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OTA Market share in hospitality: Who Wins in the Age of AI Travel Booking?

Atualizado: há 2 dias



The latest infographic from 10minhotel showcases the top 50 OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) by global traffic. Booking, Agoda, Expedia, and Trip, dominate the market, but the real question is: for how long? ⏳


As AI disrupts travel search and booking behaviors, traditional dominance is no longer guaranteed. We’re entering an era where travelers rely less on direct searches and more on AI-driven recommendations. That changes everything.


Here’s an example of AI autonomously making a reservation for a guest who’s about to book a hotel. See it with your own eyes, it’s crucial to understand what’s happening: https://www.hoteltechmarket.com/post/hoteliers-watch-this-video-ai-is-already-booking-rooms-for-your-guests

What this means for the OTA ecosystem:

AI-friendly platforms will thrive, those who embrace predictive personalization, faster integration with AI travel assistants (like Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity and others), and dynamic packaging will capture user attention effortlessly.


At first, the OTAs will win most of the time, because they already have structured data, and AIs love that. Just as clients still prefer to book through these OTAs because they think it’s safer, that was, in fact, one of the reasons they were created. So, OTAs won’t disappear anytime soon and will certainly win in the coming years. In these aspects, they are one step ahead of everything else, still.


But what will happen when all of this changes and hotel websites start becoming relevant again for AIs? And what will the big tech companies decide to do about them? One fact is that, because of this, the OTAs have lost power.

Legacy platforms may falter, giants like Booking and Expedia might risk their edge if they don't evolve fast enough into seamless, intelligent experiences.


Why is Booking starting to have net rate contracts with some hotels? Booking is currently testing a new rate, a net rate!

Would anyone ever have believed this could be possible?


But it’s real. Many say it’s to imitate Expedia, or for the OTA to have more control over pricing (something that is not beneficial for hotels), but most people believe it’s much more than that.


This is something Booking has been talking about for a long time, an expansion of services: to offer more payment options, combined packages (flight + hotel + taxi + meals), and promotions without so much dependence on hotels.


Or maybe even to increase margins.


Is it a giant, nearly dead, desperately moving in its coffin to gain bigger margins and stay relevant in the market?


Many claim this is a step that was anticipated to structurally prepare for AI to use Booking to sell package trips (hotel + flight + other services), and to pay only one provider, in this case, Booking. In Expedia’s case, it was already prepared for this. Can we say that Expedia currently has a slight advantage when it comes to structured and AI-friendly data?


Most likely, everything being said above may be true.


Booking and Expedia themselves were the first to have a native connection with several AIs like ChatGPT. They are trying to stay ahead. But one thing is certain: they have less and less power.

An undeniable fact is that distribution has changed with AI, and everything will be different. The big OTAs of today have returned to square one in this race to "be the AI’s answer" that everyone is after. And unfortunately for many giant players, for now, you can’t pay AI to be the answer and show up, that was the case before with Google’s rules (which are still very relevant).


But now there’s more, and there’s a new gatekeeper in the market who decides "who is the answer", "who will appear", "who will sell" and all the rest: AI. And it has reduced the major OTAs to mere sellers, just like many others. Now, it’s important to truly be the best.


Just like Sam Altman pointed out here: “We won’t take money to rank a worse hotel above a better one. That kills trust.” https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7401664662347636736

Think about it: when an AI assistant recommends your hotel instantly based on the user’s preferences, price sensitivity, and travel history, will users still click through 10 OTA tabs to compare deals?


👉 Winners in the AI booking future:

  • Niche OTAs that integrate with AI platforms early

  • Direct hotel booking engines using LLMs to bypass middlemen (MCP and AEO, GEO)

  • Meta-search tools with conversational layers (e.g. Hopper, Kayak AI)

  • Those who have structurated data

  • Those with real reputation

  • Those with a genuine reputation, who don't just appear in searches because they spend a fortune on ads

❌ Losers in the AI shift:


  • Those in denial

  • Those who don´t reinvent themselves

  • Mid-tier OTAs without brand loyalty or data ecosystems

  • Platforms that rely solely on paid ads and SEO traffic

  • Sites that ignore UX or have clunky mobile experiences


Accor was the first hotel group to integrate its apps with ChatGPT. Through this integration, users can explore hotels, select dates, and check rates, including ALL loyalty member benefits, simply by using natural language. The experience ends with a smooth redirection to ALL Accor’s secure booking platform.

At HotelTechMarket.com, we're tracking these shifts and helping brands future-proof their strategy. The battle isn’t just for bookings, it’s for visibility in the AI-driven travel funnel.


As AI reshapes the hospitality funnel, the winners will be those who adapt now, not later.


Are you prepared for the AI travel revolution?


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