OpenTable updates its AI Concierge to backdrop of new data

Brits research restaurants more than flights, pre-trip

OpenTable has announced a new iteration of Concierge, its AI-powered dining assistant to level up how travellers find a restaurant.

To ease the woes of weary travellers, diners can describe exactly what they are looking for in natural language, whether it is a spot locals love, a rooftop bar with a view or the perfect date night nearby, and Concierge surfaces results across OpenTable's global network of more than 65,000 restaurants.

Now available on the homepage for the first time, it allows for verified reviews, menus and real-time availability. 

Concierge is still embedded in each restaurant profile, too, where diners can answer questions related to that specific restaurant i.e. menu highlights, parking information, etc.

The consumer problem is real, according to UK research from OpenTable, 49% of Brits research restaurants and bars pre-travel the most, as opposed to on-trip and spend just under an hour researching and booking restaurant reservations before travelling, more than flights, hotels or activities.

It also revealed that over a third of Brits (35%) plan to use AI tools to help discover and book reservations while travelling this year.

Concierge has already seen more than 450,000 monthly active global users and has achieved a 86% customer satisfaction score globally. 

OpenTable's SVP of Product, Shayani Roy, said: "Where to eat is becoming one of the defining decisions of the modern trip. Our research shows Brits now spend the best part of an hour researching and booking the right restaurant before they travel, and nearly half (49%) put more effort into researching bars and restaurants than flights, hotels or activities.

"Dining spots are even shaping where Brits go in the first place, with over half choosing a destination based on its food scene," she said.

"Dining can often be the most personal part of a trip, so the right table has to match the occasion, the destination and who you're with. But with choice and information spread across different sources, finding the right table can take time.

"It draws on OpenTable's comprehensive restaurant data from menus, reviews, and descriptions, plus Perplexity and OpenAI integrations, spanning more than 65,000 restaurants worldwide, turning a broad idea of what a diner wants into a restaurant they can confidently book."