Interview with Mindy Rehse, Vice President, Americas at Expedia Group B2B
At Explore 2026 in Las Vegas, Expedia Group extensively detailed its strategy around artificial intelligence, APIs and the personalization of traveler experiences.
On this occasion, we spoke with Mindy Rehse, Vice President, Americas at Expedia Group B2B, to better understand the group's vision on the evolution of B2B tourism and the role of travel agencies in an increasingly connected environment, according to the specialized press.
Summary
"We want to bring the right offers to the right travelers."
For Expedia Group B2B, growth now depends on diversifying partners and technological uses.
Mindy Rehse explains that the group is currently developing three main pillars of activity: APIs, technological solutions and white label platforms.
“We work with a wide variety of companies and our goal is to bring the right products and offers to travelers. All our partners are different; there is no single model.”
Expedia currently works with OTAs, corporate players, financial institutions, loyalty programs and various technology partners.
The group states that it wants to adapt its offers and tools to the specific needs of each partner and their clients.
"AI should assist advisors, not replace them."
Expedia Group also confirms that it is gradually integrating artificial intelligence into several B2B tools, notably within TAP, its platform for travel advisors.
According to Mindy Rehse, the main objective is to improve the personalization of offers and to facilitate the work of tourism professionals.
"We use AI to assist travel agents, not to replace them. Our main goal is to help them offer highly personalized deals to their clients."
The tools developed by Expedia allow users to filter offers according to various criteria: hotel category, customer preferences, profitability, or types of experiences sought.
The group also notes a growing demand for more personalized experiences and greater focus on cultural discoveries.
Personalization is becoming central in B2B tourism
For Expedia Group, the main development in the tourism market now concerns the search for tailor-made experiences.
"Travelers are looking for highly personalized experiences."
Mindy Rehse believes that travellers today expect offers tailored to their expectations, their budget and their travel style.
In this context, Expedia is leveraging its deep inventory, data, and technological capabilities to offer experiences deemed more relevant.
"The partners retain ownership of their customer relationships."
The group also insists on maintaining control of partner brands over their own customer relationships.
"We believe that our partners retain ownership of their customer relationships."
According to Expedia, each partner has different needs depending on their business, audience, and positioning.
The group explains that it wants to provide a technological infrastructure that is flexible enough to adapt to different distribution models.
"AI doesn't always give the right answers."
When asked about the risks associated with artificial intelligence, Mindy Rehse acknowledges that the reliability of content and recommendations is becoming a major issue.
"AI doesn't always give the right answers."
Expedia therefore believes that trust and data quality will become essential elements in the development of future AI-assisted tourism experiences.
"Travel agencies are not going to disappear."
While many professionals are questioning the impact of AI on tourism jobs, Expedia is adopting a relatively reassuring tone.
"I don't think travel advisors are going to disappear."
Mindy Rehse believes their role remains essential in an environment where travellers are seeking increasingly personalized experiences.
The group thus presents its technology as a tool designed to enhance the efficiency of agencies and advisors.
Connectivity, APIs and new services at the heart of the strategy
Expedia Group is also continuing to expand its technological capabilities through its APIs and new business lines.
The group cites activities, mobility, additional services and tourist experiences as key drivers of growth.
The recent integration of Tiqets into the Expedia ecosystem was among the projects discussed during the interview.
The group indicates that it is continuing its work to progressively improve synergies between its different platforms.
A more flexible vision of the future of B2B travel
This exchange confirms Expedia Group's desire to strengthen its technological positioning in the travel sector.
The group is focusing in particular on more open APIs, AI-powered personalization tools and more flexible distribution experiences.
But Expedia also emphasizes an important point for tourism professionals: artificial intelligence is presented as an assistance tool and not as a replacement for agencies or advisors.
According to Expedia, understanding travelers, trust, and personalization will remain at the heart of the tourism customer relationship in the coming years.
InfosTourisme.com Partners
This Explore 2026 cover is produced with the support of our partners.
