Expedia Group announces the acquisition of Layla, an AI-native travel planning and booking platform that helps travellers discover destinations, build personalised itineraries and organise complete trips through a conversational travel agent. Founded in Berlin in 2023, Layla has developed one of the market’s most innovative AI trip-planning experiences, enabling travellers to move seamlessly from inspiration to itinerary creation covering flights, accommodation, activities, dining and transportation.
This acquisition accelerates Expedia Group’s AI strategy, combining Layla’s planning and personalisation capabilities with the Group’s global supply, proprietary traveller data, marketplace scale and booking technology. It forms part of the Group’s wider approach to AI innovation, which includes embedding artificial intelligence across its traveller experiences, partnerships with leading AI platforms, and exploring new AI-native experiences such as Layla.
“Layla has built an exceptional AI trip-planning experience, perfectly aligned with our vision for the future of travel,” said Shilpa Ranganathan, Chief Product Officer of Expedia Group. She noted that travellers are seeking personalised, end-to-end experiences, and that AI is making this possible in new ways, by combining Layla’s innovation with Expedia Group’s trusted marketplace, global supply and technology platform.
“When Sardar Bali and I founded Layla in 2023, our goal was to make trip planning as simple as a conversation,” said Saad Saeed, co-founder and CEO of Layla. He expressed gratitude to his team and said that joining Expedia Group gives Layla the scale, supply and resources needed to bring this vision to millions more travellers around the world.
This deal is part of the technology acquisition and B2B development momentum Expedia Group has pursued in recent months, having already strengthened its ecosystem through the acquisition of Tiqets and the expansion of its Rapid API to activities, flights, insurance and mobility.
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At a Glance
Expedia Group Acquires Layla
Expedia Group acquires Layla, an AI-native trip planning and booking platform
Layla: Berlin-based, founded 2023 by Saad Saeed and Sardar Bali; conversational AI travel agent covering flights, accommodations, activities, dining and transportation
Combines Layla’s AI personalization with Expedia Group’s global supply, first-party data and booking technology
Builds on Expedia Group’s wider AI strategy and recent B2B expansion (Tiqets acquisition, Rapid API extension)
