Priceline’s recent integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice technology into its reservation system shows how this technology is changing the way travelers plan and buy.
The travel company updated its Penny chatbot with AI-powered voice technology using OpenAI’s GPT-4 API for real-time conversations. The development comes as the travel industry, which is worth $766 billion worldwide, has moved to a place where most bookings are made online. Digital bookings could soon account for 65% of travel revenue. The new voice-enabled assistant aims to improve the digital booking experience for customers.
“The integration of Priceline’s AI voice technology and Penny Chatbot definitely offers several efficiency benefits, especially for travelers who have difficulty typing or using the web due to visual or motor impairments,” said Datos. said Eli Goodman, CEO. Pymunto.
Penny Voice allows users to perform hands-free hotel searches, get recommendations, and find destinations through voice commands on Priceline’s iOS app and web interface. The technology integrates OpenAI’s GPT-4o, voice engine, and real-time API with Priceline’s customer data platform and inventory.
“With Penny Voice, we are further redefining the way people plan and book travel,” Priceline CEO Brett Keller said in a news release. The company aims to simplify the travel planning process through conversational interactions.
overcome complexity
The travel industry is rapidly adopting AI technology to improve customer experiences and streamline operations. Expedia Group recently upgraded its AI-powered travel planning capabilities across its brands, including Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. The tool uses natural language processing to help users plan complex itineraries and find suitable accommodations.
Travel technology provider Amadeus launched an AI-powered travel assistant in June. This assistant helps travel agents quickly access and interpret vast amounts of data to better serve their customers. The system can analyze travel patterns, predict disruptions, and suggest alternative routes in real time.
Airlines are also implementing AI. Delta Air Lines expanded its AI-powered chatbot capabilities in late 2023 to allow customers to modify reservations and receive personalized travel recommendations. Meanwhile, travel booking app Hopper uses AI-driven price prediction algorithms to help travelers find the best time to book flights and hotels, allowing users to save around 65% on their bookings. It claims to save you dollars.
However, industry experts point to major challenges ahead.
“AI struggles to provide travelers with comprehensive information about multi-destination itineraries and special accommodations such as multi-family, handicap accessible, or other special requirements.” , Steve Torres, founder of The Traveling TORO, told PYMNTS.
This observation highlights the complexity of travel planning and the nuanced understanding that is often required to meet the diverse needs of travelers. Multi-segment travel, group bookings, and accommodations for travelers with specific requirements are still areas where AI needs to catch up.
Goodman raised another concern. “Mispelled names can cause problems, especially when booking flights. Travelers around the world speak different languages and accents, so AI voice systems need to achieve near-perfect accuracy. ”
Priceline is aware of these challenges and plans to address them in future upgrades. The company anticipates that the real-time API will be fully deployed, allowing Penny to provide emotionally appropriate responses to customer tone. The system is trained to understand diverse accents and speech patterns in more than 120 languages, with the goal of making our services more accessible around the world.
humans still have a role to play
Experts said that despite the leap forward in technology, the role of human travel advisors remains important.
“This is an important service that travel advisors provide. You have a live person that you can actually communicate with,” Torres said.
Mr. Goodman agreed with this opinion.
“Rather than completely replacing established methods, AI voice technology is likely to be a complementary tool and add value to the overall user experience,” he told PYMNTS.
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