Mezi for Business Launches with TMC Partners

Artificial intelligence-powered travel app Mezi is poised to launch its "for business" product, according to CEO and co-founder Swapnil Shinde. The company has partnered with Adelman, Casto Travel and W Travel on the corporate front. It also has forged agreements with luxury travel provider Bluefish and Seat 1A. Shinde told BTN the company is deep in negotiations with additional travel management companies. At presstime a company spokesperson said Mezi had struck an agreement with American Express, but the company was not at liberty to disclose whether it was American Express Global Business Travel or Card Services.

While VP of travel strategy and partnerships Johnny Thorsen said Mezi will court corporate customers directly, the company is tracking TMCs for its initial foray into business travel. With about a dozen partners, Mezi has beta-tested the early form of a white-label app that will allow agencies to increase their current output by at least five times, according to Shinde. It will do it by providing TMCs a travel messaging platform powered by multiple bots that address low-hanging traveler requests like simple point-to-point bookings, reminders for phone numbers, flight status and hotel change requests. When a request is too difficult for the bots to service, it shifts to a human agent. Each time an agent takes the reins, though, the AI platform learns so it can address future requests. Currently, the bots can address 60 percent of flight requests, according to Shinde.

The traveler needn't know when they are talking to a bot versus a human, as the AI enables the bot to take on human personas. Because every exchange happens via chat, data is added constantly to the stream, creating a dynamic profile for the user that will increase the platform's ability to personalize recommendations. The platform also will digest corporate travel policy and preferred partner agreements, as well as market conditions, to provide value-based, compliance-driven recommendations.

But, said Thorsen, the AI capabilities also have the power to change what a company considers compliant. "Travel management is a gray area with many variants. [AI] will drive the creation of self-thinking travel policies, where as long as the traveler is meeting [a value] target on a combination of, say, five variables, then the booking is cleared. The moment I drop below [a minimum value threshold], the policy will kick in and get me back where I need to be, but I don't want to spend a minute looking at emails or approval requests. I want the tech to manage it on my behalf."

Natural language processing and the messaging format also will allow clients to track engagement and emotional words like "sorry" or "urgent." Should the platform detect an increase in the number of distressed travelers, for example, the agency can look for disruptions. As a satisfaction metric, corporates might look for positive words, as well. "No one has a clue about the emotional state of what's happening during [an online] booking," said Thorsen.

The Broader Vision

There's more to Mezi's strategy of targeting TMCs than accessing their clients. The company wants to become the next-generation content aggregator and agent operating system, not just an improved communication channel and travel personalization tool. "We've gone beyond the AI chatbot technology," said Thorsen. "Those are exciting, but imagine if you wanted to start a TMC today. You would have problems with just taking GDS [content] because there is so much out there that is not included in the GDS. Mezi has an environment where we can live-demonstrate how we integrate Sabre, Expedia and Priceline content into one joint interface on the back end. The traveler can benefit from this mix of content, but so can the agent. We have created the beginning of a brand-new travel agency operating system where we can consolidate bookings made from different content sources into a super PNR. We don't care—and our partners won't care—where the content is from because they have a single interface to manage and deliver the service."

Marc Casto, president of Silicon Valley-based Casto Travel, said these changes can't happen fast enough for his clients. "For them, this type of technology is so two years ago." The agency plans to launch Mezi to all clients by early September. In the meantime, Casto said, the company is in "active beta" with key customers. Getting there wasn't simple. "In many ways it is like adding a new GDS to the mix. We are setting up our teams. We have new procedures, training, etc."

Dealing with agents' concerns about AI solutions contributed, as well. "We contend with that internally, and there are some who look at [AI solutions] fearfully," said Casto. "It is actually the exact opposite. AI helps remove repetitive tasks incumbent on our industry but that don't drive revenue. [We want to] provide customization to the traveler and focus agent capabilities where they can matter most. On the other hand, I've also been very vocal that as an industry we are facing a labor crisis. We are looking at Mezi as a force multiplier so our agents can have the best impact on the traveler. We are not looking to reduce head count in any capacity."

Asked if it was going too far to suggest that a technology like Mezi would be the next travel agency platform, Casto was clear: "I don't think that does necessarily go too far. At present, it is still a play largely focused on midmarket, but that is not the endgame. The endgame is more philosophical. I believe we are seeing a fundamental shift in travel management: Every traveler has to be convinced of the merits behind managing travel. The focus should be entirely on the traveler."

Thorsen said recent conversations with a number of large corporates underscored that idea. He cited the mobile-only approach, natural language processing to eliminate forms, dynamic traveler profiles and personalization. "Individually, these are not ROI high-dollar drivers," he said. "It's about believing this change is coming."