Travala lets AI book hotels and pay via crypto wallets, with flights and rentals next

Travala has launched a travel booking service that lets users find hotels through an AI conversation and pay from a crypto wallet. The company plans to expand the service to flights, activities and car rentals.

In an Oct. 15 CoinDesk interview, Travala CEO Juan Otero said the AI travel agent allows users to book hotels worldwide by interacting with it as they would with a person.

Travala supports more than 2.2 million hotels across over 230 countries. Users can specify their destination and accommodation preferences, select a room and connect a crypto wallet without creating an account, downloading an app or registering a credit card.

Payments use BNB Chain's machine payment protocol and Binance Pay. Users can pay with assets such as USDT on BNB Chain, while settlement is handled through Binance Pay's payment infrastructure. Travala previously launched its travel MCP in June, enabling developers to build AI agents that pay with USDC on Base.

Otero said users must authorize each payment, with approvals restricted by time and amount. Private keys are not exposed, and users retain control by approving the final payment.

Rewards are provided through the AVA Smart Program, which is powered by Travala's native AVA token and has more than 170,000 members. An initial promotion offers up to 10% back in BNB and AVA on a user's first booking through the AI travel agent.

The service targets both crypto-focused developers and consumers who hold wallets such as MetaMask. Otero said users can book with a wallet, authorize payment and receive an on-chain confirmation that the reservation has been completed.

Travala plans to extend its AI booking service beyond hotels to flights, activities and car rentals. Otero said the long-term goal is to let any AI agent worldwide access Travala's travel inventory and make bookings on a user's behalf.