Booking.com bets on AI for travel research rather than booking

On November 4, 2026, Skift Feed reported that Booking.com believes AI may dominate the starting point of travel planning, but that trust and payment determine who ultimately gets the booking, so it is betting travelers will use AI for research and still place orders on its platform. The report noted that its experience with super-app partnerships shows high-frequency daily usage did not translate into travel spending, and that generative chatbots may face the same problem. Another report the same day said Booking.com is betting it can capture trips started in ChatGPT and Gemini, with the same core judgment: AI can dominate the starting point of a trip, but trust and payment determine who ultimately gets the booking. Currently there are only two reports from the same day on this event, with no subsequent developments.