From Idea to Pivot: How we tested an AI Travel Agent in Record time
One year ago, we had an idea:
What if booking your trip could be as simple as chatting with an AI assistant?
Instead of opening Skyscanner for flights and Booking.com for hotels, imagine typing:
"Amsterdam to Dubai, December 10–15, 2 adults, find me a hotel near the airport"
And instantly getting a full itinerary, and booking your trip.
That was the seed for Safarwise, our AI travel agent prototype.
Building the Prototype
We didn’t waste months planning. We moved fast.
- We built the core using OpenAI’s GPT-4.
- Connected APIs for flights and hotels.
- Designed a simple custom UI where users could “talk” to the agent in natural language.
In days, we had something real. A demo that worked.
Testing in the Market
With a prototype live, the next step was: traction.
We tested in two ways:
- Email campaign – targeted at potential users to see who would sign up.
- Startup village at the World Aviation Festival in Amsterdam (late 2024).
That event turned out to be gold. In three days, we showed the demo to leaders from airlines and travel companies such as Saudi Airlines, Emirates, KLM and many more.
The response? Enthusiasm. Everyone could see the potential. But they wanted to see more polish in the UI and proof it could scale.
The Reality Check
At the same time, the big players lik Kayak, Booking.com, and others with massive funding started moving in the same direction. Competing head-to-head in B2C would be a losing game.
So we made a strategic pivot.
The Shift: From B2C to B2B Travel Tech
We took what we learned and went upstream.
Instead of building “just another AI travel app,” we focused on B2B AI tools for travel companies and airlines.
That’s how we started shaping the Travel Operating System:
- Umrah OS – a specialized niche solution for religious travel.
- Travelycs CRM – AI-powered back office for travel agencies.
- Smart Hub – API integrations for bookings and data.
- AI Hotel Concierge – agents that support hotels in their operations, upselling and guest experience.
Each tool is part of a bigger ecosystem. And today, we already have pilots running with agencies and partners.
Key Takeaways
- Speed beats perfection. Build the prototype, test it, and get real reactions.
- Events > theory. Three days at the Aviation Festival gave us more insights than months of market research.
- Pivot fast. Competing with giants in B2C? Bad idea. Creating niche B2B solutions? That’s where we win.
At Engycs, this is how we work. Test ideas quickly, learn from the market, and turn them into business opportunities.
Read more about our travel tech journey here: Safarwise.
