Expedia Acquired AI Trip-Planner Layla: Exclusive

Skift Take Is Layla substantially more advanced that the ever-increasing number of other AI trip-planners out in the wild? Hiring additional tech talent will be a benefit of this deal regardless of whether the Layla platform exists as an independent entity a couple of years from now. Expedia Group is hoping to accelerate its deployment of specialized AI agents with the acquisition of Berlin-based AI trip-planning and booking startup Layla. Expedia, which announced the deal Friday, didn't detail terms of the transaction. Founded in 2023, Layla has attracted total funding to date of 5 million euros ($5.7 million) from First Minute Capital, M13, and others, according to Crunchbase. Layla says it uses conversational AI to help travelers plan and book trips with live pricing. An Expedia spokesperson said Layla will continue operating, and its team will work alongside Expedia Group's brands, which include Expedia.com, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. Expedia will also benefit from the acquisition of tech talent. P