Chat is the new booking channel

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Insights from Sabre’s new whitepaper on how conversational AI is redefining hotel discovery, distribution, and guest conversion

Oct 20, 2025

A new whitepaper by Sabre explores how conversational AI—tools like ChatGPT, Expedia’s AI travel assistant, and Sabre’s agentic systems—is changing the way travelers find and book accommodation. Rather than browsing sites or scrolling social media, guests are now planning and booking through dialogue-driven platforms that blend discovery, comparison, and conversion into a single seamless interaction.

Key takeaways

From inspiration to instant booking: Social media sparks travel dreams, but conversational AI closes the loop—turning inspiration directly into hotel bookings through natural, one-to-one conversations.
Hotel discovery in chat: As travelers ask AI assistants where to stay, which area to choose, or what fits their preferences, hotel visibility increasingly depends on structured, trusted data integrated with these conversational engines.
The new storefront: Chat-based interactions are becoming a new layer of distribution. Hotels need to ensure their content, images, and inventory are ready to surface accurately in AI-driven booking flows.
Agentic AI behind the scenes: These systems don’t just answer questions—they act. They can check rates, verify availability, and complete bookings, reducing friction across the guest journey.
Opportunity for independents: Smaller hotels can compete on equal footing if they connect clean data through their channel manager or GDS provider, allowing AI tools to “see” and recommend them.
Data and trust as differentiators: Hotels that provide transparent, reliable data—accurate rates, amenities, policies, and reviews—will earn AI systems’ trust and appear more often in conversational results.
Strategic takeaway: Chat is becoming a new distribution layer. Hoteliers should treat AI assistants not as a marketing fad but as the next generation of travel agents—digital ones powered by intent, data, and conversation.