Expedia is building a marketing function aimed at AI agents, not humans.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Read online Who's Booking Your Room? Expedia is building a marketing function aimed at AI agents, not humans. 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. ONLY 20 SEATS REMAIN         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. GET THE STORY 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. GET THE STORY 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. GET THE STORY         Why Culture Is Becoming a Strategic Advantage in Hospitality 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. GET THE STORY         For $7 a week, Skift gives you something the industry is missing – the full picture. Subscribe today for 25% off.         MORNING HEADLINES India Is Where the Voice-First Travel App Gets Built GET THE STORY Airbnb Is Recruiting Creators to Build Out Its Experiences Business GET THE STORY Air India Pulls Express Into Maharaja Club, Sharpens Hub Strategy GET THE STORY Room Mate Hotels CEO on the Loyalty Gap Squeezing Boutique Brands GET THE STORY Fiji’s Tourism Needs Asia. Why Its CEO Picked China’s Trip.com as a Partner GET THE STORY Yatra’s Next Growth Bet: Digitizing India’s Corporate Travel Market GET THE STORY Spain’s Top Court Voids National Short-Term Rental Registry GET THE STORY         SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK Every Hotel Is About to Become AI Bookable 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. GET THE SKIFT DAILY BRIEFING         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. GET TODAY’S INDEX SCORE         See more essential travel news in your search results. ADD SKIFT ON GOOGLE         Thanks for reading. We are switching to a new email platform to improve delivery. What does this mean for you? During this transition, these emails might land in your promotions or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss out, please move this newsletter to your primary inbox.       DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Skift 35 W 31st St. New York, New York 10001, United States Terms of Service