Innovation

🗺️ On October 29, 2025, Booking Holdings reported success with its generative AI tools enhancing platforms like Booking.com, Priceline, and more. These AI solutions speed up search, improve conversion, reduce cancellations, and increase satisfaction. Notable tools include Agoda's chatbot, Kayak's natural-language search, and Booking.com’s Smart Messenger. Leads from large language models and traditional search are both growing. CEO Glenn Fogel emphasized AI’s role in their “Connected Trip” strategy for personalized travel experiences.

🤖 Oct 29, 2025: AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini are revolutionizing travel booking. Booking.com and Expedia are leading, integrating with OpenAI’s marketplace. They manage over 1 billion bookings annually, reaching 100 million daily users. The EU’s Digital Markets Act doesn’t regulate AI assistants, risking small hotels’ visibility. Policy changes are urged to ensure fair access and transparency, or Booking.com and Expedia may dominate, impacting independent hotels’ viability.

📱 Apple plans to introduce ads in Maps by 2026, allowing eateries and businesses to pay for enhanced search visibility. This aligns with Apple's strategy to boost its ad revenue, already seen in App Store Search Ads. AI will tailor ads for contextual relevance. While aiming for a cleaner interface, this move raises concerns about the increasing commercialization of iOS, potentially clashing with Apple's premium brand at a time when iPhones can cost up to $2,000.

📈 Septeo, a digital solutions provider, acquired MMCréation, focusing on luxury hotels. Meanwhile, Mews purchased DataChat, a U.S. company specializing in generative AI. The consolidation trend in the hotel tech industry advances, with providers aiming for comprehensive, interconnected platforms to enhance visibility, performance, and automation.

💻 Oct 28, 2025. Despite AI's growing pains and market jitters, companies continue investing, with no public budget cuts. Notable pullbacks, like Klarna’s hiring reversal, signal course corrections but no wholesale retreat. Economists highlight the historical time needed for technological transformation, suggesting adoption will be gradual. Executives cite execution issues, not AI’s capability, for pilot failures, maintaining experimentation. Unspoken caution exists as firms silently reconsider AI investment scales or timelines. [Source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/28/1126687/an-ai-adoption-riddle/)

💳 Oct 28, 2025, Apple enhances U.S. traveler convenience with digital IDs in Apple Wallet, linking passports for TSA security checks. This feature doesn't replace physical passports but aligns with Real ID enforcement changes. Apple Wallet's ecosystem expands, supporting digital car keys, transit passes, and hotel keys. Apple Pay operates in 89 markets, with 90% of U.S. retailers participating, bolstering travel ease in 800 cities and 65,000 hotel rooms, plus access to 300 car models.

🚀 Oct 28, 2025, SAP Concur unveils AI tools: the AI Booking Agent and Receipt Analysis Agent. The Booking Agent, available in Concur Travel, creates itineraries from natural language inputs. The Receipt Analysis Agent, part of ExpenseIt, fills in missing receipt data. A new AI receipt checker improves fraud prevention. Collaborations with Uber for Business automate ride and meal expense categorization. In 2026, SAP plans to introduce an AI spend planning tool.