New AI Travel Tech Company Helps Travel Industry

AI has profoundly impacted the travel research process, helping to consolidate endless information into focused itineraries.

Photo byCrewfare

"We've already noticed a shift as travel planners move away from researching on search engines and social media, opting instead to use AI models," said Jason van Esso, founder and CEO at Crewfare, an AI-powered event discovery and travel booking platform.

"We’re using AI to enhance the process of discovering new experiences, while also improving the travel booking process with discounted rates, flexible payment options and exclusive extras," said Esso, who started his first travel agency at 18 years old and spent years in event production working on music festivals, hospitality venues and VIP activations.

He believes the industry is "just scratching the surface" on how AI can make travel more convenient, efficient, and personalized in the near future.

"Travel is not one-size-fits-all, yet there are not so many tech solutions catered to someone who only wants particular preferences. AI can solve the details of what people really care about, eliminating hours of research and ultimately making travel more accessible for everyone."

Photo byJason van Esso, founder and CEO at Crewfare

Crewfare is the first travel platform where a consumer can type in more than just a destination as the search query.

"Our Explore AI acts as a consumer's personal travel agent. They can say exactly what interests them. For example: 'I want to visit Miami this upcoming winter or spring to experience a hip-hop or electronic music festival.' Explore will return back the most relevant events, which can be booked directly through Crewfare or continue to refine the results by giving feedback to our AI model."

Crewfare is partnering with United MileagePlus Exclusives to launch a national job search contest for the first-ever "Crewfare Explorer." The chosen candidate will embark on a yearlong escapade to attend Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Music Festival, NYC Wine & Food Festival, South Beach Wine & Food Festival, the LA Auto Show, and the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival.

"With United MileagePlus, you can bid on and buy incredible experiences with your miles, making travel even more rewarding," noted Esso. "We really loved this concept and felt like there was a synergy in how both Crewfare and United are approaching bringing together travel and experience. So we reached out to them and are thrilled to be working together."

Added Luc Bondar, Chief Operating Officer of MileagePlus: “United MileagePlus Exclusives shares Crewfare’s mission to create unforgettable travel experiences for customers. We’re looking forward to welcoming the first-ever Crewfare Explorer on board and are proud to connect them to some of the most anticipated events of the year including several taking place in United Hub cities like Chicago and New York.”

Crewfare is also focused on creating travel software for group and entertainment travel.

"We recently launched multiple products supporting enterprise travel companies to streamline the hotel sourcing and contracting process (Crewfare Launchpad), manage their room blocks and sub-blocks (Crewfare Backstage), and sell dynamic travel packages (Crewfare Passport). We’re really excited about the value we’re currently providing to our event and travel partners and what’s to come next."