I just witnessed the future of travel booking – and it’s both fascinating and terrifying for traditional platforms.
Last week, I decided to stress-test ChatGPT’s Agent Mode with a real-world challenge: finding and booking a romantic lake house getaway in Muskoka, Ontario for Labor Day weekend. What happened next changed my entire perspective on how consumers will interact with travel platforms.
The Experiment
I created a fictitious vacation rental listing on Lake.com at $10/night (yes, unrealistically cheap, but perfect for testing). Then I simply asked Agent Mode: “Find me a waterfront lake house in Cottage Country for two people this Labor Day weekend.”
The results? Mind-blowing.
In just 4 minutes, the AI agent:
✅ Discovered Lake.com organically through search
✅ Found my specific property listing
✅ Verified availability for my exact dates
✅ Confirmed all requested amenities
✅ Navigated to checkout and summarized booking details
✅ Only required human intervention for account creation and payment
The Writing on the Wall
This isn’t some distant sci-fi scenario. We logged 117K bot visits in the last 30 days alone. Agentic AI isn’t coming – it’s already here, and it’s shopping.
Three Critical Shifts for Travel Companies
1. Stop Fighting Bots, Start Embracing Them
If your revenue model depends on transactions (and whose doesn’t in travel?), blocking bot traffic is like turning away customers at your front door. Smart companies are already optimizing for AI discoverability.
2. Self-Service or Get Left Behind
Your platform needs seamless, self-service booking flows that don’t require human intervention. AI agents won’t call your customer service line or wait for email confirmations.
3. Simplify Your Golden Path
Even AI gets “tired” with complex processes. The winning platforms will offer streamlined booking experiences in 3-4 steps maximum. Every additional click is a chance for the AI to abandon your site for a competitor.
The Bigger Picture
We’re witnessing the emergence of AI-powered personal travel assistants that will fundamentally reshape consumer behavior. Today’s experiment required my credit card. Tomorrow’s won’t – with proper guardrails, these agents will handle end-to-end transactions up to predetermined limits.
The travel industry has always been about removing friction between inspiration and booking. Agentic AI represents the ultimate friction removal – and the companies that embrace this shift will capture disproportionate market share.
The future isn’t just automated – it’s already booking reservations.
What’s your take? Are you preparing your platform for the age of AI agents, or still trying to block them? The winners are already making their choice.
