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Malaysian Reserve
3 days ago
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Five new travel tools to save time and money this summer
New AI-powered travel services that promise customised itineraries and access to the best prices, at your disposal by LEBAWIT LILY GIRMA LONG before there was ChatGPT, you'd have to visit an actual brick-and-mortar travel agency to craft and book your dream itinerary. This month, travel agency Fora has brought that nostalgic experience back to the modern era with a pop-up location — open through May 29 — in New York City. It's more like Soho House than the old AAA mainstays where you'd pick up road maps, with luxury hotel brands and tourism boards carrying out elaborate activations while Fora agents brainstorm vacation ideas with clients at a communal workstation. Yet the reality is that most travellers this summer won't talk to human travel agents face-to-face, or even online, as they plan their trips. Rather, generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools will increasingly play a role in helping us decide where to go. A 2024 survey from global consulting firm Oliver Wyman LLC showed more than 41% of travellers from the US and Canada had recently used this emerging technology for trip inspiration and design — up 30% from a year earlier. (One travel agency is embracing that inevitability, using AI to help turn your emotions into itineraries.) If the latest suite of trip-planning tools is any indication, that percentage is sure to rise. A vast improvement in AI language models is adapting quickly to the ways we research our vacations. Take Gem, a new feature of Google's Gemini that functions like a virtual travel agent, or Mindtrip, a collaborative itinerary builder that helps you map out trips with friends — the latter even uses Instagram images as fodder for inspiration. Other AI tools help travellers land the best hotel rates and airfares. Of course, AI models don't yet match the power of human travel advisors who have the pulse on their destinations and can help you identify your precise wants, but they've come a long way. Here are the latest tools we've tested ahead of summer travel season and what we've found most useful. A Google-powered Travel Concierge Since 2023, Google LLC has been steadily expanding the capabilities of Gemini, its AI-powered assistant. Free with a Google account, Gemini now lets you create a custom 'Gem' for your trips — essentially a digital 'concierge' that remembers your preferences, whether you're into modern art, off-the-beaten-path adventures or local eats. Unlike Google Search, which excels at surfacing static information, it's designed for open-ended, conversational brainstorming even if you're starting with a vague idea, all while pulling from the personal profile you've fed it. Gemini of course then connects with your Gmail, Google Drive, Maps, Flights, Hotels and even YouTube. This means your itineraries, booking receipts and inspiration sources can all live in one ecosystem — and can be shared with a click. After setting up my Gem and filling in my travel quirks — nature over museums, boutique hotels over big brands and no overly touristy sights — I asked it to plan a long, four-day weekend from Washington, DC, to Belize, a destination I know well. My additional search parameters: A vibrant local food scene and outdoorsy activities unique to the country. Gemini suggested staying in the mountain town of San Ignacio, with a day trip to the island of Caye Caulker. The itinerary leaned heavily on Mayan sites and iconic rainforest lodges that were more remotely located in the jungle than I would have liked, while noting that I could opt for a boutique hotel closer to town. It also failed to take distance into account when it crammed the island excursion into the same day as my return flight from Belize. Once I clarified that I was more interested in hiking and snorkelling, Gemini steered me toward Hopkins Village instead of San Ignacio. With reef access and cultural experiences offered by the local Indigenous Garifuna community, it was a much better fit. Running that request a second time yielded an entirely different (but equally credible) itinerary, a reminder that these models don't always produce identical results. When I got more granular, asking for 'community-run experiences' in Hopkins, San Ignacio and Caye Caulker, I hit a limitation: Cultural tours in smaller Belizean towns often exist informally, my AI concierge said, passed through word of mouth or local networks rather than marketed online. It then listed specific search terms to use and recommended I ask around while there. Mindtrip is built specifically for travel planning, combining generative AI with content fact-checked by team of human staffers (Source: Mindtrip) An All-in-one Travel Planner Unlike all-purpose chatbots, Mindtrip was built specifically for travel planning, combining generative AI with content fact-checked by an actual team of human staffers, plus a visual interface that pulls maps, reviews, images and itineraries into a single screen. A quiz at the start asks for basic personal information and travel preferences — if you're an early bird or a night owl, for instance — which helps refine recommendations that are pulled from web searches as well as a library of roughly 25,000 human-curated destination guides. You can then chat with it to refine your options. Use a simple menu on the left side of the screen to add places of interest and reorder them on your itinerary, which is on the right side of the screen, with a simple drag. You can even invite family or friends into your itinerary, so you can co-design the trip and stay on the same page. 'A lot of what's happening in generative AI is very text-based,' said Michelle Denogean, Mindtrip Inc's chief marketing officer. Mindtrip's results are showcased on a split screen — a numbered list appears on the left, with bolded text and blue check marks next to the places and activities it recommends, and a colour map shows up on the right, with all those places pinned. Its value becomes even clearer once you ask more targeted questions. When I searched for community-run experiences in Hopkins, San Ignacio and Caye Caulker, Mindtrip outperformed Google's Gemini. In Hopkins it surfaced the Lebeha Drumming Centre, a popular spot for taking Garifuna drum lessons. It also suggested the Palmento Grove Garifuna Eco-Cultural & Healing Institute, where I learned on a previous trip to make 'hudut' — a coconut-based fish stew served with mashed green plantains. In San Ignacio it recommended Ajaw Chocolate, where you can make your own chocolate and learn about the history of cacao in Belize, as well as the town's farmers market on Saturdays. I found its results more accurate than some competitors'; it was able to flag that restaurants in stories I was reading had closed permanently, for example, thanks to its fact-checking army that keeps listings up to date. A Hotel Price Tracker This one is simple but useful. If you're familiar with tracking flight prices on Google, you'll appreciate that, as of March, you're now able to do that for hotels as well. Navigate to Google's hotels search page, enter the destination and dates and toggle 'track hotel prices'. Kayak offers a similar hotel price-tracking tool. Run a search for places in a specific destination, and you'll find the option to get alerts when prices change at the top of the results page. An Instagram Reel-inspired Itinerary Ever saved an Instagram reel in hopes of re-creating a trip or trying an activity you saw? The new 'Trip Matching' tool from Expedia Group Inc aims to do exactly that. Open the reel, hit the share button and send it directly to @expedia on the Instagram app. You'll then open your direct message with Expedia, and within a couple of minutes you'll get a suggested itinerary based on what's in the reel you shared. I tested this process with a reel I made from my 2023 trip to Morocco that merely shows two guitarists' minute-long performance at the family-owned luxury boutique hotel Riad Kniza in Marrakech. Expedia churned out a small description of the hotel, followed by the best time to visit and a list of top things to do in the area — with links to the activities on Expedia — as well as hidden gems and a four-day itinerary 'to experience Marrakesh magic without rushing'. The downside: There were no specific tour providers or links included for the itinerary beyond the hotels, so you'll have to run that extra leg of research elsewhere. The suggestions leaned toward cultural activities, including exploring the Medina, a 'hammam' spa treatment and a Moroccan cooking class, but it also suggested 'hidden gems' such as the Jardin Secret, a less crowded alternative to Jardin Majorelle. When I pushed further and asked for specific providers I could book with, it said to contact vendors directly — La Maison Arabe for a cooking class, Les Bains de Marrakech and Spa Royal Mansour — or go to Expedia. That makes this tool more of a fun starting point than a one-stop shop. The free version of Going will deliver alerts when any domestic deals pop up, while also letting you track specific routes on exact dates (pic: Bloomberg) An Airfare Insider App OK, this one isn't AI, but you should download it anyway if you're eyeing airfare closely, as many people are this summer. The free version of Going will deliver alerts when any domestic deals pop up, while also letting you track specific routes on exact dates. A premium subscription (US$4.08 [RM17.83] per month) adds international flight deal alerts, including 'mistake fares' that occasionally surface at super steep discounts, while the Elite membership (US$16.58 per month) adds deals on first- and business-class fares. Another new feature, 'Going With Points', helps you find and book flight deals with points and miles. Since I signed up for a premium trial over the past week, the app has sent me a US$453 mistake fare to New Delhi — an economy round-trip flight from San Francisco on Air India, with a layover — bookable via Google Flights, plus a US$265 round-trip flight from Washington Dulles International Airport to Costa Rica, which it recommended booking within two days. Not on the app? Sign up on Going's website, and it will email you these alerts too. — Bloomberg This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition
Malaysian Reserve
22-05-2025
- Malaysian Reserve
Americans are choosing a hot Caribbean vacation this summer
With lower airfares and value-packed luxury resorts, tropical island escapes continue to rise in popularity over pricey European trips by LEBAWIT LILY GIRMA MICHELLE Ruiz had her heart set on a trip to the south of France for her yearly summer getaway with her husband. But the US$5,000- (RM21,850)-a-night rate in mid-July at Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat stopped her in her tracks. Her husband suggested they vacation in the Caribbean instead, and suggested Rockhouse, a luxury boutique property in Negril, Jamaica. A premium villa with ocean views there was available for about a tenth of the Grand-Hotel's price: US$574 per night. Given its cliffside location and access to azure swimming coves, Rockhouse 'kind of looks like it's in Europe', Ruiz said. 'It would satiate that desire to be somewhere rocky and picturesque, and be at the beach without spending thousands of dollars per night' on accommodations alone. Plus, she added, for another US$385 per person, she was able to book a five-day spa package that covers daily 50-minute treatments; for nearly the same price, you'll get just one 60-minute massage at the Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat. Including airfare from New York to Montego Bay, Ruiz said her entire trip (minus meals) will cost as much as one night at the five-star French icon. With European hotspots increasingly overpriced, overcrowded and affected by the anti-tourism protests that are gearing up for a second summer, a growing number of Americans are trading the Riviera and other parts of the Mediterranean for islands that are closer to home. As of April 10, the Caribbean had experienced a 26% year-on-year (YoY) increase in overall summer bookings according to data provided exclusively to Bloomberg by the Virtuoso Travel Network, a collective of about 20,000 travel advisors. And there's still plenty of time for people to firm up their summer plans. With more Americans looking to travel closer to home, demand for a hot Caribbean vacation seems poised to keep growing as long as economic uncertainty persists. And anyway, summers in Europe are increasingly hot, too — in July 2024, coastal Mediterranean areas regularly reached 40°C, while most Caribbean islands hovered below 32°C. Plus, geopolitical tensions are creating fears that Americans will face hot tempers. Enter the 'hot Caribbean summer' trend, as we're calling it. Yes, it technically emerged amid the pandemic. But its growth has lately been so sharp that Caribbean destinations have become two of the five most popular summer destinations for Americans, accord- ing to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Using last year's July bookings, it declared Mexico the most popular summer vacation destination for Americans overall by a long shot — though its Caribbean coast is just one part of its broader appeal. The Dominican Republic overtook Italy and France to land in the fourth spot right behind Canada in the UK, which ranked second and third. A broader list of the top 20 destinations, shows Jamaica (No 13) and the Bahamas (No 17) ranking ahead of perennial favourite Greece (No 20). (Because Cirium primarily uses retrospective data, summer 2025 booking patterns won't be clear until the fall.) The primary draw for Caribbean-bound Americans: Savings. The average daily rate at luxury hotels across the islands has decreased by 6% compared to 2024, Virtuoso's data shows, while summer airfare is also down 3% YoY according to Kayak. The sharpest savings this summer, the company said, can be found on fares to smaller islands, such as Saint Barts (-31%), Bonaire (-28%) and Dominica (-17%). And prices should continue to fall as major US carriers and upstart discount airlines expand service to the region. Among the new options: Weekly nonstops to Punta Cana on Spirit Airlines (which started on March 20), an American Eagle route from Miami to South Caicos, and JetBlue's service from New York to Bonaire, which kicked off last November. Fowl Cay is an all-inclusive private island resort north of Grand Exuma in Bahamas Yet another 23 destinations in the Americas and the Caribbean are now connected to one another on the new Dominican national carrier Arajet, which continues to add routes. The airline's founder and CEO Victor Pacheco said fares (from US$250) are 'even more affordable than domestic travel' in some cases. Fiona Simpson, an Atlanta-based traveller who works in sales, has made the hot Caribbean summer an annual tradition since 2021. She said the value for her dollar goes much farther in the Caribbean compared to other regions — praising the region's flavourful cuisine and top-notch hospitality. 'Even in the most simple beach-side restaurant, you're getting thoughtful service,' she said. This year, for her partner's 50th birthday in July, she's planning eight days at Fowl Cay, an all-inclusive private island resort north of Grand Exuma in the Bahamas. 'I really thought it was going to be an insane, crazy cost,' said Simpson, noting that the total for plane tickets, hotel stays and daily access to a boat the resort provides came to less than US$20,000. A vacation like that in Europe over the same dates would have cost a lot more, she added. There's the convenience of shorter flights, too, with no jet lag. That's part of what drew Connecticut-based magazine editor Kristin Koch Kennedy and her family — including four children between the ages of six months and eight years — to vacation in the Caribbean twice last summer. Another was cost — for hotels and airfare alike. 'We felt like we could save Europe for when our kids are a bit older and can enjoy sightseeing and things like that,' she said. Jamaica-bound Ruiz, meanwhile, is already daydreaming about what she'll find in Negril besides the Mediterranean-like scenery — namely, the island's famed food and music. It's the type of cultural draw she seeks as well when going to Europe. The idea of it all is so tempting, she's mulling a return trip before she even sets foot on the island. After, all, she said, the villas at Rockhouse include a loft that could easily fit her family of four. It's slightly less grand than the premium ocean-view villa she booked for July, but it has extra beds and — at US$495 a night — it's an even better value. — Bloomberg This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition
