AI agents are rewriting who controls travel booking, as Google, Meta, TikTok and Booking Holdings headline The Phocuswright Conference 2026

With 61% of travel businesses already experimenting with or scaling agentic AI, the newly published program for Nov. 17-19 in Fort Lauderdale examines where power moves next

Executives from Booking Holdings, Expedia Group, Google, Meta, TikTok, Hilton, Hopper, Skyscanner, United Airlines, Priceline and more will take the stage to examine the forces rewriting how travel is discovered, distributed and sold.

This year’s theme is Pressures. Power. Pivots. AI, platform power, rising traveler expectations and regulatory scrutiny are changing how travel demand is created, captured and converted. The program examines what is squeezing the industry, where control is moving and what companies must change to compete. Last year’s event drew senior executives from more than 50 countries.

Phocuswright research published earlier this year, Budgets, Barriers and the Race to Agentic AI, found that 61% of travel businesses surveyed are already experimenting with or scaling agentic AI, and more than half are exploring or implementing the new interoperability standards that allow AI agents to work across systems.

Pressures

Legacy technology still runs the business while AI-native competitors move faster. Teresa Mackintosh of Aven Hospitality, John Mangelaars of Travelport and Abhijit Patel of Choice Hotels will address how to modernize the tech stack without disrupting operations. Phocuswright’s Mike Coletta will present new research on AI adoption, budgets and the startup funding outlook.

Capital is getting more selective. Investors Amy Burr of SKY VC, Mark Mahaney of Evercore and Mia Morisset of Inovia Capital, moderated by Jake Fuller of BTIG, will make their case for where the smart money goes in travel.

Global turbulence is testing demand. Geoff Freeman of the U.S. Travel Association will assess where the U.S. is gaining and losing ground with international travelers. CEOs Filip Filipov of OAG, Gonzalo García Estebarena of Despegar, Mohit Kabra of MakeMyTrip and Brigit Zimmerman of Priceline will compare how companies are adapting across regions.

Power

AI interfaces are becoming the new gatekeepers. Steve Hafner, co-founder and CEO of Lola, a Booking Holdings company, will share what comes after traditional search. James Byers of Google will show how travelers use Google’s AI travel tools and what that means for visibility and booking. Niklas Andréen of Sabre, Brett Burgess of ATPCO and Steve Domin of Duffel will examine where power shifts when AI agents become the seller.

The fight for the traveler relationship is widening. Sarah Moore of Capital One, Jane Gasparian Lee of United Airlines and Carey Kyler of AARP Services will debate how airlines, banks and membership brands compete for loyalty. Alfonso Paredes of Expedia Group and Omri Morgenshtern of Agoda will lay out their B2B strategies as embedded travel brings new sellers into the market. Chris Wilroy of Hilton and Kerry Mack of Highgate Hotels will tackle who holds the guest as hotel distribution fragments.

Frédéric Lalonde of Hopper will offer a candid view of where established players are most exposed, and Steve Singh of Spotnana will join for an executive interview.

Pivots

The funnel is moving from search to intelligence. Erik Blachford of Pine5 Ventures opens with a data-driven provocation, then joins Bryan Batista of Skyscanner, Lynn Carpenter of Visit California, Jeremy Jauncey of Beautiful Destinations and Tsega Worku of TikTok to examine how social and AI discovery shape where travelers go. Meta will also take the stage in a Changemaker session.

Human expertise is being redesigned. Phocuswright’s Alicia Schmid will present new consumer and travel advisor research on AI in trip planning. Matthew Upchurch of Virtuoso, Henley Vazquez of Fora Travel and Evan Konwiser of American Express Global Business Travel will examine the hybrid human and AI model.

The industry is moving from experimentation to execution. A working session held under the Chatham House Rule will draw on Phocuswright’s “The Race to Agentic” research to close the gap between AI ambition and real transformation. Startups and scaleups will also compete for the Travel Innovation and People’s Choice Awards at Launch.

“No single company has the full picture of where travel is heading. Not the platforms, not the suppliers, not the investors,” said Pete Comeau, Managing Director, Phocuswright. “That’s why we put them in one room. The decisions being made right now about AI and distribution will set the terms of competition for the next decade.”

“Our job is to make sure the people making those decisions hear from each other first, test their assumptions against the data and leave with sharper answers than they brought,” added Comeau.