The Crisis for Small and Medium-Sized Hotels: Booking's CEO Criticizes Google Gemini and ChatGPT for 'Unfair Practices'

marsbitPublished on 2026-03-26Last updated on 2026-03-26

Abstract

The CEO of Booking Holdings, Glenn Fogel, has issued a strong warning that Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT are using their dominant market positions to push small and medium-sized hotels to the brink. Fogel argues that while traditional search allowed users to browse multiple options, AI assistants now often provide only one to three algorithmically filtered "best" recommendations in response to travel queries. This leaves independent hotels, which lack big data resources and dedicated AI optimization teams, effectively invisible in search results. Although Fogel has previously criticized EU regulations like the Digital Markets Act (DMA), he now supports antitrust scrutiny of AI-generated search results. He advocates for audits to ensure that large AI platforms do not unfairly prioritize their own services or those of major corporations that pay high fees. In response to this competitive threat, Booking is investing an additional $700 million by 2026 to develop in-house AI marketing tools and a "Connected Trip" program. The initiative aims to help smaller hotels structure their data to improve visibility across AI platforms, while emphasizing that complex customer service—such as handling flight delays or cancellations—remains a core strength of Booking’s business.

In 2026, as AI search reshapes traffic distribution, Glenn Fogel, CEO of global online travel giant Booking Holdings, issued a stern warning: Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT are leveraging their technological dominance to push small and medium-sized hotels to the brink.

Fogel pointed out that while traditional search models also involve competition for visibility, users could at least see more options by scrolling through pages. However, today's AI assistants are entirely different:

  • Singular Recommendations: When travelers ask an AI, "Help me find a cost-effective hotel in downtown Munich," the AI often provides only 1-3 algorithmically filtered "optimal" solutions.

  • Invisibility of Independent Hotels: Small and medium-sized hotels lacking big data support and dedicated AI optimization teams are being completely erased from search results by AI. Fogel bluntly stated that this "highly filtered" recommendation mechanism deprives small businesses of the opportunity to be discovered in a fair environment.

Interestingly, Fogel, who had previously criticized the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) as "foolish regulation," is now siding with regulators.

  • Welcoming Audits: He expressed strong support for the EU's antitrust review of AI search results generated by Google Gemini. He believes it is essential to ensure that large AI platforms do not prioritize their own booking services or direct traffic only to large conglomerates that pay high "protection fees."

  • Alliance of Interests: Although Booking itself is also classified as a "gatekeeper" company, in the face of cross-industry pressure from "super platforms" like Google, Booking has chosen to ally with regulators to protect the supplier ecosystem on its platform.

To avoid being completely "disintermediated" by AI platforms, Booking announced an additional investment of $700 million in 2026 for in-house AI marketing tools and the "Connected Trip" plan:

This initiative aims to help small and medium-sized hotels without technical capabilities undergo data structuring transformations, making them more easily recognizable by various AI agents. Fogel firmly believes that while AI can handle bookings, complex "human-machine interaction" services such as managing flight delays and handling hotel cancellations and changes remain Booking's moat.

Related Questions

QWhat is the main concern raised by Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel regarding AI like Gemini and ChatGPT?

AGlenn Fogel warns that AI platforms like Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT are using their technological dominance to push small and medium-sized hotels to the brink by making them invisible in search results, as AI tends to provide only 1-3 algorithmically filtered 'optimal' solutions, eliminating fair discovery opportunities for these businesses.

QHow does AI search differ from traditional search in terms of presenting options to users?

ATraditional search allows users to see more choices by scrolling through pages, while AI assistants often provide only 1-3 highly filtered recommendations, reducing visibility for smaller options like independent hotels that lack big data support or AI optimization teams.

QWhy does Glenn Fogel support EU antitrust scrutiny of AI search results from platforms like Gemini?

AFogel supports EU antitrust scrutiny to ensure large AI platforms do not prioritize their own booking services or only direct traffic to large corporations that high fees, aiming to protect fair competition and the supplier ecosystem on platforms like Booking.

QWhat action is Booking taking to counter the threat of AI platforms disintermediating them?

ABooking is investing an additional $700 million in 2026 to develop in-house AI marketing tools and a 'Connected Trip' plan, helping small and medium-sized hotels with data structuring to make them more recognizable by AI agents, while maintaining complex human-machine interaction services as their competitive advantage.

QWhat does Glenn Fogel believe remains Booking's competitive edge despite AI's ability to handle bookings?

AFogel believes that handling complex human-machine interactions, such as managing flight delays and hotel cancellations or changes, remains Booking's moat, as these services require nuanced support that AI's current capabilities may not fully replicate.

Related Reads

Zcash Flaw Sparks Monero Audit Interest as Privacy Coin Debate Heats Up

A significant security flaw in Zcash's Orchard privacy pool was disclosed by non-profit developer Shielded Labs, causing ZEC's price to drop 38% in 24 hours before a modest recovery. The vulnerability, discovered on May 29th by security researcher Taylor Hornby using Anthropic's Opus 4.8 AI model, could have allowed an attacker to create an unlimited supply of counterfeit ZEC tokens undetected. This event has intensified the privacy coin debate. In response, Hornby announced plans to audit Monero (XMR), a leading privacy-focused cryptocurrency that, unlike Zcash, defaults to hiding all transaction data. Hornby expressed confidence in finding vulnerabilities in such privacy coins. The disclosure has cast fresh security scrutiny on the sector.

TheNewsCrypto10m ago

Zcash Flaw Sparks Monero Audit Interest as Privacy Coin Debate Heats Up

TheNewsCrypto10m ago

Worldcoin Falls Terribly as Arthur Hayes Dumps WLD

Arthur Hayes, CIO of Maelstrom and BitMEX co-founder, announced on June 6, 2026, that his firm sold its entire Worldcoin (WLD) holdings, reversing his previous day's statement about continuing to hold the token. His tweet, stating "Dumped $WLD. I'm out," triggered a significant market reaction, contributing to a 23% single-day price drop for WLD. Hayes is a noted crypto influencer, and his move followed Maelstrom's recent liquidation of its Zcash holdings. Despite a recent strong performance, Worldcoin's price fell to $0.4224, down over 23% in 24 hours following the announcement. The article also notes the unrelated context of SpaceX's upcoming market debut.

TheNewsCrypto19m ago

Worldcoin Falls Terribly as Arthur Hayes Dumps WLD

TheNewsCrypto19m ago

House Committee Unveils 7 Crypto Tax Drafts—A Major Overhaul Of How Digital Assets Are Taxed

The US House Ways and Means Committee has released seven crypto tax discussion drafts, marking a major legislative effort to clarify how digital assets are taxed. This initiative, backed by committee leadership, aims to establish clearer rules on the timing and treatment of taxes for activities like crypto mining, staking rewards, and stablecoin transactions, including potential capital gains exemptions. The package also seeks to extend wash sale restrictions to digital assets. Lawmakers are working with the Treasury, Commerce Department, and White House on the measures, while Senate tax writers are also developing their own legislation, signaling a move toward a more unified approach to crypto taxation.

bitcoinist2h ago

House Committee Unveils 7 Crypto Tax Drafts—A Major Overhaul Of How Digital Assets Are Taxed

bitcoinist2h ago

TechFlow Intelligence Bureau: Chip Stocks Lose Trillions in a Single Day, Bitcoin Falls Below $60,000, US-Iran Conflict Escalates

**Daily Tech & Markets Roundup: AI Advances, Market Turmoil, and Geopolitical Tensions** **AI / LLMs**: Anthropic's internal report on AI self-improvement sparked serious discussions about Recursive Self-Improvement (RSI). Meanwhile, debate continues on AI coding tools after Claude was accused of introducing bugs into the rsync codebase. In positive news, DeepSeek V4 Flash impressed in local deployment tests, and GitHub Copilot now supports custom endpoints for local models. A surprising research turn suggests removing chain-of-thought prompting can sometimes improve LLM performance. **Crypto / Web3**: Bitcoin plunged below $60,000, with its RSI hitting levels last seen during the COVID-19 crash, driven by strong U.S. jobs data reviving interest rate hike fears. Discussions highlight Ethereum DeFi's continued lack of a smooth consumer payment layer. **Chips / Hardware**: Chip stocks suffered a massive sell-off, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index posting its worst single-day drop in six years, erasing over a trillion dollars in value. Marvell, Micron, AMD, and Intel were among the biggest losers. **Tech Companies**: A leaked Microsoft document revealing goals to make Copilot "addictive" drew criticism. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman left Microsoft's board to focus full-time on his AI agent startup, Manus. Google was revealed to be paying SpaceX $920 million monthly for AI training compute. **Markets & Macro**: A blowout U.S. jobs report (172k vs. 80k expected) crushed hopes for near-term rate cuts, sending Treasury yields soaring and triggering a broad market sell-off. CEOs from Kraft, McDonald's, and Whirlpool simultaneously warned U.S. consumers are exhausting their savings. **Geopolitics**: U.S.-Iran tensions escalated with missile/drone interceptions and U.S. strikes on Iranian radar sites, keeping the critical Strait of Hormuz largely closed since late February and posing ongoing oil supply risks. **The Bottom Line**: The strong jobs data acted as a single trigger for correlated sell-offs across equities, crypto, and chips. Underlying the volatility is a stark contradiction between robust employment data and warnings of consumer weakness, alongside geopolitical risks that could reignite inflation, leaving markets to price in a fraught macro outlook with no clear "soft landing" path.

marsbit4h ago

TechFlow Intelligence Bureau: Chip Stocks Lose Trillions in a Single Day, Bitcoin Falls Below $60,000, US-Iran Conflict Escalates

marsbit4h ago

Solana Treasury Giant Sends 455,784 SOL To Coinbase Prime: Selling Move?

Forward Industries, the largest corporate holder of Solana (SOL), has deposited 455,784 SOL (worth approximately $31.87 million) to Coinbase Prime. This move is seen as a potential sign the company may be preparing to sell, as its treasury strategy is currently at a significant loss. The firm accumulated 6.83 million SOL at an average price of $232.08 in 2025, but with SOL now trading around $65, its holdings are valued at just $452 million, representing a steep decline. This action follows similar pressures on other major crypto treasury firms, like Bitcoin holder Strategy, which are also deep in the red due to the broader market downturn. Solana's price has fallen over 19% in the past week.

bitcoinist4h ago

Solana Treasury Giant Sends 455,784 SOL To Coinbase Prime: Selling Move?

bitcoinist4h ago

Trading

Spot
Futures

Hot Articles

Discussions

Welcome to the HTX Community. Here, you can stay informed about the latest platform developments and gain access to professional market insights. Users' opinions on the price of S (S) are presented below.

活动图片

Top Questions

Hot Categoriesright-arrow

Hot Tagsright-arrow