Photo Credit: Francis Davidson, then CEO of Sonder, speaking on-stage at a Skift event in 2023. Skift
OpenAI didn't acquire Odessia for its revenue. It bought a team that built a working AI travel agent in months, plus a founder who ran a lodging company, which included hotels and short-term rentals, for a decade. It's a sign ChatGPT wants to do more in travel than send users to Booking.com and Expedia.
OpenAI has acquired Odessia, the AI travel agent startup that Sonder co-founder Francis Davidson launched just five months ago. Davidson announced the deal Tuesday and said he will join OpenAI “to focus on the future of travel.” Terms weren’t disclosed.
“We’ll have more to share on the shape of the future soon,” Davidson wrote. He didn’t say whether Odessia will keep operating as a standalone company.
For the travel industry, it’s the clearest sign yet that OpenAI wants travel expertise of its own. Until now, its travel strategy has leaned on partners. Booking.com and Expedia were among the first apps inside ChatGPT when OpenAI opened its app platform in October 2025, letting users search their inventory without leaving the chat.
In the meantime, OpenAI has also been building travel advertising and booking into ChatGPT, so users can buy without going to
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Tags: artificial intelligence, chatgpt, m&a, mergers and acquisitions, odessia, online travel newsletter, openai, sonder, the prompt
