News on Travel Technology, Distribution and the Digital Economy

Phoenix, Arizona – Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 airplane at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport (PHX) in the United States.

News / Technology

Southwest launches ChatGPT plugin for flight search

By Cathy Walsh October 7, 2026

The plugin lets travelers shop for flights and compare fares in ChatGPT before being redirected to Southwest.com to complete the booking. Read More

News / Technology

Dfinitiv unveils travel loyalty experiences platform for AI assistants

By Linda Fox October 7, 2026

Dfinitiv's loyalty program platform aims to help travel brands drive engagement and increase revenue opportunities. Read More

News / Technology

Extra small STR property managers have highest AI adoption rate

By Abby Crotty October 7, 2026

According to KeyData’s 2027 Vacation Rental Industry Outlook survey, 89% of U.S. property managers are using AI for at least one application.... Read More

News / Technology

Booking.com develops internal platform to build modular AI agents

By Abby Crotty October 5, 2026

Booking.com said AgentHub’s configuration-driven setups and shared infrastructure allow teams to build and iterate on agents faster.... Read More

News / Online

Pavilion launches with 20 US vacation rental operators

By Cathy Walsh October 5, 2026

The company brings together local rental businesses managing more than 5,000 homes under a shared technology, data and infrastructure platform.... Read More

Interview / Startups

Startup Stage: Safari Circle takes a matchmaking approach to safari planning

By Abby Crotty & Cathy Walsh October 5, 2026

The company’s Safari DNA system matches travelers with destinations, parks and lodges based on their profile and preferences.... Read More

In Phocus Podcast

October 7, 2026

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Top investors in travel tech 2026

News / Startups

More News & Analysis

Opinion / Technology

AI agents are having their 'Spotify moment': Why travel needs to take note

Mario Gavira discusses Instinct, a new agent operating straight out of WhatsApp and iMessage, which he... Read more

News / Technology

Hotels still stuck on manual work despite increased AI adoption

The latest State of Distribution report from NYU, RateGain and HEDNA suggests that midsize chains are... Read more

News / Technology

Booking Holdings-backed Lola unveils membership model for AI travel and experiences assistant

Kayak founders Steve Hafner and Paul English share new details on Lola, the new AI assistant they... Read more

Opinion / Technology

As tourism races to adopt AI, the industry must hear workers’ voices

University of Westminster professor Stroma Cole argues that travel workers deserve say as AI reshapes... Read more

News / Technology

OpenAI chairman tells travel industry: Do not restrain your AI agents

Bret Taylor, who is also the co-founder of Sierra, urged travel brands to adopt agents to reduce... Read more

News / Online

Expedia to offer hotel bookings through Meta's Muse AI agent

The hotel planning and booking service will be available to U.S. travelers first, but a launch date... Read more

Presenting the Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2026

News / Startups

From Our Partners

Weekly Travel Tech News Brief

PhocusWire travel tech news briefs: Expedia, Mindtrip, Yanolja and more...

News / Technology

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17Nov

The Phocuswright Conference 2026 November 17-19, 2026
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

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