How 5 travel companies are using AI

The hype around artificial intelligence (AI) is staggering. It's difficult to pick up a technology publication today without seeing some reference to AI, but what does it mean for the travel industry? Is AI here to stay, or just the passing technology du jour?

Most of the stories of AI success have come from the technology providers, not the actual users. In a recent Phocuswright article Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Future of Travel (or Not), we draw on mini-case studies from two actual users as well as three technology providers.

Methodology and featured companies
We selected and interviewed five travel companies that are on the leading edge of AI experimentation or usage (bd4travel, Expedia, Sabre, TravelClick and UpLift), all of which are delivering positive ROI with their AI initiatives. Interview highlights are paraphrased and presented in this article, segmented by specific questions.

Many companies are using AI to enhance current product lines rather than developing a new suite of AI-enabled products. Others have applied AI to determine the travel shopper's intent. One company has seen increased revenue lift for its travel provider partners by using AI for travel loan underwriting to maintain acceptable loss rates. And there are plenty of examples where AI is used to offer travelers deeper personalization and more automated, but still personalized, customer service. Note that travel is considered to have relatively low digital maturity and AI adoption. In this context, we sought concrete examples of how AI is adding value to the travel industry and how it will continue to do so in the near future.

To see the travel research findings from our interviews with bd4travel, Expedia, Sabre, TravelClick and UpLift, subscribe to Open Access and continue reading here.

This article is part of a content series that explores some of the most significant technology-driven issues and developments that will shape travel distribution this year and beyond. For more on these hot topics, check out Travel Innovation and Technology Trends 2018.

More on travel tech at The Phocuswright Conference

Travel technology is sure to be on the lips of the travel executives taking the Phocuswright Conference stage to discuss where their companies are heading and how they'll get there.

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