Expedia Unlocks Free Airport Lounges for Delayed Flyers

Planning a vacation can involve more than finding a flight and a hotel. Families have to coordinate room arrangements, group travelers need to agree on rental properties, and everyone wants to know what to do after arriving.

Expedia Group is making changes across its booking platforms that target some of these common planning headaches.

The company’s latest rollout also includes a benefit that could be useful when an otherwise carefully planned trip goes wrong.

The changes span three major travel brands, but some of the most valuable additions come with membership or booking requirements.

Oct. 28 Update Debuts AI Activity Planner and Property Expert

Expedia Group announced more than 30 new and enhanced features across Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo on October 28, 2026.

Several use artificial intelligence (AI) to help customers search for accommodations, compare properties, plan activities and manage reservations.

On Expedia, the new Activity Planner lets travelers describe the experiences they want and receive suggestions for activities, restaurants, events and local attractions. Users can save options, book experiences and organize their selections into a daily itinerary.

Another addition, called Property Expert, answers questions about accommodation using property descriptions, guest reviews and a traveler’s reservation details. This could help customers check practical details such as room configurations, amenities and hotel policies before or after booking.

Expedia has also introduced multi-room booking, allowing families and groups to reserve different room types at the same property, pay together and manage everything through one itinerary.

Its more flexible vacation packages allow customers to fly into one city, stay in another and select hotel or rental-car dates separately.

These features form part of Expedia’s Fall 2026 product release.

Hotels.com AI Compare Joins Vrbo Reserve Now, Pay Later Option

Hotels.com is introducing an enhanced AI Compare tool that allows customers to compare shortlisted properties side by side.

Travelers can evaluate differences in location, amenities, prices and policies, then ask follow-up questions about the options.

The platform also has natural-language search, allowing customers to describe the accommodation they want. AI Compare is available through Hotels.com in the United States, on both its website and app.

Vrbo is also expanding natural-language search for people organizing group vacations. Someone searching for a Hawaii rental, for example, can describe a beachfront home with a well-equipped kitchen and outdoor gathering space instead of selecting individual filters.

The platform has introduced an AI voice support agent that handles common requests and can transfer callers to human representatives with the conversation context.

Another change is still forthcoming: Reserve Now, Pay Later will allow customers to secure eligible vacation rentals with nothing due at booking, giving groups additional time to organize contributions and finalize plans. A payment card must still be provided, and the feature is not yet available for all properties.

90-Minute Flight Delays Trigger One Key Platinum Lounge Access

One of the more notable additions is a benefit for eligible One Key loyalty members whose flights are delayed.

Gold and Platinum members can receive complimentary airport lounge access or OneKeyCash when an eligible flight booked through Expedia is delayed by at least 90 minutes.

The benefit extends to as many as nine other people traveling with the member.

Qualifying flights must be booked through Expedia by December 31, 2027.

The company has also introduced One Key Price Drop Protection for eligible flights booked through the Expedia app by Gold and Platinum members. When the price falls before departure, Expedia provides the difference in OneKeyCash.

All U.S. One Key members can also receive tier-based discounts on CLEAR+ memberships after booking flights through Expedia. The discount varies according to membership status.

“Travel is a series of decisions, and travelers want the joy of discovery and planning to last through every stage of the journey,” said Shilpa Ranganathan, Expedia Group’s chief product officer, in the company’s announcement.

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This story was originally published by TravelHost on Nov 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Hotels section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here.