Can’t get you out of my head - Ed’s letter

No matter what your back story or how much cheese you had before bedtime, there are thoughts we like to have and thoughts we don’t like to have.

Keeping it light, some of the thoughts we like to have are around event planning. The ‘event’ in this case can be going down the pub, it could be going to get a latte, or buying an ice cream from the new gelato place.

The peak of planning - births and weddings aside - is the holiday and whole industries and social media platforms have grown up around this end of the market, eager to provide ‘inspo’ and convince you their villa/zip wire park/booking platform is the place for you. But planning isn’t just for two weeks a year, it can be for any time, any break, any snack.

For many people, this can be even more fun than the event itself. We all know someone who is outraged about surprise parties - solely because they take away the planning and anticipation.

You may not think you need it, but that critical part of the travel funnel, planning, is now about to be taken off your hands, thanks to AI. At Expedia’s most-recent earnings call, earlier this month, CEO Ariane Gorin said: “We’re partnering with AI search companies to ensure our brands show up well across customer queries and building new experiences to connect with travellers outside our ecosystem.

“We're live with OpenAI's Operator and we're a launch partner with Microsoft's Co-Pilot actions. And today, we're launching Expedia Trip Matching and Early Access on Instagram, allowing travellers to seamlessly build an itinerary based on an Instagram reel and then book directly on Expedia. These innovative features, supported by our rich first party data and coupled with our full marketplace, bring travellers back to our brands.”

OpenAI’s Operator is essentially a search aid. The initial preview saw a user ask it to ‘find and book me the highest-rated one-day tour of Rome on Tripadvisor’. This would put the user in the hands of TripAdvisor, but you can also ask for a more open-ended search.

Operator and its rivals could be just the travel assistance you need. Or they could be guiding you where someone else wants you to go. What seems certain is that, once monetised, if you have a hotel, or a restaurant, or a coffee house, they will be eager to guide people to your door for a fee.

In the initials stages of development, Operator is drawn to fresh, original (no AI) content, frequently updated, on a venue’s website and this is a good place to start when defending yourself in this latest battle for the consumer. Whoever can stay front of mind is the winner.