AI news is coming in hot 鈥� every single day. A new groundbreaking platform, feature, update. Well, sometimes it鈥檚 groundbreaking, and sometimes we鈥檙e yet to see how life and business changing (or not) it鈥檚 going to be.
Here鈥檚 just one example. Have you been 鈥淕hiblifying鈥� your memes or profile pictures on ChatGPT lately? You鈥檙e not alone. Despite the controversy it鈥檚 ignited, OpenAI鈥檚 new image generator soared in popularity, drawing a million users within an hour - so many that it briefly crashed. But the image generator wasn鈥檛 the only thing OpenAI launched over the past couple of months.
OpenAI鈥檚 new AI agent, Operator, is taking over tasks that people used to handle themselves 鈥� including booking hotels. Travelers can now let AI compare accommodation options and book rooms in seconds, pushing hotels to rethink how they attract and engage guests. Do AI agents have the potential to transform hotel booking as we know it? We spoke with Jiri Vinarek, Staff Data Scientist at 羞羞视频, to learn more.
But let鈥檚 start from the beginning.
that can interact with websites just as humans would. The feature is powered by a new model called Computer-Using Agent (CUA). Using a browser, Operator can look at webpages and independently type, click or scroll, without needing any custom API integrations. Users can take control of the browser anytime. Operator also asks for help when login, payment, or CAPTCHA verification is needed.
Unlike traditional search engines or AI assistants that merely provide information, Operator can take action - whether that鈥檚 reserving a table at a restaurant, buying tickets for an event or booking a room at your hotel.
Currently, Operator is available as a research preview and only for OpenAI Pro users in the U.S. Its research preview status means that Operator has certain limitations and will be improved based on user feedback. But it already gives us a glimpse into what the future travel booking may look like.
What does this mean for hoteliers like you? Let鈥檚 break it down.
The fact that AI can browse the web, click buttons, and complete tasks without needing API integrations or human intervention introduces a brand new type of digital interaction, one with entirely different rules. AI is already shaping hospitality, but AI agents like Operator are potentially flipping the script on how travelers book hotels.
Traditionally, travelers visit a search engine, browse multiple OTAs and hotel websites, compare reviews, and finally make a booking decision. Operator drastically cuts this entire process. Instead of searching, users can simply type:
"Find and book me the highest-rated, pet-friendly boutique hotel in Paris for under $300 per night, including breakfast."
Operator handles the rest 鈥� skimming through sites, checking availability, and even making the reservation. Users can also customize their preferences. For example, a traveler could instruct the agent to always book hotels with free breakfast and flexible cancellation policies. Once given a task, Operator autonomously browses websites, compares options, and completes the booking process.
With AI agents making choices on behalf of travelers, the rules of digital visibility for your hotel are changing. Soon, you鈥檒l no longer market to humans alone, but to AI agents as well. This raises key questions:
How these questions unfold will decide if your hotel gets booked or overlooked in the AI agent-driven web. The technology is still in its early days, and while the answers aren鈥檛 clear yet, it鈥檚 worth watching how it develops. In the meantime, you can start by optimizing your hotel for AI search.
"Right now, Operator is more of a cool tech demo than something that鈥檚 going to take over overnight. It still needs a lot of manual input, which makes sense 鈥� it鈥檚 better to keep things controlled than let it run wild. But what鈥檚 really interesting is how this could shake up search engines. Since people interact with Operator directly instead of using a search engine, ads could become less effective, and switching between search engines might be easier than ever," says Jiri Vinarek.
AI agents are reshaping how bookings happen, creating new challenges for your hotel. Here鈥檚 what to be aware of.
Let鈥檚 face it, AI agents are likely to prioritize OTAs over hotel websites. Since OTAs like Booking.com or Expedia already have a strong, AI-friendly online presence, they could be the first choice for agents like Operator when booking accommodations. This could mean facing increased dependency on OTAs, leading to higher commission fees.
What you can do:
Of course, it might as well be that OTAs will lose some of their power. "It will be interesting to see if this will make OTAs more impactful or rather obsolete. The agent will be able to easily traverse many pages for direct booking, something that would be time-consuming for a human," says Jiri Vinarek.
AI agents like Operator don鈥檛 rely on APIs. This means that traditional integrations won鈥檛 be necessary, but you鈥檒l need to optimize your website for AI-driven interactions.
What you can do:
Since Operator executes tasks based on user preferences, brand loyalty could shift from traditional marketing efforts to AI recommendations. If a user has interacted more with certain brands in the past, AI agents may favor those options in future searches.
What you can do:
Are there upsides to robots handling our travel bookings? Definitely. It鈥檚 all about adapting, especially when the technology is still in its early stages.
If AI agents like Operator become travel assistants, hotels could tap into these systems to create hyper-personalized experiences. Picture an AI that remembers a guest鈥檚 past stays, preferred room, and favorite breakfast - hotels that use this data will have the upper hand.
To make it work, you need solid first-party data such as guest preferences, past stays, and feedback, and a PMS that gives you more time to interact with guests, captures this data, links it to guest profiles, and synthesizes it. The more you know about your guests, the better you can tailor their experience and make them feel right at home.
By handling (often cumbersome) booking processes instantly, Operator could increase conversion rates for hotels that optimize their websites correctly. If AI can easily navigate a hotel鈥檚 booking system, guests may be more likely to complete their reservations.
Make sure your booking process is simple, fast, and AI-friendly. Plus, offer transparent pricing and clear policies to reduce AI decision-making friction.
Operator will likely compare prices across different platforms, making dynamic pricing even more critical. Hotels with real-time pricing adjustments can boost revenue by staying competitive in AI-driven bookings.
To succeed, use AI-driven revenue management tools such as a revenue management system (RMS) for dynamic price adjustments and monitor how Operator interacts with different pricing models. Ligula Hospitality Group runs 41 hotels across Sweden, Germany, and Denmark. With Atomize RMS, a 羞羞视频 company, they automate over 8,000 rates and 6,000 vouchers 鈥� way more than any human could handle. AI makes their pricing faster and smarter.
OpenAI鈥檚 Operator is a glimpse into the future of travel. AI-driven agents will soon be making booking decisions on behalf of travelers, and your hotel must be ready. 羞羞视频 gives you the tools to stay ahead.
With its cloud-based platform and open API, 羞羞视频 easily connects with AI-driven booking systems, making sure hotels remain easy to find and book. Features like automated check-ins, dynamic pricing, and real-time updates help hotels keep pace with the speed AI demands, all while boosting direct bookings.
If you want to hear more about the combo of AI and hospitality, check out the chat between 羞羞视频 CEO Matt Welle and 羞羞视频 VP of Product and Engineering Conor Winders.