GOOD DAY, READERS.
Expedia is building a marketing function aimed at AI agents, not humans — a strategy it calls B2A, or business to agent. Consumers use brand recognition or loyalty as a shortcut. AI agents don't. They reason through every option, so the edge shifts to whether an agent can find and evaluate what makes a property, route, or package different. Less than 1.5% of Expedia's traffic currently comes from AI platforms, but CEO Ariane Gorin says "it's very fast growing."
Skift Data + AI Summit is Next Week
June 3. New York City. One day.
The executives from Expedia, Hilton, Marriott, Booking.com, and more who are actually making AI work in travel.
DON’T MISS THESE STORIES
B2A? AI Agents Are Travel’s New Audience — And They Don’t Care About Brands
by Adriana Lee
Brand recognition, a cognitive shortcut for human buying decisions, means nothing to AI agents that can reason through every option every time. That's shifting travel's entire marketing apparatus.
U.S. Plans to Scale Back on Collecting All Travelers’ Social Media
by Bailey Schulz
The CBP's new social media rules weren't in effect yet, but the proposal made international travelers reconsider the U.S. as a welcoming destination.
Airlines Expect Another Record Summer Despite High Fuel Prices
by Meghna Maharishi
U.S. travelers are still flying in droves for the summer, but there are some early indications that spending could be slowing down.
ACCOR GROUP + SKIFT
Loyalty programs and digital convenience are now table stakes in hospitality, and Accor is betting that long-term cultural partnerships are the real strategic advantage. The Grand Palais commitment runs through 2028.
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MORNING HEADLINES
SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK
What happens when AI can not only recommend a hotel but actually book it?
In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality, Jason Cincotta, founder of Kismet, joins Brandreth Canaley and Michael Goldin to discuss how AI- powered travel planning is changing hotel distribution.
As Google and other platforms move toward AI-driven booking experiences, independent hotels have a chance to become more discoverable than ever before. But to take advantage of that opportunity, they will need the right technology and connectivity behind the scenes.
The conversation explores why the next battle in travel may not be over marketing budgets, but over who is ready to be booked by AI.
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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