Hotels Swap Online Travel Agents for AI Agents

And so the world’s biggest hotel companies are working to get consumers to book directly, to help save on commission to online platforms, the Financial Times (FT) reported Saturday (Dec. 27).

The report noted that Marriott, the largest hotel company in the world, said last month that its Bonvoy loyalty program — which registers customers who do not use intermediaries — had nearly 260 million members by the end of September, up 18% from the same period in 2024.

Marriott rivals like Hilton, Hyatt and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts are also trying to increase direct bookings through technology and more attractive perks, the report said. The FT added that this comes after years of complaints about the fees imposed by online travel agents (OTAs) like Expedia and Booking.com, which are typically between 15% and 25%.

The hotels also view the push for direct sales as crucial to taking fuller advantage of the arrival of advanced AI, the report said.

“Generative AI is shifting travel planning from traditional search into more conversational and agent-led environments. So that makes building relationships [with customers] a bit more strategic and important,” Chema Basterrechea, chief operations officer at Radisson Hotel Group, told the FT.

Basterrechea added that increasing Radisson’s direct bookings could help it collect more guest data and provide “a much more personalized experience” that drives repeat business. 

The report noted that hotels have long teamed with OTAs because they offer access to incremental businesses, but are now hoping that they can strengthen ties with travelers and reduce their need for online travel agents.

“You don’t want to rely on Booking and Expedia: They’re expensive channels and they’re extremely hard to defend your position on,” said Bernstein analyst Richard Clarke.

This is all happening at a time when consumers are pivoting toward using agentic AI to plan their trips, as PYMNTS Intelligence research has found.

That data shows that nearly 25% of consumers would be comfortable letting an AI agent plot their travel. That’s noteworthy, because travel is a high-stakes, multitransaction category that ties together flights, hotels, ground transport and activities. Costs are often high, and flexibility can be limited.

“As that comfort level rises, travel platforms are responding by deploying agents that plan itineraries, execute bookings and manage trips across suppliers in real time,” PYMNTS wrote last week. “As a result, travel commerce is shifting away from search-led workflows toward agent-led execution.”