Traveling just got a lot easier when Expedia Group revealed the innovative and comprehensive launch of more than 40 new products and features at the EXPLORE conference in Las Vegas.
Ariane Gorin, CEO of Expedia Group said in a statement: “At Expedia Group, we embrace the transformative power of AI to create personalized travel experiences. Our long-standing investments in this space allow us to capitalize on the breakneck pace of innovation in AI, and today’s Spring Release demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative products and features that improve the way people explore the world.”
Romie, the travel industry’s first AI assistant, helps with planning, shopping, booking, and even helps when something unexpectedly changes during a trip – acting as a travel agent, concierge, and personal assistant all in one. As the ideal travel companion, Romie gets smarter and smarter – learning who you are, remembering what kind of travel you like, and even whether you prefer Italian food and boutique hotels or an afternoon nature hike.
“We believe in reimagining the traveler experience and then using the latest in AI to bring it to life, and with Romie, we’ve done just that,” said Rathi Murthy, CTO, Expedia Group. “We created an AI assistant with hyper-personalization in mind so travelers can choose when they want help from Romie on their own terms. Romie can help during dreaming, planning, traveling or even when things don’t go as planned, while also getting smarter as the traveler interacts.”
Highlights of Expedia Group’s Spring 2023 product launch include a personalized itinerary builder, self-service reservation management, a get-quick-help option, price comparison, destination comparison, and guest review summaries, all using technology GenAI.
Partner product highlights offer fraud prevention as a service, advertiser-funded loyalty like OneKeyCash for hotel reservations, guest experiences and recommendations, and seasonal vacation rental cancellation policy, all on a single page.
Travel Shops also debuts as a new storefront, allowing creators to share and save their travel recommendations in one central location in the Expedia app.
This new storefront allows content creators to earn commissions, increase visibility, and customize their own personalized space for travel content. Advertising partners will soon be able to highlight destinations with shoppable links on social channels or partner with hand-picked travel influencers to sponsor a collection through their channels.
“We saw an opportunity to reinvent the way consumers interact with travel content on social media platforms,” said Jochen Koedijk, Expedia Group CMO. “Travel Shops is a first-of-its-kind travel platform that bridges the gap between content creators and travelers, creating a central hub for curated travel recommendations and a seamless shopping experience. Travel Shops give creators the tools to create unique marketplaces, making it easier to share travel recommendations and providing a more personalized experience for travelers.”
Rob Torres, senior vice president, Expedia Group Media Solutions added: “We pioneered the travel retail media network model. Our robust first-party data and industry-wide network of partnerships give us the unique ability to translate traveler purchasing behavior into actionable insights for our advertising partners. Our travel media network targets travelers across multiple travel touchpoints with highly relevant, conversion-driving travel content. We’ve just scratched the surface with creating custom media campaigns for partners. I’m excited about what’s to come.”
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