Booking patterns are shifting, payment options are multiplying and AI agents are starting to transact. Across the booking chain, the way money moves between traveler, seller and supplier now shapes who carries the risk. It also shifts the focus from transactional ownership to trust, loyalty and ongoing connection with the traveler.
This roundtable brings together leaders from online travel agencies (OTAs), travel management companies (TMCs), bedbanks and wholesalers, along with the hotels, airlines and other suppliers they work with. The discussion covers who should manage the payment relationship with the traveler and what payment choices mean for sellers and suppliers in fraud, friction and operational complexity. It also examines how merchant of record models and multi-supplier bundles shift risk between partners. Finally, it looks at what payment infrastructure needs to be in place before AI agents can book and pay on a traveler’s behalf.
