Tripadvisor, a travel platform is harnessing artificial intelligence to transform how travelers discover destinations and plan trips.
According to the company’s head of data and AI, Rahul Todkar, combining rich user data with personalized insights in a ChatGPT-powered environment creates what he describes as “magic.”
The travel platform which hosts over one billion user-generated reviews and contributions, offers only a fraction of its content publicly through search engines.
Todkar noted that Tripadvisor’s deeper data layers enable it to link reviews with traveler preferences, identifying the context behind each submission and aligning it with individual travel styles.
“Connecting that user information, the clickstream information, financial or transactional information, all that, to the review becomes important,” Todkar said.
“That’s behind the firewall, and that information is proprietary, first-party data for us. As you think about more personalization, this is that rich information. Connecting that with the reviews is what brings the magic together.”
Tripadvisor is now harnessing this proprietary, context-rich data as the foundation of a new partnership.
Tripadvisor is set to launch its own app on ChatGPT next month, giving users access to reviews, ratings, and images directly within their chat experience.
The announcement follows similar moves by Expedia and Booking.com, which introduced their ChatGPT apps earlier this month as part of OpenAI’s initial group of partners.
Built on the Model Context Protocol, the new Tripadvisor app will enable ChatGPT to tap into external tools and data sources, providing users with up-to-date and tailored travel information.
Todkar, likened the development to an “App Store-like environment” where businesses can host and operate their own apps on ChatGPT.
He noted that Tripadvisor has been working with OpenAI for several years to develop AI-driven products and integrate its APIs.
“The goal is to make trip planning highly personalized by combining all the Tripadvisor content with OpenAI’s advanced AI capabilities,” he said.
