Agoda rolls out smarter hotel search tool

Agoda has launched a new feature that automatically pairs hotel images with relevant guest reviews, aiming to make it easier for travelers to evaluate accommodations.

The update is powered by an AI-driven multimodal content system that connects visual content with written feedback, allowing users to see images alongside review snippets in a single view.

Previously, travelers had to browse photo galleries and reviews separately, often switching between sections to verify details such as amenities or room conditions. The new feature eliminates that step by surfacing related comments directly with images.

The system processes more than 700 million images and millions of reviews across over 40 languages. It uses a topic-based approach, linking both images and reviews to attributes such as breakfast, pool and location.

For example, when users view photos of a hotel’s breakfast offerings, they can immediately see guest comments and an aggregated sentiment score reflecting overall feedback.

Idan Zalzberg, chief technology officer of Agoda, said the feature is designed to simplify decision-making for travelers.

“There is a clear benefit for travelers to connect what they see with what others experienced,” Zalzberg said. “With the new multimodal content system, travelers get the full picture right there in the photo gallery, making it simpler to make the right choice for their trip.”

The system runs across Agoda’s entire property inventory, curating images and extracting the most relevant review snippets. Each topic can display up to 15 images, along with guest quotes translated into the user’s language and a breakdown of positive, negative and neutral sentiment.

Agoda said the rollout is part of its effort to improve how travelers access and interpret information when booking accommodations.

The platform currently offers more than 6 million properties, 130,000 flight routes and 300,000 activities through its website and mobile app.