As AI remakes the travel industry, one acronym is sparking both excitement and confusion: MCP, or Model Context Protocol. But what exactly is it — and why are so many hotels and others suddenly paying attention?
At its core, MCP streamlines how travel systems are made accessible and legible to AI.
The difference it makes is stark: A chatbot suggesting vacation destinations is one thing. An AI agent that drills deep into travel supplier systems to find available seats and compare room prices is quite another.
MCP sets a framework to structure information like rates, availability, and amenities so bots can see and understand the data.
For hotels, airlines and other suppliers, it’s an opportunity to bypass high-commission middlemen and reclaim direct business.
Anthropic introduced MCP in November 2024 and millions of integrations have already taken flight this year.
What Is Model Context Protocol?