Travel's 'Next' is not a destination, it's applied AI
When I say 'Next' in travel, I don't mean a new hotel in Bali or the latest management tool. I mean what is already happening: artificial intelligence has become the invisible engine redefining every interaction. Since search engines started recommending trips based on your browsing history, the industry has moved from transaction to prediction. But the real 'Next' is frictionless personalization.
The paradigm shift: AI no longer just recommends hotels, it understands the traveler's context. Platforms like those analyzed by Skift in their recent report note that 60% of bookings in 2026 will be made through conversational interfaces or autonomous agents. It is not sci-fi: it is the logical evolution of distribution. OTAs and hotels that do not integrate language models into their direct sales flow will miss the Gen Z train.
Revenue Management 2.0: What about dynamic pricing? Generative AI now allows real-time demand scenario simulation and rate adjustments per segment, not just per room. Companies like Expedia Group are investing in open models so partners can offer dynamic packages with optimized margins. The 'Next' here is not a closed algorithm, but an assistant that helps the revenue manager decide with data and context.
The risk of soulless 'Next': I worry about standardization. If all hotels use the same AI model, experiences risk becoming generic. The opinion from PhocusWire on industry leaders' expectations is clear: differentiation will come from proprietary data and human curation. An AI assistant that recommends a local restaurant with history is worth more than a thousand generic lists. So 'Next' should not be technology for technology's sake, but technology with judgment.
The 'Next' of travel is not a new destination or a cool app. It is an ecosystem where AI understands that a business traveler does not want the same experience as a family. Hotels that bet on own data, open models, and real personalization will win the next decade. Those that jump on the 'Next' bandwagon just for hype will stay in the past. At Notitur, we call it applied intelligence with judgment.
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Startups
The travel startups we follow, plus the ones surfacing in today's news.
- In today's news
- EvaneosPlataforma de viajes que usa IA para personalizar itinerarios locales y conectar con agentes de viajes locales, ganando tracción en 2025.
- MewsPlataforma de software hotelero (PMS) que tras 14 adquisiciones y una ronda de 300M$ apuesta por IA para pasar de vender software a ser un proveedor de servicios.
- WaynaboxPlataforma de viajes sorpresa que facturó 12 millones en 2025. Tras superar la pandemia y una reestructuración, apunta a Europa como su próximo motor de crecimiento.
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