Key Points

• OpenAI launched app integrations directly in ChatGPT, with Expedia and Booking.com as launch partners for travel planning.
• Users can now search hotels and flights conversationally without leaving the chat interface, though final bookings redirect to partner sites.
• Smart travelers should still book directly with airlines and hotels for better customer service, flexibility, and loyalty program benefits.

Introduction

OpenAI just transformed ChatGPT from a helpful chatbot into something closer to a travel agent. As of October 6, 2025, users can now plan entire trips without ever leaving the ChatGPT interface, thanks to new integrations with major travel platforms like Expedia and Booking.com. You can literally type "find me hotels in Tokyo for under $200 a night" and get live results with pricing, photos, and availability—all within your chat window.

But before you abandon your usual travel booking routine, let's break down what this actually means for travelers and whether it changes how you should approach trip planning.

What Happened: ChatGPT Becomes a Travel Platform

OpenAI announced its new Apps SDK at DevDay 2025, opening ChatGPT to third-party applications. Among the first partners? Travel giants Expedia and Booking.com, alongside Spotify, Zillow, Canva, and others. The integration means ChatGPT's 800 million users can now access these services directly through conversation.

Here's how it works: Instead of opening multiple browser tabs to compare flights and hotels, you start a natural conversation. Ask "Expedia, show me round-trip flights from New York to Paris in November under $600" and ChatGPT pulls live results with current pricing. The same goes for hotels—request "family-friendly hotels near Disney World next weekend" and Booking.com listings appear in your chat with rates and availability.

The technology relies on OpenAI's Model Context Protocol (MCP), which connects ChatGPT to external data sources while maintaining the conversational flow users expect. Future partners include Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, and Tripadvisor, suggesting this is just the beginning of ChatGPT's evolution into a comprehensive travel planning platform.

How the Integration Actually Works

The process requires minimal setup. Users add the Expedia or Booking.com app through ChatGPT's Connectors page, then simply start asking travel questions. ChatGPT recognizes travel-related queries and automatically surfaces the relevant app.

When you search for hotels through Expedia's integration, you'll see property photos, pricing, amenities, and guest ratings directly in the chat interface. Click through to any property and you're redirected to Expedia's website to complete the booking. Your confirmed reservations then appear in your regular Expedia account under "Trips."

The system prompts users to connect their accounts the first time they use an app, ensuring transparency about what data gets shared with developers. This means if you're already an Expedia member, you can log in through ChatGPT and access your existing travel preferences and loyalty benefits.

The integration handles follow-up questions naturally. Ask about a specific hotel's distance from attractions, request alternatives in a different neighborhood, or compare similar properties—ChatGPT maintains context throughout the conversation.

The Reality Check: Should You Actually Book This Way?

Here's where things get interesting. While the technology is impressive, there's a crucial consideration: you're still better off booking directly with airlines and hotels in most situations.

When you book through online travel agencies like Expedia or Booking.com—whether via ChatGPT or their regular websites—you're adding a middleman between you and the actual service provider. This creates potential complications if something goes wrong. Flight delayed? Hotel overbooked? Issues like these are typically resolved faster when you booked directly with the airline or hotel, since they have full control over your reservation.

Direct bookings also mean:

• Better loyalty program benefits and point accrual
• More flexibility for changes or cancellations
• Access to member-only rates and perks
• Direct customer service from the company providing the service
• Often better protection if travel plans change

The ChatGPT integration excels at the research and comparison phase. Use it to explore options, check availability, and understand pricing across different dates. But when you find what you want? Head to the airline or hotel's website to complete the booking.

Where This Actually Helps Travelers

Despite the booking caveat, the integration offers genuine value for specific parts of trip planning:

Initial Research and Brainstorming: Ask open-ended questions like "suggest a warm beach destination for a family of four in February under $3,000 total" and get personalized recommendations based on current pricing and availability. The conversational format handles vague queries better than traditional search filters.

Quick Comparisons: Instead of opening multiple tabs to compare hotels across different platforms, ask ChatGPT to show you options from both Expedia and Booking.com side by side. The AI can highlight key differences in pricing, amenities, and location.

Date Flexibility: When your travel dates are flexible, the integration can quickly surface which dates offer the best pricing. Ask "when's the cheapest time to fly to Barcelona in the next three months?" and get actionable data without manually checking dozens of date combinations.

Multi-City Planning: Planning a complex itinerary with multiple stops? The conversational interface handles this better than traditional booking engines. Describe your route and let ChatGPT suggest logical city combinations and timing.

For maximizing your travel planning efficiency, these tools work best when combined with strategic timing. Research shows booking domestic flights 1-3 months out typically yields the best prices, while international flights benefit from 2-6 months advance planning.

How This Affects Points and Miles Strategies

If you're using travel credit cards to earn rewards, this integration introduces a new consideration to your booking strategy. Expedia and Booking.com do report as travel purchases on most credit cards, meaning you'll earn points or cash back based on your card's travel category.

However, booking directly often provides additional benefits beyond just earning points. Many premium travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve offer bonus protections and benefits when you book travel directly, not through third-party sites. These can include trip delay coverage, lost luggage reimbursement, and even complimentary elite status with certain hotel chains.

The better strategy? Use ChatGPT's Expedia or Booking.com integration for research and price comparison, then check if the same hotel or flight is available at a comparable price through your credit card's travel portal or directly with the provider. This approach maximizes both your research efficiency and your rewards earning potential.

Privacy and Data Considerations

OpenAI requires all integrated apps to follow strict privacy standards, including clear privacy policies, collecting only minimum necessary data, and obtaining explicit user consent before connecting accounts. When you first use an app in ChatGPT, you'll see a prompt explaining what data might be shared.

That said, adding another platform to your travel booking workflow means more companies potentially handling your personal information, travel preferences, and payment details. OpenAI states it will offer more granular controls later this year, allowing users to specify exactly what data categories each app can access.

For travelers concerned about data privacy, using ChatGPT for research while booking directly with hotels and airlines limits the number of parties accessing your travel information. Direct bookings mean fewer data-sharing agreements and more control over who sees your travel plans.

What's Coming Next

OpenAI plans to expand the app ecosystem significantly. Beyond the current travel partners, upcoming integrations include:

• Tripadvisor for reviews and recommendations
• Uber for transportation planning
• AllTrails for outdoor activity planning
• TheFork (OpenTable) for restaurant reservations

The company also announced plans to support app monetization, suggesting we might eventually see premium features or subscription-based apps within ChatGPT. For now, all current travel integrations remain free to use for ChatGPT users.

The Apps SDK is now available to developers, meaning smaller travel companies, tour operators, and niche travel services could eventually integrate with ChatGPT. This could create a more comprehensive trip planning ecosystem where specialized services compete for visibility within the ChatGPT interface.

The Bottom Line for Smart Travelers

ChatGPT's new travel integrations represent an impressive technological step forward, making trip research more conversational and potentially more efficient. The ability to compare hotels, check flight availability, and explore destinations without juggling multiple browser tabs offers genuine convenience, especially during the initial planning phase.

However, the integration doesn't fundamentally change the reality of travel booking: direct bookings with airlines and hotels still provide better customer service, more flexibility, and often better overall value—especially when you factor in loyalty program benefits and travel credit card protections.

Think of ChatGPT's travel capabilities as a powerful research tool rather than a replacement for direct booking. Use it to explore options, compare pricing, and narrow down choices. Then visit the airline or hotel website directly to complete your reservation. This approach gives you the convenience of AI-assisted research while maintaining the security and flexibility of direct bookings.

For travelers managing multiple hotel loyalty programs or airline miles strategies, this hybrid approach ensures you don't sacrifice hard-earned benefits for the sake of convenience. The future of travel planning might be more automated and conversational, but smart travelers will continue prioritizing booking channels that serve their long-term interests.

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