Travel startup Layla acquires AI itinerary building bot Roam Around

The travel startup Layla, supported by big names like firstminute capital, M13, and celebrities like Paris Hilton, has recently bought Roam Around, an AI company that makes travel plans for people. Roam Around was started by a former Google employee, Shie Gabbai, and has grown quickly, creating 10 million travel plans for people. With this acquisition, Roam Around's small team will join Layla, bringing their expertise in creating detailed itineraries.

Layla, which launched publicly last year, uses AI to help travelers plan their trips by gathering information from various travel sites. The startup is co-founded by Jeremy Jauncey of Beautiful Destinations, allowing it to use a wide range of travel content to inspire users. Saad Saeed, another co-founder of Layla, mentioned that Roam Around's technology and its partnerships with travel companies would enhance Layla's offerings, making it easier for users to plan their trips.

The goal of combining Layla and Roam Around is to provide travelers with the best of both worlds: great flight and hotel options from Layla and detailed itineraries from Roam Around. Layla has begun integrating Roam Around's features, meaning users will get improved travel plans. However, they plan to gradually retire the Roam Around brand as part of the integration.

This move by Layla comes at a time when many travel companies are exploring AI to improve their services, from Kayak and Expedia adding AI features to startups like Kogo in India, focusing on personalized travel experiences.