Amazon is expanding the capabilities of its AI-powered digital assistant, Alexa+, with new integrations. On Thursday, the company announced four additional partnerships—Angi, Expedia, Square, and Yelp—with plans to roll out the features starting in 2026.
These enhancements will enable users to book hotel stays, request quotes for home services, and schedule appointments at salons and similar venues. Through the Expedia integration, customers can compare, book, and manage hotel reservations, or share preferences with Alexa to receive tailored suggestions. For instance, a user could ask, “Can you help me find pet-friendly hotels in Chicago this weekend?”
This latest update adds to Alexa+’s existing suite of integrations, which already includes Fodor’s, OpenTable, Suno, Ticketmaster, Thumbtack, and Uber.
Much like how ChatGPT now embeds third-party apps into its chat interface, Amazon aims to streamline access to online services through its voice assistant. Users can already instruct Alexa to hail an Uber ride or reserve a dinner table via OpenTable.
The assistant supports natural language conversations, allowing for back-and-forth interactions where requests can be refined progressively during the dialogue.
However, it remains to be seen whether consumers will embrace this shift in how they interact with digital services.
Still, Amazon has shared some early insights into how Alexa+ users are engaging with current integrations, noting strong participation from service providers like Thumbtack and Vagaro in home and personal care categories.
Using AI assistants as application platforms is an emerging industry trend aimed at bringing artificial intelligence into everyday consumer experiences. Success hinges on convincing users to adopt new behavioral patterns, as most people are accustomed to accessing services via websites or mobile apps. For AI-driven app usage to take hold, it must be perceived as equally convenient—or significantly more so—than traditional methods.
To achieve this, AI platforms must either match the breadth of services offered by conventional app stores—which provide curated selections compared to the broader web—or excel at proactively suggesting relevant apps at the right moment without appearing intrusive. Poorly timed or irrelevant prompts risk being viewed as advertisements, undermining user trust and engagement.
