Backed by ex-Google Travel and Tripadvisor leaders, DirectBooker bets on large language models like ChatGPT to drive cheaper, smarter direct bookings — and challenge OTA dominance in the AI era
Jul 18, 2025
A new startup backed by former travel tech heavyweights is aiming to disrupt the dominance of online travel agencies (OTAs) in the AI era. DirectBooker — founded by ex-Google and Tripadvisor executives and backed by former Tripadvisor CEO Steve Kaufer — wants to feed hotel listings directly into large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini. The goal? Enable hotels to win more direct bookings by bypassing OTAs and presenting richer, cheaper, and more accurate offers via AI interfaces. While the effort is still in its infancy, it signals a potential shift in how hotels connect with travelers in the age of conversational search.
Key takeaways
- A bid to bypass OTAs through LLMs: DirectBooker wants to provide hotels a direct line into AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, cutting out traditional intermediaries like Booking.com and Tripadvisor. The idea is to surface hotel data in richer, more tailored ways during AI-driven travel searches, encouraging direct bookings.
- Backed by industry veterans: The startup is led by Sanjay Vakil (ex-Google and Tripadvisor), with support from Steve Kaufer (former Tripadvisor CEO) and Richard Holden (ex-Google Travel). Their combined experience lends credibility, but also highlights the irony of ex-OTA leaders now trying to challenge the very systems they helped build.
- A technical angle – but not a unique one: DirectBooker is built around the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which it claims enables better data delivery to LLMs. However, this open standard is also available to competitors, including OTAs.
- Still early days: The company is pre-product, with no signed hotel partnerships yet. It has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding and is currently a small team testing concepts on its website.
- Not truly “direct” bookings – yet: While positioned as a direct booking solution, travelers would still go through LLMs to find hotels. The startup hands off the transaction to the hotel, avoiding customer service or payment handling.
- Potential for cheaper customer acquisition: Vakil argues that without the infrastructure burden of OTAs, DirectBooker can drive more affordable leads for hotels — potentially undercutting the OTA commission model.
- The OTA advantage may persist: Despite the bold ambitions, Vakil acknowledges that OTAs could adopt similar LLM integration strategies, maintaining their dominant position unless startups like DirectBooker scale quickly.
- In short, DirectBooker represents an intriguing experiment in reimagining hotel distribution for the AI age — but whether it can gain traction before the incumbents catch up remains to be seen.
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