Dive Brief:
- Booking Holdings’ early agentic AI experiments are producing positive results across its brands, which include Booking.com, Agoda and Priceline, as technology improves booking CX and customer service, President and CEO Glenn Fogel said on a Q3 2026 earnings call Wednesday.
- Customer service teams are using AI to handle routine requests and improve internal processes, according to Fogel. During the quarter, customer service costs declined despite higher booking volumes, and customer satisfaction remained high.
- The AI investments go beyond just customer service support, Fogel said on the call. “We are actively testing AI across the traveler journey, learning from real-world usage and scaling the capabilities that create the most value for travelers and partners.”
Dive Insight:
Booking Holdings is rolling out a slate of AI tools across its properties while building relationships with third-party AI platforms in pursuit of better travel booking experiences.
One example is Booking.com, which now lets customers cancel bookings and ask questions through agentic AI, according to Fogel. Early results show positive customer satisfaction results while reducing the workload on its customer service teams.
Agoda’s AI assistant, which helps customers across the journey from idea to bookable trip, is now available in 21 markets, according to Fogel. Meanwhile, capabilities from Priceline’s AI travel assistant, Penny, are making their way into the standard Priceline experience.
“These experiences show the difference between recommending a trip and actually enabling someone to book it seamlessly,” Fogel said. “Whether it's comparing locations, photos, room choices and prices, we can combine the ease of an AI assistant with the information, live inventory, booking capabilities and service of our platforms.”
Booking Holdings is exploring cross-platform AI options, as well.
In September, the company launched Lola, a conversational AI assistant that helps users find and complete hotel, restaurant and event bookings from platforms both inside and outside of Booking Holding’s portfolio.
In October, Booking Holdings launched a private beta of Vayo, an AI-powered travel agent. Like Lola, Vayo works within the brand portfolio and beyond, and the tool can use a customer’s email history to personalize offers and suggest ways to fill gaps in their itinerary.
“These platforms are testing grounds where we can explore new AI capabilities, iterate quickly and apply what we learn across Booking Holdings,” Fogel said.
Booking Holdings reported that revenue fell 1% year over year to $8.9 billion, according to an earnings report. Gross bookings grew 10% year over year.
The decline is due in part to a $900 million reduction in revenue due to a FTC action against Priceline for its alleged connection to deceptive hotel advertising, Reuters reported. The issue has not been settled, and Booking Holdings could face further FTC action.
