Over the next 12 months I believe we'll see further advances in agentic interfaces from Apple Intelligence, Microsoft Copilot+ PCs, and Google's agents on Gemini. These interfaces will create an entirely new shopping and booking channel that enables the AI agents to create complete itineraries (and customize them) with deep personalization that will not likely be available via other, current booking channels. The personalization of these itineraries will be based on what the AI agent knows about the traveler(s) based on previous bookings and interactions with brands. Instead of starting their travel planning with Google searches, travelers will ask the AI agent to do the work of building an itinerary for them. 

How to prepare? It's time to tune up that loyalty program! When the agent builds an itinerary, it will preference brands with which the traveler has a favored relationship. If the traveler has a history of engagement with ABC Hotel brands, the AI agent will favor that brand in the search recommendations. If XYZ Hotels has been aggressively marketing to the traveler but the traveler hasn't engaged, XYZ brands will be deprioritized in the search recommendations. Where will the booking happen? My expectation is that the AI agent will ask the traveler to help it understand how they value tradeoffs between price vs. loyalty points and stay credits, etc. and use that knowledge to present the best options. 

In this new agentic channel, the best way for brands to get ahead is to provide the AI agent with "evidence" of engagement with their brand, and the best way to get quality engagement is via a well tuned loyalty program.