Priceline has launched artificial intelligence (AI)-powered neighborhood-based exploration features and a partnership with car-sharing marketplace Turo.
The suite of tools are part of Priceline’s latest product release, “Trip Intelligence: The Neighborhood Edition,” which includes AI features that help users find locations that match their personal interests, preferences and overall “vibe.”
"Priceline's Neighborhood Edition harnesses advanced Large Language Models (LLMs) to significantly enhance how travelers discover and connect with new neighborhoods," Kevin Heery, chief product officer of Priceline, said in an emailed interview with PhocusWire. "Rather than relying on static, predefined matches, our AI dynamically interprets neighborhood characteristics - such as culinary highlights, cultural attractions, nightlife, or outdoor activities—and identifies neighborhoods in target cities that share similar characteristics and vibes."
Priceline said its Turo integration will allow travelers to explore by booking the car of their choice, in the neighborhood of their choice. It will also give users the ability to engage in a smooth pickup process since it’s a peer-to-peer marketplace, bypassing traditional car rental counter interactions.
The features come on the heels of Priceline’s 2025 Travel Trends Report, which identified “Awayborhoods” as an interest point for travelers, highlighting the importance of the neighborhood travelers choose to stay in.
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According to Priceline, more travelers are beginning to stay “off-the-beaten path” to spend time like locals.
“Our research found that nearly half of travelers prefer authentic, local experiences to connect more deeply with the places they visit. Separately, 34% choose their hotel based on the neighborhood,” Heery said in a release. “We designed our new Trip Intelligence features to support a local-first mindset and help travelers to venture far beyond the typical tourist trail.”
The new neighborhood features help travelers discover their “ideal destination” through preference matching—considering key neighborhood features to identify similar options in desired destinations.
The features include the “Neighborhood Navigator,” which uses AI to map “local equivalent” neighborhoods to those that users already love in destination cities. Right now, the feature is in beta and maps 35 cities. It’s meant to foster immersion in local communities.
Priceline’s “Neighborhood Content Pages” provide descriptions of neighborhoods, AI-generated comparisons, activity recommendations and more.
The “Trip Vibe Selector” allows travelers to select “vibes” they want to experience, whether that includes nightlife, destination-fostered serenity, self-care—the list goes on. The tool will be exclusively available on the Priceline app.
Integrated into Priceline’s AI assistant Penny, “Penny Maps” will be able to map out any travel points such as hotels, parks, museums or restaurants to make planning easier.
“Today’s traveler craves deeper connections with the places they visit,” said Lesley Klein, senior vice president of strategy and brand marketing for Priceline. “They seek destinations with distinctive food, culture and energy that align with their lifestyles and values. Our new Trip Intelligence tools deliver on this need, making it easier than ever to find neighborhoods that feel tailor-made for each traveler—whether it’s the foodie culture of one city or the art scene of another.”
Priceline has been steadily expanding its array of AI tools over the last couple of years.
In June 2023, Priceline said it was working with Google to deploy generative AI. Later that month Priceline made public its “Trip Intelligence” suite of tools including its AI chatbot, Penny, which was built originally on OpenAI and Google.
In February of last year, Priceline updated Penny based with new features based on user experience. And in October, Priceline added voice capabilities to Penny with the help of OpenAI.