air India is angling for a future where your flight, hotel and cab all get booked (and fixed, if something goes wrong) as one thing, not three separate headaches.
Omio to Buy Rail Europe, Consolidating Ground Transport — Exclusive
July 16, 2026
By absorbing Rail Europe, a 5-million-ticket rail seller with 90-plus years of operator ties, Omio is consolidating one of travel's most fragmented, hard-to-book corners — and laying groundwork for when AI agents book trips, not just suggest them.
SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK
Ennismore is heading toward a $3.2 billion IPO at the bottom of its range because investors do not see a demand story beyond Accor.
In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down why Airbnb is the missing piece, how a 55% hotel-to-homes rebooking rate makes the math work for both sides, and why Airbnb just bought its first ever property in New York City, the one place in America where Airbnb is heavily restricted.
SKIFT RESEARCH
How are public travel tech companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to know to understand the market. Paid subscribers get full access here.
