Lola AI travel agent: plans, prices and who owns it
The Lola AI travel agent books hotels, tables and tickets in one chat. Booking Holdings owns it, and its paid plans cost $5 or $25 a month for a full year.
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Lola, an AI travel agent that finds and books hotels, restaurants, events and whole trips in a single conversation, launched its membership plans on September 29, 2026. It's free to join, with paid Plus and VIP tiers at $5 and $25 a month. Some headlines call the Lola AI travel agent a Booking.com product. It isn't: Lola is its own company, owned by Booking Holdings, Booking.com's parent, and run by two KAYAK co-founders.
Key takeaways
- Who owns it: Booking Holdings. Lola's press page says the company "is owned by" it, and Skift reports it is a wholly owned subsidiary. Booking.com is one of its booking partners, not its owner.
- What it books: hotels, restaurants, events and activities, through Booking Holdings brands such as Booking.com, OpenTable and KAYAK plus outside partners such as SeatGeek and GetYourGuide. Flights are not covered yet.
- What it costs: free, or $5 (Plus) or $25 (VIP) a month, each with a 12-month commitment, so $60 or $300 for the year.
- Who can use it: Lola's site says it is opening in waves by invitation and becomes generally available "later this fall."
Who owns Lola, and who runs it
The launch press release, distributed by Business Wire, says Lola is "backed by Booking Holdings" and led by Steve Hafner and Paul English, who co-founded KAYAK. The wording on Lola's press page is firmer: Lola "is owned by Booking Holdings." Skift reports that it is a wholly owned subsidiary with about 20 employees in New York and Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in five months, and that Hafner reports to Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel.
That's why the "Booking.com's AI agent" framing, used in Engadget's headline among others, is off. Booking.com and Lola are sister companies under the same parent, and Booking.com is one of the brands Lola books through.
Hafner handed the KAYAK CEO job to Peer Bueller earlier this year and moved to an AI role at Booking Holdings, as Skift's timeline of his tenure notes. In May, Skift reported that Booking Holdings had bought the Lola domains from English in early April. The name has a history: English co-founded an earlier Lola.com in 2015, a travel startup that moved into business travel software before Capital One acquired it in 2021.
What the Lola AI travel agent can book, and through whom
You describe what you want in plain language, and Lola searches live availability and prices and books inside the same chat. According to the release, the launch partners are ResX, BLADE, Aero, SeatGeek, GetYourGuide, Nuitee and Ten Group, alongside Booking Holdings' own Booking.com, OpenTable, KAYAK, Priceline, Agoda and FareHarbor.
Two limits sit in Lola's FAQ: it "does not yet cover flights," which it says are coming soon, and some restaurants and activities still have to be booked separately, with Lola telling you when. The company also promises no ads, no sponsored results and no paid placements.
Lola membership plans and the 12-month commitment
Here is what each tier includes, as listed on Lola's site and in the release on September 29 (prices in US dollars):
| Free | Plus | VIP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $5 a month | $25 a month |
| Commitment | None | 12 months | 12 months |
| Hotels | KAYAK results from hundreds of sites | Up to 10% off 4- and 5-star hotels | Up to 15% off 4- and 5-star hotels |
| Dining | Booking in the chat | Two days of early access on ResX | OpenTable Gold, five days of early access on ResX |
| Travel extras | None | $300 off a first Aero flight | $400 off a first Aero flight, flat-rate $150 BLADE helicopter transfers to and from NYC airports |
| Concierge | None | Quarterly access via Ten Group | More consultations each quarter |
Both paid tiers also get discounts on GetYourGuide activities, and the release says SeatGeek, GetYourGuide and FareHarbor offer members preferred pricing on more than 200,000 experiences. Lola's site marks the ResX perks as coming in fall 2026. Neither the site nor the release explains how to cancel before the 12 months are up.
How can a subscription undercut a booking site? Skift says Lola passes back to members the commissions it would otherwise keep, and cites a four-night Miami Beach stay priced at $783 for a VIP member against $997 on Booking.com and Expedia. That is one example Lola showed, not a measured average. Hafner told Skift he expects about 90% of active users to stay on the free tier.
Where Lola fits among AI agents
Lola is one more AI agent that acts on your behalf instead of only answering questions. Meta's Muse, which Meta is now also pitching to businesses, is a general assistant that carries out tasks such as booking and shopping for you. Lola is narrower: it stays inside a network of partners it has deals with, which is what lets it show live, bookable prices and member rates. Hafner put the goal to Skift this way: "At Kayak, we were trying to solve what's the best flight. At Lola, we're trying to solve for what should I do this weekend."
Engadget adds a fair caution: AI agents still make mistakes and hallucinate, including booking the wrong place. If you use one to spend money, check what it booked before you rely on it. Our look at Muse's privacy trade-offs covers the other question worth asking of any agent: what it learns about you and where that goes.
Bottom line
Lola is a Booking Holdings company, not a Booking.com feature, and the free tier is the low-risk way to try the Lola AI travel agent once your invitation arrives. The paid plans only pay off if you book enough 4- and 5-star hotels or use the dining and concierge perks, and each one locks you in for a year. Watch for general availability this fall, flight booking and published cancellation terms.
FAQ
Is Lola part of Booking.com?
No. Lola says it is owned by Booking Holdings, the parent of Booking.com, KAYAK, Priceline, Agoda and OpenTable. Booking.com is one of the partners Lola books through.
How much does Lola cost?
Joining is free. Lola Plus costs $5 a month and VIP $25 a month, both with a 12-month commitment, according to Lola's site as of September 29, 2026.
Can Lola book flights?
Not yet. Lola's FAQ says flights are coming soon. For now it covers hotels, restaurants, events and activities.