Priceline has taken a major leap forward in travel technology with the launch of Penny Voice, its next-generation AI assistant designed to make booking trips as simple as chatting with a friend. Announced today at OpenAI’s DevDay, Penny Voice marks a groundbreaking collaboration between Priceline and OpenAI, making Priceline one of the first companies to integrate the new GPT-4o-powered Realtime API and Voice Engine.
Building on the success of its AI assistant, Priceline is transforming how travellers book hotels, find destinations, and make recommendations. Now, users can simply speak to Penny to search for hotels, get personalised activity ideas, or even make restaurant recommendations without ever lifting a finger. This innovation brings Priceline customers a seamless, hands-free travel experience.
“We’ve always been focused on making travel easier for our customers, and Penny Voice is another huge step in that direction,” said Brett Keller, CEO of Priceline. “Through our partnership with OpenAI, we’re able to push the boundaries of technology and provide our customers with a truly conversational, personalised travel experience.”
Starting today, travellers can try out Penny Voice across Priceline’s hotel products on both its website and iOS app. The rollout will happen in phases over the coming weeks, with more features and enhancements planned in the near future. Priceline, as one of OpenAI’s public beta participants, will use the new voice assistant to streamline travel planning and revolutionise the booking process.
According to Olivier Godement, Head of API Product at OpenAI, “Integrating the Realtime API into Penny showcases how AI can create natural, human-like conversation experiences in everyday applications. We’re thrilled to work with Priceline to transform the way people plan travel.”
One of the standout features of Penny Voice is its ability to respond in real time, understanding complex queries and providing accurate suggestions tailored to individual preferences. The AI will even evolve with its users, learning from past interactions to provide even more personalised results. And for those concerned about voice interactions, Penny was carefully crafted—after auditions with over 100 actors—to have a friendly, approachable voice that makes the entire experience feel effortless.
This cutting-edge innovation doesn’t stop at hotels. Penny Voice will soon expand to cover flights, rental cars, and vacation packages, making every step of travel planning just a conversation away. With future updates set to include support for over 120 languages and features like tonality recognition, where Penny can match the emotional tone of a conversation, Priceline is set to change how we interact with travel services.
As Priceline continues to explore the possibilities of AI, Kevin Heery, Chief Product Officer, emphasises the impact of this technology: “Penny Voice makes trip planning feel intuitive and personal. It’s like having a conversation with a friend who understands what you need.”
For travellers, Penny Voice is more than just a new way to book hotels—it’s a sneak peek into the future of AI-powered travel, where the next adventure is just a conversation away.
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