Everything AI in Travel

John Lyotier is back — and we go deep on the .BOT future.
AI has moved from “tools” to agents, and John’s building at the sharp end: hundreds of AI-built travel brands, an agentic network underneath, and now a big bet on .bot domains (trip.bot, hotels.bot, ski.bot…).
We talk:

Why .bot could become the identity layer for agent-to-agent commerce
What “agentic search” means for travel distribution
GEO/AEO: what’s real, what’s hype
Marriott + Google’s AI selling moves — threat or opportunity?
The coming “return to real” in travel: tech scaffolding, human soul

 Subscribe for more AI x Travel builders & operators.To get your hands on your free trial of Videreo, check out our most recent case study with details on the free trial here.

This week I’m joined by Jason Bryant, VP Strategy (Consumer Applications) at Oracle and founder/former CEO of Nor1.
We talk about:
How Nor1 started (perishable inventory + willingness-to-pay for upgrades)

What changes when a startup gets absorbed into a Fortune 500 (risk profile, security standards, speed)

Why the next phase of AI in hospitality is orchestration, not “the next best model”

Why unified data platforms are a prerequisite for personalization

The real reason “AI pilots fail”: not tech, but execution, workflow design, and measuring P&L impact

If you’re in hotels, travel tech, or building AI products, this is a practical conversation about what actually works in 2026.
See the Videreo case study and start your free trial here: https://gamma.app/docs/Creator-Marketing-gets-measured-in-Palau-oicfv54zvjq0ckb

Welcome to 2026 and the first episode of the year on Everything AI in Travel.
As tradition now, I’m joined by returning guest Christian Watts to do something most people avoid: we revisit our predictions from last year and grade them.
Christian ran our 2025 predictions through an AI scoring system (he swears he didn’t rig it), and we go point-by-point on what actually happened:
Search changed, but Google didn’t die

LLMs reshaped how people plan (even if they still “Google” quick stuff)

“Agentic AI” became the buzzword, but real-world booking is still messy

OTAs didn’t collapse, but the “dumb pipes” conversation got loud

Authenticity vs AI-generated content became a cultural fault line

And yes, we argue about whether AI is already mainstream… or just mainstream in our bubbles

We also get into the uncomfortable part: which predictions were genuinely wrong, and what that tells us about forecasting in a year where the platform shifts don’t slow down.
If you want the written predictions, watch on YouTube where they’re on-screen.

Welcome to the final episode in the series on using AI to attract high value visitors and boost your career.
In this wrap-up, we cover the Image-to-LinkedIn Post Creator, a tool designed for one simple job:
upload any image (chart, infographic, screenshot, photo, even a napkin sketch) and instantly generate a structured, high-engagement LinkedIn post you can copy and paste.
We stay consistent with the series’ running use case: Germany as the source market, Ecuador as the destination, and the goal of attracting German travel professionals for partnership and distribution conversations.
You’ll see how the AI:
Extracts meaning from the visual

Asks for quick tone guidance (professional vs storytelling)

Writes a post that fits LinkedIn’s “hook → value → credibility → CTA” format

Optionally converts the post into a LinkedIn carousel script for higher engagement

By the end of this episode, you’ve seen the full four-stage framework in action:
Strategy → Intelligence → Content → Outreach, powered by the nine tools.

Find all the tools at www.santiagor.com/free-ai-tools

You now have the full set.

In Episode 9 of the “9 AI Tools to Attract High-Value Visitors” series, we review a powerful outreach tool designed for professional growth and B2B partnerships: the LinkedIn Top Voice Post Creator AI.
This AI is trained on the structure and quality patterns used by LinkedIn Top Voices — creators whose posts consistently perform at a high level and are recognised by LinkedIn as trusted, influential experts. The goal is simple: help you publish authority-building LinkedIn content that attracts partners, opportunities, and distribution relationships.
Unlike the previous tool (Social Media Expert AI), which turns destination content into posts for travelers, this tool transforms your existing content into posts aimed at professional audiences — travel agencies, tour operators, DMOs, hotels, distributors, and other stakeholders you want to work with.
In this walkthrough, we use a real case:
You want to position yourself on LinkedIn as an Ecuador specialist

Your target is German travel agencies and German tour operators

You already have a consumer-facing blog post (a 7-day itinerary)

You want the AI to convert it into a 5-day LinkedIn post series designed to attract partnerships

You’ll see the AI guide you step-by-step to:
 Choose your starting point (text, image, topic, or “find trending tourism topics”)
 Define your audience (B2B partners, not travelers)
 Choose language style (English, German, or a mix for cultural relevance)
 Set the post style (storytelling, business-focused, or hybrid)
 Build either a progressive series (day-by-day narrative) or standalone posts
 Generate 5 LinkedIn posts formatted for “see more” hooks, clear value, and partner-focused calls-to-action
 Create image prompts for scroll-stopping, professional visuals that match each post theme
By the end, you’ll have a complete LinkedIn mini-campaign you can post immediately to:
Grow your network

Show expertise and credibility

Spark inbound partnership conversations

Position your destination offering in a professional context

Build momentum without starting from scratch every day

 Access all 9 free AI tools here:
 santiagoR.com/freeAITools
 Want help applying these tools to your destination or tourism business?
I offer coaching and staff training to help you build a repeatable system for strategy, content, and outreach.
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