Booking.com says 'AI is reshaping travel search'

The ascendance of AI's impact on our industry, and therefore how we need to engage with travellers, is changing.

Among its industry trends for the year ahead, Booking.com today revealed data insights on travellers' behaviours and expectations relating to technology integration.

It found that on the business side, seven in ten (70%) believe AI can predict when and why travellers are likely to abandon a booking, will have a meaningful impact on their business over the next three years.

Meanwhile, half of those surveyed reported using AI to plan their trip, with 49% using it for new travel ideas.

Speaking at the firm's Elevate conference for its partners today in London, Carlo Olejniczak, VP & managing director, EMEA at Booking.com said: “AI is reshaping travel search.”

It comes as no surprise then that AI is now the fastest growing research tool in travel with 33% using Generative AI platforms for their research as opposed to traditional search engines.

Active users of AI has now surpassed one billion, with ChatGPT leading the charge. Google Gemini follows but with a distinct difference in user numbers.

The number of accommodation businesses using it daily has also more than doubled from 32% in 2025 to 66% in 2026, so they can “better understand and serve” guests.

45% of those said they are using AI to analyse guest feedback and make improvements, while 40% are using it or translation and communication with international guests.

Looking ahead, accommodation professionals see potential for AI elsewhere in the booking journey with 74% expecting AI-powered fraud detection and cybersecurity to have a meaningful impact on business over the next three years, alongside 71% for AI-driven revenue management.

The importance of payment technology is also clear, with almost two-thirds (62%) reporting that guests had abandoned a booking because their preferred payment method was unavailable.

This is on top of the 67% that said they were less willing to complete a booking without it.

Expectations around payments are changing quickly with almost nine in ten (87%) guests having said they “increasingly” expect to pay using digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

On the flip side to that, 71% said international travellers increasingly look for local payment methods such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Pix.

This puts payments at the forefront of business and a fundamental must have with more than eight in ten (84%) saying that offering a wider choice of payment methods has helped them win more bookings, while more than a third (34%) also believe accepting more local and international payment methods could increase their revenue by more than 20%.

He added: “There’s a real opportunity for UK accommodation businesses to welcome more guests from around the world next year, but reaching someone thousands of miles away, understanding what they expect and ultimately turning that interest into a booking isn’t always easy.

“Access to platform technology can make that much easier, helping accommodation partners get in front of travellers in new markets, communicate across languages and offer the payment methods people are used to at home.

“AI is adding another layer to that, helping partners better understand travellers and remove some of the friction that can get in the way of a booking.

“For us, this is about working in partnership to use that technology to open up new opportunities, while giving accommodation businesses more time to focus on what they do best: giving guests a great stay.”

Olejniczak also shared with partners that people's reasons for travel “haven't changed”, in fact as we've learnt over the last few years through travellers' behaviours post pandemic - travel still remains a non-negotiable for people in life, with 53% reportedly planning to travel more next year.

37% the same as before and just 10% less than this year.

Other data shared by the OTA included its findings that travellers in the UK were willing to forgo flexibility on refunds to gain better prices and despite rising costs, 52% said they would still travel and instead adjust their plans to be able to still go.

Among those in the UK that plan to simply “adjust plans” in order to be able to travel still are those that seek luxury travel, sustainability-conscious travellers and explorers after food and culinary experiences.