Otto The Agent announces AI travel assistant built on Spotnana

Having spent over 35 years in the travel industry, I’ve seen the impact of countless technologies on travel. I believe AI represents the most profound opportunity yet to redefine travel experiences and accelerate innovation.

Last year, I wrote a blog post about Madrona leading the first round of funding for Otto, an AI-powered travel assistant built on top of Spotnana’s modern travel platform. 

The industry has long needed an intelligent agent that understands the traveler, not just the itinerary. Today, I’m proud to announce that after nine months in a closed beta, Otto is now available to everyone, delivering personalized travel experiences for all.

Otto takes the white-glove, concierge-level intelligence and empathy once reserved for the C-suite and deploys it at scale using AI, ensuring every business traveler enjoys a truly seamless, fully supported journey.

Michael Gulmann, CEO and Founder of Otto The Agent, says it best:

“Otto is about freedom and simplicity. Business travelers deserve more than a search box. Otto acts like a true Executive Assistant for travel, anticipating needs and solving problems in real time. When things go wrong, like when an airline grounds its flights, Otto steps in like your best EA would, finding new options and keeping you on schedule without the stress.”

Michael’s deep knowledge of leisure and corporate travel has been key to shaping the evolution of Otto. Before founding Otto the Agent, Michael was SVP and Chief Product Officer of Consumer Products at Expedia, and he also spent several years as Chief Product Officer and SVP of Marketing at Egencia.

More personalized travel experiences

Otto understands your preferences, requirements, and schedule, automatically booking and managing your travel logistics within your specified cost parameters.

Key benefits of Otto include:

• Proactive trip planning – Otto connects directly to your calendar, learns your preferences, and plans full trips automatically, handling flights, hotels, and loyalty numbers. When needed, Otto handles disruptions or changes seamlessly.
• Real-time problem solving – When things go wrong, like grounded flights, Otto steps in immediately to find new options and keep you on schedule without the stress.
• Seamless, end-to-end booking – Travelers can access Otto through web, app, or email interfaces, with deep integrations into Google and Microsoft 365 calendars. Importantly, Otto can complete full travel transactions directly within the user experience. It does not redirect you to other websites or make you re-enter personal or payment details.
• Access to comprehensive content – Otto integrates with Spotnana to combine NDC fares, GDS inventory, and direct supplier APIs, ensuring the widest choice of options.
• Advanced servicing capabilities –  If travelers need to speak with a human agent, no problem. Servicing is provided through a seamless handoff to a Direct Travel counselor.

Barney Harford, former CEO of Orbitz and COO of Uber, shared his experience: “I’ve been using Otto to book all my business travel for several months now. Otto knows my preferences and has simplified the shop and book process down to just a couple of minutes. The best part? No more infinite scroll! Otto is a glimpse into the future.”

Looking forward

The future of corporate travel must be personal, predictive, and effortless. Transformative innovators like Otto are actively accelerating this innovation in our industry.

Christal Bemont, the CEO of Direct Travel, strongly affirms the benefit of modern travel technology for all. She notes:

“Avenir is our next-generation travel platform, and its open design lets us activate new capabilities like Otto instantly, giving our customers access to smarter tools and more automation the moment they emerge. It’s how we make sure our customers never fall behind—no matter how fast the industry moves.”

For the next 12 months, Otto is available for free to individual business travelers as well as small and mid-sized businesses.

We invite you to experience the future of travel. Anyone can sign up at OttoTheAgent.com and begin booking their first trip within minutes.