Expedia buys Berlin AI trip-planner Layla to speed up agent rollout
What's the deal? Expedia GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired LaylaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Berlin-based AI trip-planning and booking startup, the company announced Friday. Terms weren't disclosed.
What does Layla do? Founded in 2023, Layla uses conversational AI to help travelers plan and book trips with live pricing. It had raised €5 million ($5.7 million) to date from First Minute Capital, M13Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and others, according to Crunchbase.
What's the endgame? Expedia wants to accelerate its deployment of specialized AI agents. Layla will keep operating, and its team will work alongside Expedia Group brands, including Expedia.com, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, a spokesperson said.
Why now? The deal also hands Expedia AI tech talent — a scarce commodity as travel giants race to embed conversational booking tools.
The signal: Big platforms are increasingly buying, not building, their way into AI agents, folding nimble startups into legacy brands to stay ahead in a fast-moving field.
Image credit: Stig Nygaard
