A group of longtime travel industry veterans are teaming up on a new startup called Otto that is developing an AI-powered virtual assistant for business travel booking
Aug 23, 2024
The seven-person startup is led by CEO Michael Gulmann, a former Expedia Group executive with nearly a decade of experience in various leadership roles, including at business travel management giant Egencia.
Key takeaways
- Otto aims to leverage large language models, such as OpenAI’s GPT-4, to create a conversational chatbot that helps business travelers quickly book flights and hotels. The assistant learns users’ preferences and filters options based on their calendar and other criteria;
- In addition to finding accommodations and airfare, the virtual assistant can also process payments on behalf of the user. It’s designed for use both before and during a trip;
- Otto focuses on business travelers who book their own trips, rather than those who use the services of large corporate travel agencies, known as travel management companies (TMCs).
Get the full story at GeekWire
