Google parent Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is set to host its I/O (Innovation in the Open) event on May 19–20 at its Mountain View, California headquarters, with a live stream available on the official Google I/O site.

Industry watchers are anticipating a major reveal in travel tech. BTIG analyst Jake Fuller predicts Google could unveil its agentic travel booking feature, partnering with online travel agencies rather than bypassing them.

Fuller points to three signals that a travel-focused launch is imminent:

• Six months have passed since Google first teased its agentic booking plans
• I/O will spotlight agentic AI features, and
• Travel remains a key vertical for the company's AI expansion.

Adding fuel to the speculation, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE:WH) has already announced plans to roll out direct bookings with Google in the second quarter. For travelers and tech enthusiasts alike, I/O 2026 may mark the moment AI meets the itinerary.

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OTA Positioning: "We think that the OTAs are likely to feature prominently in the agentic booking flow," Fuller wrote.

A Google blog post about plans for AI agentic travel bookings, published in November 2025, mentioned that Booking Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:BKNG) and Expedia Group Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE) were among its partners, he added.

OTAs rank among Google's top global advertisers and "have featured very prominently over time as travel search products have evolved," the analyst stated. Agentic bookings will also need to balance user experience with the ability to monetize, and both Booking and Expedia can do both for Google, given their "breadth of hotel selection, robust review content, best-in-class merchant rails & large advertising budgets," he further noted.

BTIG has Buy ratings on both Booking Holdings and Expedia Group, with price targets of $250 and $330, respectively.

Price Action

Shares of Alphabet had risen by 0.33% to $394.61 at the time of publication on Monday.

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