Expedia Group has expanded natural language search capabilities and added other artificial intelligence (AI) features across Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo as part of its fall 2026 product release.
On Expedia, travelers can use a conversational activity planner, which was first announced in May, to describe what they would like to do. The tool is then able to build an itinerary and book experiences or save them for later.
Travelers can ask questions about properties on Expedia before or after booking with the Property Expert tool, which provides AI-powered answers pulled from the property's details, guest reviews and the traveler's specific reservation.
Additional upgrades for Expedia include a refreshed homepage, the ability to book multiple rooms at once for a group trip, more flexible trip-bundling packages and family-friendly interactive maps.
Hotels.com, Vrbo updates
Vrbo also has new natural language search features, which Expedia Group highlighted as beneficial for group planners. Instead of using traditional search filters, group planners can describe the kind of property they need in their own words.
An AI voice assistant has been added for Vrbo as well, passing off to human agents when necessary, and reserve now, pay later is coming soon. With the payment feature, travelers can book eligible homes without paying anything upfront and pay the full cost at a later date. Expedia Group said this gives group planners the "flexibility to confirm who is coming, collect contributions and manage the cost of the entire stay."
Hotels.com gets natural language search too, but Expedia Group did not share additional details on how it works.
The AI comparison feature on Hotels.com has also been enhanced, providing “personalized, plain language comparisons” based on travelers' expressed interests. They can then compare different properties and ask follow-up questions.
A personalized Hotels.com homepage is also part of the release. The homepage now adapts depending on whether a traveler has booked a work or leisure trip and surfaces "the most useful next step," such as links to manage a booking or options to extend a stay toward the end of a trip.
"Travel is a series of decisions, and travelers want the joy of discovery and planning to last through every stage of the journey," said Shilpa Ranganathan, chief product officer at Expedia Group.
"That's why we're building AI-powered experiences across our brands that help travelers make informed decisions, give them flexibility and value and personalize every step of their trip. And when travelers need a person, our human agents step in with the full context to make things right."