Booking Holdings launches Vayo AI travel assistant

Booking Holdings has launched Vayo, a proactive AI travel assistant currently in a free, invitation-only private beta. The platform is designed to manage entire travel journeys by connecting to a user's inbox to aggregate booking confirmations from various providers, including direct hotel bookings and competing platforms like Expedia.

Unlike traditional chatbots, Vayo monitors itineraries in real time to identify potential disruptions and opportunities. It can flag flight changes that affect hotel check-ins, notify travelers of price drops for their existing reservations, and alert them if rooms become available at previously sold-out hotels.

Booking Holdings plans to invest $100 million into the venture. Led by CEO and co-founder Mike Fridgen, the Seattle-based company aims to move beyond individual transactions toward a continuous journey management ecosystem that enhances customer engagement through personalized, cross-provider reservation management.