OpenAI opens ChatGPT to third-party travel apps

A new in-chat app marketplace reshapes how travel brands compete for planning attention

OpenAI has opened ChatGPT to third-party app submissions, allowing travel brands to build and list chat-native apps directly inside the ChatGPT interface. What were once exclusive integrations for early partners like Booking.com and Expedia are now part of a broader, searchable app directory available to any approved developer.

The move signals the maturation of ChatGPT into a unified ecosystem where live data, recommendations, and actions can surface directly within conversations. For travel brands, competition is shifting from web traffic and clicks to relevance within AI-guided planning moments.

Key takeaways

• Open app submissions: OpenAI now allows any approved travel brand to build and list apps inside ChatGPT using its Apps SDK, opening the platform beyond early pilot partners.
• In-chat app directory: Approved apps appear in a centralized directory that users can browse or search, with no downloads required and access available across devices.
• Conversation-driven discovery: Apps can be triggered contextually within a chat, via tools or mentions, allowing multiple travel services to surface within a single trip-planning conversation.
• Leveling the playing field: Booking.com and Expedia move from exclusive integrations to listed competitors in a broader marketplace that includes airlines, hotels, activities, and mobility providers.
• Transactions still constrained: Travel bookings remain largely handed off to users for completion, though OpenAI’s Stripe-powered in-chat checkout hints at future possibilities.
• Designing for intent: OpenAI emphasizes tightly scoped apps that address real user workflows or enable AI-native experiences, rather than replicating traditional web journeys.
• Shift in competitive focus: The emerging battleground is no longer ownership of the web session, but ownership of the AI-led planning conversation where decisions begin.

Source: OpenAI, Skift, TechCrunch

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