This time, the subject becomes very concrete. DirectBooker has just announced the launch of an application in ChatGPT as well as a connector in Claude, with a clear objective: to inject real-time hotel offers directly into conversational interfaces.
Behind this announcement, there may well be the beginning of a new balance of power in hotel distribution. Because if travelers start searching for and booking their hotels via AI, the entire logic of OTAs could gradually be called into question.
Summary
DirectBooker is betting on ChatGPT and Claude to change hotel distribution
According to the specialized press, notably TOM.travel, DirectBooker has signed agreements with five of the ten largest hotel chains in the world, including BWH Hotels and Radisson Hotel Group.
The system allows real-time updated hotel data to be sent to ChatGPT and Claude: rates, availability, inventories and commercial information.
In practical terms, a user could soon ask a conversational AI to find a hotel matching their criteria… and then be redirected directly to the establishment's official website to finalize their booking.
And that is precisely where the subject becomes strategic.
The real challenge: regaining control of the customer in the face of OTAs
For more than twenty years, OTAs have dominated the entry of the conversion funnel into the hotel industry.
Booking, Expedia and other platforms have gradually captured a major part of the customer relationship, in exchange for sometimes very high commissions for establishments.
With ChatGPT and Claude, DirectBooker is trying to change this logic.
The idea is simple: to reposition hotels in the new conversational entry points used by travelers, without systematically going through the major distribution platforms.
In other words, AI could become a new channel for direct booking.
How does the DirectBooker system work?
The model is based on the integration of hotel data via several specialized technology partners such as Cendyn, eviivo, Mirai, SiteMinder or Roiback.
These connections allow DirectBooker to access up-to-date data on availability, rooms, and commercial terms.
The whole thing is structured around the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a standard designed to make this information usable by conversational assistants.
Result: ChatGPT and Claude can display more accurate and dynamic hotel information, while directing the user to the hotels' direct channels.
Independent hotels are also affected
The issue is not limited to large corporations.
Thanks to connections with PMS and distribution platforms already very present in independent hotels, the DirectBooker network could also give visibility to tens of thousands of boutique hotels and small groups.
For these establishments, the stakes are considerable. Dependence on OTAs often remains very high, particularly for acquiring new customers.
If AI interfaces become a reflex for travelers' searches in the future, being absent from these new channels could quickly become a handicap.
Are ChatGPT and Claude becoming new booking engines?
That's probably the real question behind this announcement.
More and more travelers are already using AI to plan their trips: destination ideas, hotel recommendations, itinerary creation.
Direct booking appears to be the next logical step.
And unlike a traditional search engine, a conversational interface can contextualize customer needs, personalize responses, and simplify the process.
This profoundly changes the way tourism offers can be presented and distributed.
A battle that has only just begun
In the short term, OTAs remain extremely powerful. Their visibility, marketing budgets, and usage habits remain very difficult to compete with.
But what DirectBooker shows is that a new space is opening up.
The battle is no longer just about Google or traditional SEO. It is now shifting towards conversational assistants and AI environments.
And for hoteliers, the battle is strategic: to regain part of the customer relationship and limit distribution costs.
What this changes for tourism professionals
For hoteliers, groups and distributors, this evolution requires a new technological approach.
Data quality, the ability to expose it in real time, and compatibility with AI environments are becoming priority topics.
Establishments that remain absent from these new channels risk gradually losing visibility as usage evolves.
The question is therefore no longer whether AI will transform tourism distribution, but how quickly.
In short
- DirectBooker launches an application in ChatGPT and a connector in Claude
- The goal is to integrate real-time hotel offers into AI interfaces
- Several major hotel groups have already signed agreements
- The system redirects travelers to the official websites of the hotels
- OTAs could see the emergence of a new form of competition
- Hoteliers need to adapt their technology strategy now
Sources
DirectBooker connects hotels to ChatGPT and Claude
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