AI Trip Planning
Generative AI is becoming part of travel planning — but travelers do not all want the same thing from AI.
In a new Cornell Center for Hospitality Research report, Young Jang and I examine AI adoption in travel planning across four traveler spending segments: Budget, Premium, Aspirational, and Luxury.
A few takeaways stood out:
Budget travelers see AI as a value-finding tool — useful for budgeting, comparing prices, and avoiding overpaying.
Premium travelers use AI as an efficiency tool — helping them evaluate options faster and organize the planning process.
Aspirational travelers look to AI as a curation tool — especially for hotel recommendations and higher-quality experiences.
Luxury travelers are more nuanced. They are comfortable using AI for research and information gathering, but still value human expertise for final trip orchestration and high-touch service.
The broader implication: travel companies should not build one-size-fits-all AI planning tools. The right AI experience depends on the segment, the use case, and the level of trust required.
The biggest barriers remain familiar: accuracy, transparency, and recommendations that feel too generic.
