The weekend wrap-up: Does OpenClaw mark 'napster moment'? / AI in corporate travel / AI's impact on hotel bookings

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February 07, 2026

The Daily

A few weeks back autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agent OpenClaw went viral.

Mario Gavira, CMO of Travelier, believes that the sensation could mark the "Napster moment" for travel and e-commerce as the technology acts as a bridge to large language models.

Gavira's article on how OpenClaw could discover, plan and book travel and keep users up to date via WhatsApp, was our most popular read this week.

We also focused on AI in corporate travel with a story featuring executives from American Express Global Business Travel and Cornerstone Information Systems.

In the PhocusWire studio interview, they discussed the industry's dream for a really smart assistant infused with travel knowledge. That vision could only be made possible if AI-friendly technologies are developed.

Whether AI will drive more bookings direct to hotels or boost travel intermediaries remains up for debate. But data from SiteMinder for 2025 revealed "stable" bookings for the direct channel.

The study, citing data from more than 130 million bookings, also revealed that hotel websites had the highest value per booking.

Another popular piece put the spotlight on Skyscanner CEO Bryan Batista. He joined us in the PhocusWire studio to discuss what's surprised him most since taking the helm, what AI might mean for metasearch and uncomfortable truths in travel.

We also featured an interview from the studio with Tedd Evers of Amazon Web Services. He discussed innovative use cases of cloud in travel and how it provides the "freedom to invent."

- Linda Fox, executive editor

Latest News

OpenClaw may be the 'Napster moment' for agentic e-commerce: What that means for travel

Mario Gavira explains why OpenClaw could mark a definitive pivot from conversation to autonomous, local-first action.

AI's ongoing evolution in corporate travel

Mat Orrego of Cornerstone Information Systems and Marilyn Markham of American Express GBT discuss AI progress in corporate travel.

Hotel direct bookings remain stable despite rise of AI

SiteMinder's annual Hotel Booking Trends report found that direct booking remained largely unchanged in 2025.

CEO Spotlight: Bryan Batista of Skyscanner

Skycanner CEO Bryan Batista talks about travel's uncomfortable truths and what needs to be started from scratch in the industry.

Using cloud to power innovation in travel

AWS' Tedd Evers discusses current cloud use cases and how it will impact travel innovation moving forward.

Traveloka conducts layoffs, reorganizes around 'capabilities, tech and growth'

The OTA did not disclose how many employees were affected but said the move positions it for "long-term growth."

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