Booking Holdings is launching a new Seattle-based travel startup called Vayo, led by serial entrepreneur Mike Fridgen, betting that AI agents built for travel can do a better job of planning and managing trips than general-purpose assistants from the likes of OpenAI and Meta.

The travel giant — parent of Booking.com, Priceline, Kayak and OpenTable — says it plans to invest $100 million in the venture, depending on Vayo’s progress and market conditions.

Vayo, which is opening a waitlist for a free private beta Wednesday, offers AI agents that connect to a user’s inbox to pull in flight, hotel and restaurant confirmations. They then monitor the bookings for price drops, openings at sold-out hotels and other changes.

If a flight is delayed, Vayo flags what that means for the hotel check-in or dinner reservation. It also recommends restaurants and activities based on past trips. Vayo users can make restaurant reservations now, with flight and hotel booking expected in the next few weeks.

The venture is part of a broader effort by Booking Holdings to adapt to the rise of AI agents. Big tech companies and startups are developing general-purpose agents that can plan trips and make bookings, potentially bypassing traditional online travel sites.

The company is pitching Vayo as a personal travel agent “built for trips, not tasks.”

com, the price-prediction startup acquired by eBay.

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