OpenAI has brought an experienced travel entrepreneur into its team by acquiring AI travel startup Odessia, founded by Francis Davidson. The deal comes as the company looks to make ChatGPT more useful for everyday tasks, including travel planning.
Davidson announced the move in a post on X, saying he would be joining OpenAI to help shape the future of travel. An OpenAI spokesperson also confirmed his appointment to TechCrunch, describing him as an experienced entrepreneur who has built multiple businesses in the travel industry.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Francis to OpenAI. Francis is a proven founder who has built multiple businesses to help people travel, and we’re excited he’s chosen to build with us,” the spokesperson said.
Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed. However, the deal appears to be an acqui-hire, with OpenAI bringing Davidson on board for his experience in building travel-focused businesses and AI products.
Odessia was founded about a year ago and developed an AI-powered travel agent designed to help users plan trips. The startup raised $6 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Sequoia and launched its travel planning product about five months ago.
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Davidson said the platform had helped early users organize trips worth millions of dollars. However, Odessia’s website is now offline, indicating that the service has been discontinued following the deal.
While OpenAI has not announced any specific travel product or plans following the acquisition, the move comes as more people turn to AI assistants for travel recommendations, itineraries and bookings.
ChatGPT already has connections with major travel companies, including Booking.com, Expedia and KAYAK, which are among its customers or partners. OpenAI also highlighted travel planning as a potential use for its ChatGPT agent when it introduced the feature in July 2025.
An OpenAI spokesperson said travel is among the everyday activities for which people frequently use its chatbot, pointing to the opportunity to expand these services.
“1.2 billion people turn to ChatGPT each week for help with everyday tasks — from understanding their health, figuring out what to make for dinner, building a budget, and even planning a trip. We see a real opportunity to make these experiences even more useful,” the spokesperson said.
The appointment also brings a familiar name from the travel industry into OpenAI. Davidson previously founded Sonder, a short-term rental company he launched as a college student in 2014.
Sonder operated on a model similar to Airbnb but focused on upscale apartments in major cities around the world. The company grew rapidly and eventually reached unicorn status, generating $143 million in revenue.
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However, the business faced serious challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it later attempted to recover and went public through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), it struggled to raise the funding needed to sustain its operations.
Davidson eventually stepped down as CEO in June 2025. The company’s financial troubles worsened after a key partnership with Marriott fell apart. Sonder subsequently filed for bankruptcy and began winding down its operations.
In 2026, the bankruptcy trustee sold Sonder’s name, trademarks and website domain to TravelAI. The website now operates as a curated travel guide featuring rental properties similar to those that once formed the foundation of Sonder’s business.
Despite Sonder’s collapse, Davidson’s experience building a large travel business and launching an AI-powered travel platform could prove valuable to OpenAI as it explores new ways to expand ChatGPT’s capabilities.