Introducing Otto: The Executive Assistant for Every Business Traveler

After 14 years in the travel industry and four years as Chief Product Officer of Egencia (now part of Amex GBT), I learned a simple truth: even the best travel tools still make travelers do the work. I know that when you are flying coast to coast for client meetings or managing a week of sales calls, you don’t want another app that gives you hundreds of options. You want the right one, quickly. You want someone who understands where you need to be, how you like to travel, and what to do when things change. That is exactly what we built with Otto The Agent.

I was fortunate to have an incredible Executive Assistant during my time at Expedia Group. Having someone who managed everything from flights and hotels to changes, loyalty programs, and disruptions completely transformed how I traveled. I often thought it would be amazing if others could have that same experience. That idea became the foundation for Otto.

Otto is an AI-powered travel assistant that delivers the experience of a world-class Executive Assistant to every business traveler. After nine months in a closed beta with hundreds of users and more than 100 completed bookings, Otto is now available to the public.

Why Otto Is Different

Previously it was difficult to find a solution that combined the intelligence of a personal assistant with the structure of a corporate-grade travel system. In one of my early predictions back in 2017, I was quoted in a Forbes article:

“Would you like to be able to simply send a text saying ‘I need to reschedule my flight, put me on the next flight’ and have the system take care of the whole process for you? That’s what business travelers are telling us that they want to be able to do”. 

That world is finally here!

Most AI tools stop at suggestions, then send you to another website to finish the booking. Otto is different. It completes the full transaction inside the experience, without redirects or re-entering personal and payment details. It also operates at scale, with access to the world’s travel inventory. Otto is the first travel AI platform of its kind, capable of completing bookings and servicing travelers globally with a fully conversational interface.

Otto connects directly to your calendar and learns from your travel behavior. It plans proactively around meetings, manages loyalty programs and credits, and adjusts automatically when plans change. I was reminded of how fragile travel still is on a recent flight back to Seattle. Several passengers from Alaska Airlines were rebooked onto my Delta flight after Alaska grounded its operations due to tech issues. It was the perfect example of why travelers need more than a good booking engine. They need an assistant that acts when things do not go as planned. Otto does more than find great flights and hotels. It manages disruptions, rebooks automatically, and continues learning from each trip.

And if you ever need to speak to a person, Otto can immediately connect you with a Travel Consultant. During the beta, we found that Otto handled almost every traveler's needs on its own, and very few people ever required a phone call.

Built on a Deep Travel Foundation

Under the hood, Otto integrates with Spotnana, Booking.com, NDC feeds, and GDS content to deliver one of the widest selections of flights and hotels anywhere. Through a partnership with Direct Travel, we are piloting programs with companies that want flexibility for travelers and control for administrators. Building this required both advanced technology and deep knowledge of how the travel ecosystem fits together, from airlines and hotels to loyalty programs and policies.

Looking Ahead

As we move from beta to general availability, our goal remains simple: make business travel as effortless as having your own Executive Assistant by your side.

If you or your company would like to be part of the Otto Pilot Program, or if you want to experience a better way to travel, visit www.OttoTheAgent.com.