According to PYMNTS.com, travel agencies are now deploying new AI-powered tools to complement, not replace, the human insight of their professional planners. A report from Bloomberg on December 5 highlighted that large companies like Expedia, Google, and Kayak are using generative AI to answer travel questions, as consumers grow more comfortable with AI for trip planning. One agency, Fora, uses an in-house AI tool called Price Drop to monitor for price reductions on already-booked hotels and flights. Another, Embark Beyond, built an AI tool to help its advisors make hyper-personalized suggestions for ultra-high-net-worth clients. This comes after a PYMNTS Intelligence report found that 52% of hospitality customers expect generative AI to play a role in customer interactions, though experts warn an overreliance could alienate customers with artificial-sounding messages.
AI as a Sidekick, Not a Replacement
Here’s the thing: this isn’t about robots taking over the travel agent’s desk. It’s about giving them superpowers. The whole narrative around AI in travel has been dominated by the big online booking engines automating everything. But for these boutique agencies, the value is the human relationship. So they’re using AI to handle the tedious, data-heavy grunt work—like constantly scanning for price fluctuations across a global distribution system. That’s something a human can’t do 24/7. Now, the agent gets an alert and can swoop in as the hero, offering a client a better deal or an upgrade. It turns the agent from a simple booker into an active, value-adding concierge. Pretty smart, right?
The Luxury Angle is Key
Look at Embark Beyond’s play. They’re serving ultra-high-net-worth clients. For that demographic, personalization isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s the entire product. An AI that can parse a client’s past preferences, obscure interests, and then match them with new, hyper-exclusive offerings is a force multiplier for the advisor. The AI isn’t making the final suggestion. It’s curating a shortlist of perfect options the human can then present with context and nuance. This is where the “complement” part really shines. The machine crunches a universe of data on amenities and experiences, and the human adds the taste, the trust, and the personal touch. You can’t automate a relationship, but you can sure as hell arm it with better intelligence.
The Broader Market Tension
So there’s a clear tension in the market now. You’ve got the Booking.coms and Expedias of the world racing to implement AI to handle queries, plan trips, and streamline checkout—basically, to become more efficient and stickier platforms. Their goal is to own the customer interface. But the agencies are using the same underlying technology to do the opposite: to deepen a service-based, human-centric interface. Both approaches are probably valid for their respective audiences. But it raises a question: in a world flooded with AI trip planners, does the human advisor backed by AI tools become more valuable, or more obsolete? I think the agencies betting on the former are onto something. For complex, high-stakes, or simply luxurious travel, people still want a knowledgeable person in the loop. They just want that person to be incredibly well-informed and proactive. And now, with the right tools, they can be.
