Agoda has rolled out an AI Assistant to travellers across 21 markets, including Singapore, letting them discover, plan and book trips in a single conversation inside the Agoda app. First tested with a limited group in September, the assistant is Agoda’s first new booking experience in over 20 years.
Key Takeaways
- The AI Assistant connects conversational trip planning to Agoda’s live inventory of more than 6 million accommodations, over 130,000 flight routes and more than 300,000 activities.
- It’s now live in 21 markets, including Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the US, after a limited test that began in September.
- The core conversational intelligence runs on OpenAI models, with Gemini and Google Maps Grounding used for up-to-date restaurant and points-of-interest information.
Planning a trip in one conversation
A traveller could ask Agoda‘s AI Assistant to help plan a five-day family trip to Osaka, compare neighbourhoods, explore restaurants and attractions, and find available accommodation and flights for their dates, with the assistant retaining preferences and trip context as the plan develops. The tool brings each part of a trip together on a trip planner canvas, showing upcoming bookings, places to visit and plans still taking shape, and travellers can respond conversationally or tap through suggested choices.
Early beta points to bigger, combined bookings
Agoda says early insights from the beta show that travellers using the AI Assistant are more likely to book a “connected trip” that combines several products, such as hotels, flights, attraction tickets and tours, instead of a single booking. The assistant also pulls in web search, layering up-to-date information from the web on top of Agoda’s live inventory.
Built on OpenAI, Gemini and Google Maps
The Assistant’s core conversational intelligence currently runs on OpenAI models. For restaurants and points of interest, it draws on Gemini with Google Maps Grounding to surface current ratings, photos, opening hours and locations from Google Maps.
“Travel planning today is fragmented. People jump between apps, tabs, messages, and spreadsheets just to organise a single trip. With Agoda’s AI Assistant, we’re changing that. We’re giving travellers a smart companion that understands their preferences and trip context and adapts to their needs. Our goal is to remove the repetitive work from travel planning, so travellers can make inspired decisions with more confidence,” said Omri Morgenshtern, Chief Executive Officer at Agoda.
Agoda’s AI Assistant is live in 21 markets: Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Taiwan, the United States, the UAE, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, Sri Lanka, Laos, New Zealand, Pakistan, Brunei and Myanmar. Agoda, headquartered in Singapore and part of Booking Holdings, provides access to more than 6 million holiday properties, over 130,000 flight routes and more than 300,000 activities through its app.
