Expedia Group just launched its travel media network and a new AI assistant in a move to attract more advertisers and offer better experiences to travelers.
The announcements were made during the travel giant’s annual EXPLORE partner conference held on May 14 in Las Vegas.
Expedia Group is the parent company of popular booking sites Hotels.com, Vrbo, Trivago, CheapTickets, CarRentals, and Hotwire, among others.
Enhancing Solutions for Non-Endemic Advertisers
The travel media network enables Expedia to expand its advertising business by leveraging its extensive data, providing non-endemic advertisers with unparalleled access to a vast pool of travelers at various touchpoints.
“Our robust, first-party data and network of industry-wide partnerships gives us the exclusive ability to translate traveler shopping behavior to actionable insights for our advertising partners,” Expedia Group Media Solutions SVP Rob Torres said in a press release.
The travel media network’s range of upgraded advertising solutions includes:
- Offsite capabilities that retarget travel shoppers after they have left the company's sites
- Industry-leading ad tools that target high-intent travelers across 200 booking sites in over 70 countries
- An in-house creative team that helps brands develop more effective campaigns
Through its partnerships with industry giants like Netflix and Disney+, Expedia is also offering advertisers curated media campaigns with access to its extensive B2B network.
To better augment its ad capabilities, the company has also launched “Travel Shops,” a storefront feature that allows content creators to earn commission, enhance their visibility, and customize their pages.
“Travel Shops are a first-of-its-kind travel platform that bridges the gap between content creators and travelers, creating a central hub for curated travel recommendations and a seamless shopping experience,” Expedia Group CMO Jochen Koedijk explained.
“Travel Shops give creators the tools to build unique marketplaces, making it easy to share travel recommendations and providing a more personalized experience for travelers.”
More Efficient Travel Planning with AI
Expedia also introduced its new AI-powered travel buddy "Romie," which aims to simplify the travel process and create a more engaging and interactive platform for travelers worldwide.
Romie's features include group chat trip planning, smart search, itinerary builder, troubleshooting, and intelligent assistance.
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“We created an AI assistant with hyper-personalization in mind so that travelers can choose when they want Romie’s help on their own terms,” Expedia Group CTO Rathi Murthy shared.
“Romie can assist throughout dreaming, planning, and traveling or even when things don’t go as planned, all while getting more intelligent as the traveler interacts.”
Expedia launched over 40 new features in its 2024 Spring Release, proof that it is prepared to use its 20-year business experience so it won’t be left behind in the ad tech race.
