Expedia pivots from Roamie to point agents

Expedia Group’s latest AI message is narrower than the one it pushed a year ago. Ariane Gorin, the company’s chief executive, told Skift on May 19 that Expedia moved away from Roamie, its earlier end-to-end chatbot, and is now focusing on smaller “point agents” that help travelers at specific stages of planning and booking. (skift.com) Skift said Gorin described that structure as more efficient than trying to run a single assistant across the full trip journey. (newsletters.skift.com) That is a notable change from May 14, 2024, when Expedia Group introduced “Romie” — spelled without the “a” in the company’s release — as an AI-powered travel buddy at its Explore event in Las Vegas. (partner.expediagroup.com) The company said at the time the tool was part of a broader push to use AI to reduce friction in travel planning and booking. ### Why did Expedia back away from the all-in-one chatbot? Skift reported on May 19 that Roamie had been sidelined after Expedia found an end-to-end chatbot was not practical for now. (skift.com) In the same report, Gorin said many companies are getting that wrong and framed the change as part of a “test and learn” process. The earlier Expedia pitch was broader. Expedia’s 2024 product announcement described Romie as a travel companion designed to help with planning and coordination, while partner materials later described AI systems that could compose itineraries, rank travel options and react to disruptions such as weather. (ir.expediagroup.com) ### What are “point agents” supposed to do instead? Skift’s description of the new approach was specific: point agents would assist at each stage of trip planning and booking rather than try to handle the whole journey in one conversation. (skift.com) That means the product focus shifts from one persistent chatbot to narrower tools tied to discrete tasks. Expedia’s own developer materials line up with that direction. The company’s AI solutions documentation describes assistants that help users narrow hotel, car and activity choices based on stated preferences, which is closer to task-based help than a single end-to-end concierge. (ir.expediagroup.com) ### How does that fit Expedia’s broader business? Expedia Group’s financial disclosures show the company is still emphasizing its existing marketplace and platform. In first-quarter 2026 results released May 7, Expedia reported 13% growth in gross bookings to $35.53 billion and 15% revenue growth to $3.43 billion, with B2B revenue up 25%. Gorin said the quarter reflected “disciplined execution” of strategic priorities. (newsletters.skift.com) Skift has also reported that Expedia is treating AI agents as both an opportunity and a competitive issue in travel distribution, while keeping direct traveler engagement central to its strategy. (developers.expediagroup.com) That framing suggests the company is trying to layer AI onto its existing booking, merchandising and partner systems rather than replace them with a standalone chatbot. ### What else did Expedia say this week about AI? Expedia Group used Explore 26 in Las Vegas on May 19-20 to outline new AI experiences and broader ecosystem plans, according to its investor site and events page. Skift’s newsletter archive also said Expedia is planning an MCP server that would let partners’ AI agents connect directly to its travel inventory. (expediagroup.com) A company careers post published this week identified Georges Haddad as vice president of product for AI agent experiences, offering another sign that Expedia is organizing around multiple agent products rather than a single chatbot brand. (skift.com) ### Where will the next proof point show up? June 18, 2026 is Expedia Group’s next dated corporate milestone in its latest earnings release, when the company said it plans to pay its quarterly dividend of $0.48 per share. The next public test of the AI strategy is likely to come through future product updates, partner announcements or executive comments tied to Expedia’s investor materials and Explore follow-through. (partner.expediagroup.com) (expediagroup.com) (careers.expediagroup.com)