Romain Christodoulou, Vice President, Supply at Agoda2025 witnessed the travel landscape evolving at an unprecedented pace, with Asia leading the industry in both innovation and demand.
This momentum has opened doors for people worldwide to explore both Asia’s celebrated landmarks and its lesser‑known treasures, at a time when global curiosity about the region continues to grow.
The most important aspect of any holiday remains a good hotel. Now is the time for Asian hoteliers to cash-in on the growing popularity of the region with alacrity.
Garnering insights on the way forward for growth, TDM interviews Romain Christodoulou, Vice President, Supply at Agoda on the process of making travel seamless and intuitive at every step.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Travel Daily Media (TDM): We have surely come back to the adage ‘Be Global, Think Local’. Can you kindly elucidate for us how localisation drives hotel competitiveness: Why adapting to local payment preferences, regulatory environments, and traveller behaviour remains core for conversions in Asia?
Romain Christodoulou (RC): Localisation is fundamental to hotel competitiveness in Asia. It's not simply a matter of convenience, but now a prerequisite for conversion. Markets across Asia are defined by distinct cultural, economic, and regulatory contexts. For example, the integration of e-wallets in Southeast Asia or the importance of local language support in Japan directly influences booking decision. Hotels that align their offerings with these local nuances see higher conversion rates and stronger guest loyalty. The data speaks for itself. When hotels invest in localisation, the returns are clear and compelling. As detailed in our latest report “Tailored to Win: How Hotels are Using Localisation to Capture Asia’s Tourism Boom”, the findings reveal that properties that prioritise local relevance report seeing up to 99% improved guest satisfaction, 95% note an increase in repeat bookings and 91% state that their guests are willing to pay more per room. In essence, a global approach must be underpinned by local execution to succeed in Asia’s diverse travel landscape.
Seoul, South Korea
TDM: How is AI reshaping hotel partnerships and supply operations? Kindly share examples of how AI-enhanced tools are improving content quality, streamlining support, and enabling more dynamic, data-driven collaboration with partners.
RC: AI is reshaping the way travellers plan and experience their journeys, and hotel partnerships are evolving in step. Today, 77% of Chinese and Indian travellers are open to using AI for trip planning. This is a shift that’s accelerating the move toward fully personalised itineraries where every aspect of the journey can be tailored to individual needs and preferences. At Agoda, we see AI as the engine behind this transformation, streamlining the booking process and making it easier for travellers to discover the right accommodation, activities and even dining options all in one seamless flow.
For our hotel partners, it’s about making online operations simpler and enabling them to showcase their properties in a way that’s both scalable and tailored to individual needs. AI-enhanced solutions help partners improve content quality to better match what travellers are searching for. On the support side, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants resolve routine queries instantly and route more complex issues to the right teams, freeing up staff to focus on higher-value interactions. This not only increases operational efficiency but also ensures that partners can respond quickly to changing demand and traveller expectations. Above all, we’re committed to responsible innovation; every AI solution we introduce is guided by our core principles of privacy, transparency, and trust.
Bangkok, Thailand
TDM: How is Agoda applying AI across customer support, operations, and partner tools, helping hotels unlock efficiency, accuracy, and competitiveness across multiple markets?
RC: AI has become an essential part of how we deliver faster, smarter customer service at Agoda. We’re proud to be among the most advanced online travel platforms when it comes to AI adoption. From supply sales preparation to customer enquiries and content creation, AI is integrated across every department, helping us work smarter and respond faster at every step, supplementing this, our AI-powered Property Ask-Me-Anything bot now manages over 30,000 traveler questions every day, offering instant answers and tailored insights. This means our support teams can dedicate more time to complex issues, raising the standard of service where it matters most. We’re always pushing to make things better and deeper AI integration is helping us streamline support even further. At the same time, we never lose sight of the importance of human judgment, especially when it comes to handling sensitive or nuanced requests.
TDM: How has the year 2025 been for Agoda globally and especially in Asia? What are your targets for 2026?
RC: This year we have observed the travel landscape evolving at an unprecedented pace, with Asia leading the industry in both innovation and demand. This momentum has opened doors for people worldwide to explore both Asia’s celebrated landmarks and its lesser‑known treasures, at a time when global curiosity about the region continues to grow.
Central to our strategy has been working closely with leading local partners such as Indian Hotel Company Limited (IHCL) in India, partnering with UK’s largest hotel chain, Premier Inn to capture Asia travel interest, and partnering with one of Japan’s leading hotel management companies, Hoshino Resorts, to deliver more tailored experiences and broaden our reach. By collaborating with these key players, we’re able to strengthen localisation and ensure our offerings resonate with travellers across diverse markets. Looking ahead to 2026, our priority is to keep building on this momentum. We remain committed to advancing localisation, strengthening connectivity and supporting partners in capturing emerging opportunities to make travel simpler and more accessible, no matter the destination.
Jaipur, India
TDM: Can you share top travel trends that will impact hotels the most in 2026 in APAC?
RC: Localisation will remain at the heart of competitiveness; hoteliers who tailor their offerings to local preferences and habits will be best positioned to capture demand. Agoda’s ‘Tailored to Win’ report shows that hotels embracing advanced, integrated localisation, across marketing, booking, payment and on-site experiences saw higher guest satisfaction, increased repeat bookings, and greater willingness to pay among international travellers. As intra-Asia travel grows more diverse, this level of cultural and linguistic fluency is increasingly tied to commercial outcomes. It also reinforces the growing importance of local partnerships which include collaborating with regional brands and service providers to deliver experiences that resonate with domestic travellers.
We’re also seeing a structural shift in where demand is going. Our latest 2026 Travel Outlook report finds that secondary destinations already account for roughly a third of accommodation searches, growing faster than traditional hubs, driven by travellers’ search for better value, unique local culture, and outdoor experiences. Hotels that invest in stronger digital visibility, localised content, and curated neighborhood or nature-led experiences will be better placed to capture this next wave of growth, particularly outside of the classic city center locations.
At the same time, the rise of a more connected trip experience will continue to accelerate, with travellers seeking seamless experiences that bundle flights, hotels and activities on a single platform. AI is also becoming a central part of the conversation; travellers are increasingly comfortable with AI-powered planning tools and welcome AI assistance for trip planning. For our hotel partners, these shifts create new opportunities to engage diverse segments - from families searching for kid-friendly amenities to business travellers who prioritise speed and convenience.
Japan
TDM: What is it that hotels should prepare for next? How will the future reward properties that offer unified connectivity and intelligent automation?
RC: The next chapter for hotels is all about gaining control and clarity in a landscape that’s still highly fragmented. Too many intermediaries and inconsistent rates can erode both value and trust. Hotels that invest in unified connectivity and intelligent automation will be best positioned to overcome these challenges. Through consolidation of distribution tools, properties can reduce revenue leakage, maintain rate parity, and gain actionable oversight of their business. Those who embrace these changes will unlock greater efficiency, stronger partnerships, and a more sustainable competitive edge as the market matures.
TDM: Why should consumers, hotels and travel advisors choose Agoda over and above other OTA’s?
RC: Agoda is centered on creating a truly connected trip experience. We’re harnessing AI to deliver deeper personalisation and proactive, concierge-like service for every user. From discovery and booking to in-destination support, we’re focused on making travel seamless and intuitive at every step. Most importantly, we innovate responsibly, putting customer needs and trust at the heart of everything we do. That’s why consumers, hotels, and travel advisors can rely on Agoda for a smarter, more connected journey.
