At Explore 2026 in Las Vegas, Expedia Group strongly emphasized a topic that has become central to the travel industry: connectivity. Beyond artificial intelligence and personalization, another transformation is accelerating behind the scenes: APIs, technology integrations, and platforms capable of orchestrating a large part of the travel experience.
During a roundtable discussion held during the event, Chris Hodges detailedExpedia Group regarding the evolution of its technology, API and B2B businesses.
Summary
A technology-driven B2B strategy
According to Chris Hodges, Expedia's B2B ecosystem has been experiencing strong growth for several years, as the group continues to expand its global network of partners.
The company's strategy is now focused on three main pillars:
API activities, technology partnerships, and white-label platform solutions.
Expedia no longer works exclusively with online travel agencies. The group now collaborates with financial institutions, business travel companies, loyalty programs, travel advisors, and technology companies.
As Chris Hodges explained during the session, the goal is to offer "the right products and the right deals" to travelers while adapting to the specific needs of each partner.
"There is no single solution that works for everyone."
According to the specialized press, this approach illustrates a profound evolution in the sector: tourism distribution is becoming increasingly personalized, with partners each having their own operational, commercial and technological needs.
APIs are becoming central to Expedia's partner strategy
APIs and connectivity were at the heart of the discussions during this round table.
According to Expedia Group, partners are now looking for much more flexible integrations that can adapt to their own business objectives and customer expectations.
Chris Hodges explained that the group's APIs allow, among other things, the customization of inventory searches according to various criteria such as:
breakfast included, hotel rating, certain destinations, fare plans or traveler preferences.
The company also confirmed that new product lines are being progressively integrated into Rapid API, including:
activities, car rental and air transport.
The stated objective is to simplify technological integrations while enabling partners to create much more personalized travel experiences.
AI is presented as an assistance tool for travel advisors
Artificial intelligence also featured prominently in the discussion.
According to Chris Hodges, Expedia does not see AI as a replacement for travel advisors.
"We are not trying to replace them."
The group is gradually integrating AI-assisted tools into TAAP, its platform for travel advisors.
These features allow, in particular:
to filter offers more effectively, identify more relevant products, personalize recommendations and improve the match between offers proposed and travelers' expectations.
The discussion also highlighted that artificial intelligence still has significant limitations and requires reliable content and trustworthy data sources.
"AI doesn't always give the right answer."
For Expedia, the goal is therefore not total automation, but rather to help travel professionals offer more relevant experiences to their customers.
Personalization is becoming a major transformation of the sector
One of the most recurring themes of the round table concerned personalization.
According to Chris Hodges, travellers now expect experiences tailored to their personal preferences, budget and specific expectations.
Expedia believes that the depth of its inventory and its data analytics capabilities allow its partners to further personalize their offers according to traveler profiles.
The group has repeatedly stressed that understanding customer behavior is now becoming one of the main competitive advantages in tourism distribution.
Activities and experiences become strategic growth drivers
The roundtable also confirmed Expedia's desire to continue its expansion beyond traditional accommodation.
Chris Hodges specifically identified additional activities, experiences and services as important growth opportunities for the group's partners.
The discussion also touched on a recent acquisition in the ticketing industry related to the development of activities and experiences.
According to Expedia, these new product lines open up additional sales opportunities and allow for greater support of the traveler throughout their journey.
Connectivity now goes beyond simple distribution
Another major takeaway from this session: Expedia now considers connectivity as much more than just a distribution layer.
The group presents its APIs and integrations as tools capable of supporting personalization, partner flexibility and optimization of the customer experience.
Throughout the discussion, Chris Hodges emphasized the importance of working closely with partners to adapt Expedia's technology infrastructure to very different customer environments.
Expedia's overall message is clear: tourism distribution is becoming increasingly technological, but flexibility remains essential.
What tourism professionals need to know
This round table confirms several major transformations currently underway in the B2B travel ecosystem.
APIs are becoming strategic infrastructure. Personalization is gradually becoming the standard. Connectivity is becoming a true competitive advantage. And artificial intelligence is increasingly positioned as an assistance layer rather than a replacement for human expertise.
But above all, Expedia now believes that understanding traveler behavior is one of the main drivers of competitiveness in modern tourism distribution.
As travel becomes more fragmented and personalized, companies that can combine technology, connectivity, and a reliable customer experience could gain a lasting advantage in the market.
InfosTourisme.com Partners
This Explore 2026 cover is produced with the support of our partners.
