Why vacationers are switching their favourite manufacturers

Airlines created frequent-flyer programs. Hotels accumulated points, tiers and perks. Brands invested heavily in personalization, rewards and direct-booking strategies designed to make customers choose them again and again. 

Agentic AI is changing the equation and all stages of the customer journey, from earliest discovery through long-term loyalty and retention. That creates new challenges and opportunities for travel brands. Loyalty is no longer only about being remembered. It is increasingly about being relevant. 

Latest Accenture research, Win the AI agent, win the traveler, suggests that travelers are increasingly making decisions based not on long-standing brand relationships, but on which company can help them achieve their goal fastest and with the least effort. The survey of more than 5,000 travelers across 12 markets found that 96% would switch away from their preferred travel brand if another provider offered a significantly easier and faster experience. The vast majority ( 91%) are willing to pay more for an option that reduced the time and effort required to plan and manage a trip. 

Those figures challenge one of travel’s longest-held assumptions: that loyalty alone can protect brands from competitive disruption. In fact, according to Accenture’s Consumer Pulse 2026, 36% of loyal travelers (those who typically choose from 1-3 preferred brands within a particular category- hotel/airline) would let an agent switch from their favorite brands for a better fit. 

Travelers don’t want more choice. They want convenience 

Despite years of technology innovations, 94% of travelers describe the booking process as moderately or very complex. Nearly two-thirds use four or more platforms before ultimately making a purchase. 

They may begin on a search engine, continue onto a hotel website, compare options through an online travel agency, check reviews on social media, and then switch between multiple devices before finally booking. 

Every additional click, comparison and handoff introduces friction, and that friction can risk revenue and damage relationships/loyalty. More than 83% of travelers report abandoning a booking because of payment-related challenges such as unexpected fees, declined cards or limited payment options. Nearly half say the payment experience strongly influences which provider they ultimately choose. 

The industry’s challenge is no longer simply attracting attention. It is removing obstacles. Consumers increasingly know where they want to go and have more inspiration, information and options than ever before. What often stands between intent and action are the countless friction points along the journey: complex booking processes, disconnected systems, unclear pricing, fragmented loyalty programs and the effort required to plan and manage travel. As AI takes on more of the discovery and decision-making process, travel brands have an opportunity to eliminate that complexity and make every step feel more seamless, personalized and intuitive. 

The next loyalty test may happen well before the traveler even experiences a brand 

Generative AI is beginning to change how people discover and compare travel options. 

Instead of searching separately for hotels, amenities, locations and prices, travelers can increasingly describe what they want in a conversation: 

Find me a family-friendly hotel in Amsterdam for a weekend. 

I need a hotel in Paris with a spa near the Eiffel Tower. 

The important shift is not simply that AI can answer these questions faster. It is that AI can increasingly influence which options the traveler considers in the first place. 

A traveler may no longer browse dozens of websites or compare options themselves. They could simply tell an AI agent what they need, and that agent might recommend another brand if it better matches the trip they’re trying to take. 

The race is on to show up in AI recommendations and search results.  

This means travel companies need to rethink what it means to be discoverable. 

For years, brands optimized their websites, search rankings, mobile apps and distribution relationships. Now, they will also need to ensure their content, inventory, rates, amenities and booking capabilities can participate effectively in AI-driven discovery. 

Radisson’s ChatGPT experience is an early example of this shift: instead of asking travelers to navigate its digital ecosystem, it allows them to describe what they need and brings relevant Radisson properties into that conversation.  

The significance goes beyond adding another way to book a hotel. It is about meeting travelers in the moment when they articulate their intent. 

For brands, the question becomes: when a traveler asks an AI agent for the best hotel for their needs, is the brand’s information accurate, accessible and relevant enough to make the shortlist? 

In this environment, a strong brand still matters. But it increasingly needs to be backed by strong data, connected commerce capabilities and an experience that can deliver on the promise. 

Making travel simpler, faster and easier  

The travel companies that thrive in the coming decade will likely be those that recognize a simple truth:  convenience is becoming a major driver of loyalty. AI agents may influence discovery and booking, but what ultimately drives preference is a brand’s ability to execute. That requires accurate inventory, seamless booking and payment systems, personalized offers, reliable service delivery and loyalty programs that provide meaningful value. As travel becomes more digital and interconnected, operational excellence becomes a competitive advantage. The brands best positioned to win will be those that pair a compelling brand with the infrastructure, partnerships and customer experience needed to deliver consistently across every touchpoint. 

Success will require more than adopting AI. It means rethinking the customer journey to reduce friction and help travelers move seamlessly from intent to booking. Ultimately, travelers aren’t looking for more channels to navigate. They want faster, simpler, and more intuitive experiences. And the rise of agentic commerce offers the industry a powerful opportunity to deliver exactly that. 

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.