Latest news with #Mindtrip
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
Business Times
16-05-2025
- Business Times
Five new travel tools to save time and money this summer
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 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 per cent of travellers from the US and Canada had recently used this emerging technology for trip inspiration and design – up 30 per cent 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 Google-powered 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 advisers 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 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. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up 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 the 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 towards 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. 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,' says 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 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 towards 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. 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 per month) adds international flight deal alerts, including 'mistake fares' that occasionally surface at supersteep 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. BLOOMBERG
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Seeking something new, Airbnb CEO promises 'perfect concierge'
"Novelty is cool. It's exciting. I want to be new (and) fresh," Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told AFP in Los Angeles, where he is presenting a new offering that could bring haircuts and other services into your holiday home. Alongside accommodation bookings -- which are "no longer new," he notes -- users will now be able to find beauty and wellness professionals as well as caterers ready to come to their vacation rental or even to their own home. It marks the most ambitious diversification of Airbnb's business since its birth in 2008 in San Francisco. "I do want to stay relevant. I do want the company to grow and change. But the world doesn't care about that. That's our problem," said Chesky in a Tuesday interview. "The problem for customers is it's really hard to get these services." He explained that initially the idea seemed merely interesting but gradually became "essential," with the realization that customers could transform from annual Airbnb users to weekly ones. With the rollout, hairdressers, massage therapists, and photographers selected by the platform are becoming available in 260 cities worldwide. The offering will then expand to other locations and services. Childcare represents "the ultimate goal." Offering babysitters on the application would mean users truly "trust" the company, he said. "I don't think Airbnb has earned that level of trust yet, but I think that's a really good North Star." - 'Perfect concierge' - Surprisingly, while generative artificial intelligence is dominating all investments and new products in Silicon Valley, Chesky barely mentioned the technology behind ChatGPT in a keynote speech announcing the company's future plans. "We have an AI customer service agent. We believe it's the best AI customer service agent in all travel," the executive told AFP. Trained on "hundreds of millions or even billions" of data points related to customer stays, it's initially being deployed to American users before expanding to other countries and languages in the coming months. Industry expectations suggest Airbnb will focus on AI assistants capable of composing entire customized trips and making reservations -- similar to startups like Mindtrip. It's a highly coveted sector where Expedia, Booking, and Google have spent years trying to establish themselves as central platforms for travelers. "In the coming years, we imagine ultimately becoming the perfect concierge for traveling and living," Chesky said. - Travel and politics - Meanwhile, Airbnb faces less technological and more political challenges. The California company had to distance itself from co-founder Joe Gebbia, who joined billionaire Elon Musk's DOGE team -- tasked by President Donald Trump with identifying federal spending they consider unnecessary. Some hosts have announced they're leaving Airbnb in reaction, as the ad hoc agency's methods are widely considered brutal and counterproductive by the American left. "We haven't seen any impact," Chesky maintained. "Airbnb is an idea that is just so much bigger than any one person," he added, noting that Gebbia has not been involved in daily Airbnb operations for two years. The CEO remains diplomatic regarding Trump's economic policies, which have caused market turmoil and created uncertainty across sectors. Airbnb has observed a decrease in foreign tourists visiting the United States, but "we're a really adaptable business," he assured. "If people choose to travel within their own country, they might do it in Airbnbs." "That being said, I think a world where borders are open and people travel freely is certainly best for the travel industry, and probably best economically and culturally for bringing communities together." juj/arp/mlm Sign in to access your portfolio
Int'l Business Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Seeking Something New, Airbnb CEO Promises 'Perfect Concierge'
"Novelty is cool. It's exciting. I want to be new (and) fresh," Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told AFP in Los Angeles, where he is presenting a new offering that could bring haircuts and other services into your holiday home. Alongside accommodation bookings -- which are "no longer new," he notes -- users will now be able to find beauty and wellness professionals as well as caterers ready to come to their vacation rental or even to their own home. It marks the most ambitious diversification of Airbnb's business since its birth in 2008 in San Francisco. "I do want to stay relevant. I do want the company to grow and change. But the world doesn't care about that. That's our problem," said Chesky in a Tuesday interview. "The problem for customers is it's really hard to get these services." He explained that initially the idea seemed merely interesting but gradually became "essential," with the realization that customers could transform from annual Airbnb users to weekly ones. With the rollout, hairdressers, massage therapists, and photographers selected by the platform are becoming available in 260 cities worldwide. The offering will then expand to other locations and services. Childcare represents "the ultimate goal." Offering babysitters on the application would mean users truly "trust" the company, he said. "I don't think Airbnb has earned that level of trust yet, but I think that's a really good North Star." Surprisingly, while generative artificial intelligence is dominating all investments and new products in Silicon Valley, Chesky barely mentioned the technology behind ChatGPT in a keynote speech announcing the company's future plans. "We have an AI customer service agent. We believe it's the best AI customer service agent in all travel," the executive told AFP. Trained on "hundreds of millions or even billions" of data points related to customer stays, it's initially being deployed to American users before expanding to other countries and languages in the coming months. Industry expectations suggest Airbnb will focus on AI assistants capable of composing entire customized trips and making reservations -- similar to startups like Mindtrip. It's a highly coveted sector where Expedia, Booking, and Google have spent years trying to establish themselves as central platforms for travelers. "In the coming years, we imagine ultimately becoming the perfect concierge for traveling and living," Chesky said. Meanwhile, Airbnb faces less technological and more political challenges. The California company had to distance itself from co-founder Joe Gebbia, who joined billionaire Elon Musk's DOGE team -- tasked by President Donald Trump with identifying federal spending they consider unnecessary. Some hosts have announced they're leaving Airbnb in reaction, as the ad hoc agency's methods are widely considered brutal and counterproductive by the American left. "We haven't seen any impact," Chesky maintained. "Airbnb is an idea that is just so much bigger than any one person," he added, noting that Gebbia has not been involved in daily Airbnb operations for two years. The CEO remains diplomatic regarding Trump's economic policies, which have caused market turmoil and created uncertainty across sectors. Airbnb has observed a decrease in foreign tourists visiting the United States, but "we're a really adaptable business," he assured. "If people choose to travel within their own country, they might do it in Airbnbs." "That being said, I think a world where borders are open and people travel freely is certainly best for the travel industry, and probably best economically and culturally for bringing communities together." Brian Chesky, co-founder and boss of Airbnb, presents the platform's new home services offering in Los Angeles AFP
France 24
14-05-2025
- Business
- France 24
Seeking something new, Airbnb CEO promises 'perfect concierge'
Alongside accommodation bookings -- which are "no longer new," he notes -- users will now be able to find beauty and wellness professionals as well as caterers ready to come to their vacation rental or even to their own home. It marks the most ambitious diversification of Airbnb's business since its birth in 2008 in San Francisco. "I do want to stay relevant. I do want the company to grow and change. But the world doesn't care about that. That's our problem," said Chesky in a Tuesday interview. "The problem for customers is it's really hard to get these services." He explained that initially the idea seemed merely interesting but gradually became "essential," with the realization that customers could transform from annual Airbnb users to weekly ones. With the rollout, hairdressers, massage therapists, and photographers selected by the platform are becoming available in 260 cities worldwide. The offering will then expand to other locations and services. Childcare represents "the ultimate goal." Offering babysitters on the application would mean users truly "trust" the company, he said. "I don't think Airbnb has earned that level of trust yet, but I think that's a really good North Star." 'Perfect concierge' Surprisingly, while generative artificial intelligence is dominating all investments and new products in Silicon Valley, Chesky barely mentioned the technology behind ChatGPT in a keynote speech announcing the company's future plans. "We have an AI customer service agent. We believe it's the best AI customer service agent in all travel," the executive told AFP. Trained on "hundreds of millions or even billions" of data points related to customer stays, it's initially being deployed to American users before expanding to other countries and languages in the coming months. Industry expectations suggest Airbnb will focus on AI assistants capable of composing entire customized trips and making reservations -- similar to startups like Mindtrip. It's a highly coveted sector where Expedia, Booking, and Google have spent years trying to establish themselves as central platforms for travelers. "In the coming years, we imagine ultimately becoming the perfect concierge for traveling and living," Chesky said. - Travel and politics - Meanwhile, Airbnb faces less technological and more political challenges. The California company had to distance itself from co-founder Joe Gebbia, who joined billionaire Elon Musk's DOGE team -- tasked by President Donald Trump with identifying federal spending they consider unnecessary. Some hosts have announced they're leaving Airbnb in reaction, as the ad hoc agency's methods are widely considered brutal and counterproductive by the American left. "We haven't seen any impact," Chesky maintained. "Airbnb is an idea that is just so much bigger than any one person," he added, noting that Gebbia has not been involved in daily Airbnb operations for two years. The CEO remains diplomatic regarding Trump's economic policies, which have caused market turmoil and created uncertainty across sectors. Airbnb has observed a decrease in foreign tourists visiting the United States, but "we're a really adaptable business," he assured. "If people choose to travel within their own country, they might do it in Airbnbs." "That being said, I think a world where borders are open and people travel freely is certainly best for the travel industry, and probably best economically and culturally for bringing communities together."
