Image Source: Free Malaysia Today
AI search engine Perplexity has just announced a new feature that will allow users to book hotels directly through Perplexity’s interface.
NB: This is an article from Triptease
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The company is launching “Answer Modes” with dedicated verticals for Maps, Shopping, and Travel – the latter in collaboration with Tripadvisor and Selfbook to provide reviews, travel information and booking infrastructure.
Perplexity AI will include a new Hotels tab in search results.
Though the details and exact mechanism are not yet clear, searchers will be able to book hotels directly from Perplexity results.
AI Agents in search
This announcement reflects the broader momentum in the AI landscape, where the development and adoption of ‘agents’ is accelerating. Unlike traditional AI systems that simply provide information, AI agents (also known as ‘agentic AI’) can perform complex tasks on behalf of users, making decisions and taking actions to achieve a goal.
Perplexity isn’t alone in exploring this space. Other companies are also developing agentic tools that can search for products, compare options, and complete purchases on behalf of users, with OpenAI’s Operator being probably the most well-known example to date.
Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, highlighted this shift in his announcement:
“We are introducing Answer Modes in Perplexity to help people get things done, not just search. With Answer Modes, people can easily access reliable information and act on it.”
He further explained the specific travel capabilities:
“The Travel mode will help users discover places to visit, read Tripadvisor reviews, plan trips, and book hotels directly with partners like Selfbook.”
Srinivas also emphasized the broader vision behind these developments:
“At Perplexity, we believe in products that provide value directly through outcomes, not just through engagement.”
How might this change travel search?
AI-powered search platforms like Perplexity, particularly as they develop more agentic capabilities, might be the start of a transformation in how travelers find and book hotels. Beyond simple keyword matching, these systems can understand complex, nuanced queries combining multiple preferences.
A traveler might ask for “boutique hotels near Boston’s convention center with good workspaces and close to restaurants” – and receive tailored results that consider all these factors. AI-powered platforms can also extract insights from unstructured review content, identifying subtle property attributes not formally categorized in databases.
Over time, as these systems observe user behavior, they could also develop increasingly personalized recommendations based on your previous choices and preferences.
All that said, Perplexity appears to be maintaining direct links to hotel websites alongside the new booking options, perhaps preserving direct booking opportunities for hotels. For now there’s still uncertainty around exactly how the new features will work in practice, and how hotels could optimize their presence.
