notitur.com September 5, 2026
Artificial IntelligencePublished September 5, 20261 min read

AI That Books by Chat Just Shamed the Travel Industry

JSBy Joan SanzCurated by Joan Sanz. · September 5, 2026 · Follow on LinkedIn
Voice reading · ~2 min

An assistant called Instinct is making waves in Silicon Valley and the travel industry should pay attention. According to Skift, this tool can book and renegotiate an entire trip from a text thread, no forms, no intermediary apps, no waiting. It sounds simple, and that's the problem: simple is the hardest thing to pull off.

For years we've all heard about frictionless experiences. OTAsOTAAn online travel agency is a channel that sells accommodation and travel online in exchange for a commission. Booking.com and Expedia are the biggest. They bring volume and visibility, but charge commissions that eat... promise two-click bookings, hotels boast express check-in, airlines swear by self-service. But the reality for the average traveler is still different: dropdown menus, pop-ups, cancellation policies that read like hieroglyphics. Instinct hasn't invented anything new, it just did the obvious thing, let the conversation do the work. And that stings, because it shows how far we are from delivering what we keep advertising.

My take: this isn't about chatbotsChatbotA chatbot is a program that converses with the guest by text or voice to solve questions or guide a booking. The old ones followed rigid scripts, today's use language models and sound natural. Done well it takes load..., it's about rethinking travel from the customer's intent, not from the company's internal structure. Brands that realize the interface can disappear behind natural language will have a huge edge. The ones that keep hiding management behind internal processes will watch another startup eat their lunch. The trip no longer starts on a search engine, it starts with a sentence sent from the couch.

Quick questions

What is Instinct and what does it do?
It's an AI assistant that can book and renegotiate complete trips from a text thread, without forms or intermediary apps. It's making waves in Silicon Valley.
Why is Instinct relevant to the travel industry?
Because it shows that true frictionless booking is possible with natural language, something hotels, airlines, and OTAs have been promising for years without delivering.
What lesson should the industry take away?
Conversation can replace the traditional interface. Customers don't want to navigate menus, they want to say what they need and have the system handle it.
Does this threaten OTAs and travel agencies?
Not necessarily. It's an opportunity for agencies to automate repetitive tasks and focus on high-value advisory work instead.
What does it mean for revenue management?
Fare renegotiation and booking changes become more fluid, forcing pricing systems to adapt to real-time conversational interactions.

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