Travel AI pivots from talk to traction

2025 marked a turning point as travel brands shifted from conversational bots to operational AI that drives bookings, revenue, and faster service across channels. Maya’s COO Benjamin Manzi outlines five shifts: production over pilots; conversion over conversation; trust built through data governance, hallucination prevention, brand tone discipline, and risk management; augmented agents that amplify human teams; and deep integration with live inventory and workflows. The outlook for 2026 sharpens the focus: reliability, scale, and intent‑driven discovery. Expect quicker responses, sharper lead qualification, and more tailored guidance, with clear guardrails and human oversight. Systems that handle real volumes and edge cases will win, and only a few will scale across markets and languages.