AI at the helm of Trivago
Johannes Thomas, chief executive of Trivago, says the German hotel-search platform is using artificial intelligence to reshape its operations. After a pandemic-induced slump, the Düsseldorf-based firm posted a 21% rise in second-quarter revenue, reaching €168.4 million. Thomas told a supervisory-board meeting that the choice was between trimming staff to 200 or leveraging AI to amplify the work of 600 employees to the equivalent of 6,000.
"Small or medium-sized companies with a tech DNA are in a very sweet spot," he said.
Why the shift matters for European travel tech
Trivago competes with giants such as Booking Holdings and Google, yet it remains profitable and has grown almost 20% year-on-year to about $633 million in revenue. The firm's flat structure allows rapid adoption of new tools, a contrast to larger rivals burdened by layers of bureaucracy. By embedding AI into daily workflows, Trivago hopes to cut costs, improve search relevance and set a benchmark for mid-size European tech firms.
Role evolution agent and personal workflow
Thomas has personally built a "role evolution agent" that scans an employee's messages, job description and tasks to generate a personalised playbook for automation. The system even suggested that Thomas eliminate earnings preparation from his own duties, freeing him to focus on strategic decisions. He now spends more than half his time on AI projects, up from roughly a quarter a year ago.
"Invest at least one or two hours into AI and rethinking your work. Just block your calendar and do it," he advised.
Looking ahead
Thomas plans to roll the role-evolution tool across the organisation, encouraging other CEOs to adopt a similar hands-on approach. If successful, the AI-driven model could help Trivago sustain growth, protect its market niche and inspire other European mid-size companies to harness technology for scale.