AI Agents Poised to Become Travel’s New Digital Front Door, Says Sierra CEO Bret Taylor

At the Skift Global Forum, Sierra CEO Bret Taylor made a compelling case that AI agents are set to transform how travelers interact with travel brands. Instead of navigating separate apps and websites for booking, service, sales, and loyalty, travelers could soon have a single, intelligent assistant that understands their preferences and handles complex tasks across the entire journey. Taylor argued that this shift would organize the customer relationship around the traveler, not a company’s internal departments. This matters because it promises to reduce friction, increase personalization, and potentially boost customer retention for airlines, hotels, and online travel agencies. The technology is advancing rapidly, with large language models now capable of handling multi-step tasks and integrating with existing systems. As major players invest in AI, the race is on to own the traveler’s digital front door. The next few years will reveal which brands successfully deploy agents that truly deliver value, and which fall behind in a more seamless travel ecosystem.