Amazon announced on Thursday that its AI-powered digital assistant Alexa+ will integrate with Angi, Expedia, Square, and Yelp starting in 2026 to enable users to book hotels, obtain home-service quotes, and schedule salon appointments.
The expansions target practical consumer needs by connecting Alexa+ directly to service providers. Angi provides quotes for home services such as repairs and maintenance tasks. Expedia handles hotel comparisons, bookings, and management. Square supports scheduling for salon appointments, streamlining personal care reservations. Yelp contributes local business discovery and reviews within these interactions. These features activate through voice commands, allowing seamless access without switching devices or apps.
Expedia integration permits detailed user requests. Customers compare options based on location, price, and amenities. They book reservations instantly and manage changes like cancellations or modifications. Personalized recommendations emerge from spoken preferences. For example, a user states, “Can you find me pet-friendly hotels for this weekend in Chicago?” Alexa+ processes the query, filters results, and presents matches with availability and ratings.
Alexa+ already connects to Fodor for travel planning, OpenTable for restaurant bookings, Suno for music generation, Ticketmaster for event tickets, Thumbtack for local services, and Uber for ride-hailing. These partnerships form the foundation, handling diverse tasks from dining reservations to transportation.
Amazon positions Alexa+ to facilitate a broad array of online services through natural-language conversations. This approach mirrors ChatGPT’s app integrations within its chatbot interface. Users engage in fluid exchanges, issuing commands like requesting an Uber ride or securing an OpenTable dinner table. The system supports back-and-forth dialogue, where initial requests refine progressively based on follow-up clarifications or adjustments.
Early adopters demonstrate usage patterns. Amazon reports strong engagement with home and personal service providers, including Thumbtack for task-based hires and Vagaro for salon and spa bookings. These interactions highlight preferences for service-oriented queries over other categories.
The industry explores AI assistants as platforms for app-like functions to distribute AI capabilities widely. This model shifts from web or mobile app interactions to voice-driven commands. Adoption hinges on perceived simplicity matching or exceeding traditional methods. Users accustomed to app stores or browsers require minimal friction in transitions.
AI providers must replicate app store breadth, which offers curated selections narrower than the open web. Alternatively, they excel by delivering timely suggestions at opportune moments. Prompts avoid perceptions of intrusive advertising, maintaining user trust through relevance and restraint.
