Travel spies and AIs

Hi there, it's Brandon, travel expert and new ChatGPT fan. The AI helped me plan my trip to Paris, and here's how it can help you [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hey travelers! It’s [Brandon Presser]( here, Bloomberg’s behind-the-scenes spy guy freshly back at my desk after an extended stint in Hawaii where I was embedded at a luxury resort. If you’re wondering, “[Was it like a real-life White Lotus?](” then you’re bang on. More on that below… But first, I have a question for you: would you go on a holiday planned by a robot? With the sudden omnipresence of ChatGPT and its [ever-improving]([ programs](, I was curious to see just how adept AI would be at organizing my upcoming trip to Paris. I figured Paris was the perfect destination to trial ChatGPT’s aggregation abilities, as it’s one of the most popular destinations on Earth so a surfeit of recommendations already exist. Everyone has their own must-do list for the City of Lights, and the overabundance of information is either a foolproof guarantee of a good time, or it can leave one mired in utter indecision. As a self-confessed optimizer, I tend to subscribe to the latter. Have ChatGPT, will travel. Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg I inputted all of my desired vacationing parameters into ChatGPT’s dialog for a four-day trip flying from NYC to CDG in business class, and I’ve got to admit: the result was pretty impressive. The AI excelled at mining for ultra-specifics. After determining that Air France was the ideal choice for my transatlantic flight from JFK to CDG, it suggested exact seat selections to maximize space and privacy (1A, 1D, 5A and 5D, if you’re curious, plus 1K and 1G for the solo travelers). Similarly, when asked to optimize my experience at the Louvre museum, I received detailed information on timing my visit to minimize tourist hustle and bustle: “arrive right at opening time (9 a.m.) … on Mondays and Thursdays as they are usually less crowded.” Le Progrès cafe in the Marais quarter. Photographer: Marc Piasecki/Getty Images Europe Also impressive were the mere seconds it took to generate a specific, 10-stop, one-hour walking tour of the Marais that included, by request, a place to grab a bite for lunch and several boutiques to peruse. There were, however, a few computational hiccups, like planning my Tuesday to include a stop at the Louvre, even though in a separate line of questioning it knew the museum was closed that day. Visiting the Louvre… just not on a Tuesday. Photographer: Anita Pouchard Serra/Bloomberg And while the AI’s dining selections were spot on ([Septime](? Yes, please! [Bistrot Paul Bert](? Let’s go!), it offered no tangible way to actually score a reservation at these popular establishments. And those expert tips for selecting business class seating on Air France? The bot can’t book those either. The biggest drawback is inescapable, and that’s how ChatGPT is trained: It has limited knowledge of the world and events after 2021. It’s not connected to the “live” internet. So that new, cool hotel or restaurant you want to check out and casually brag about on your Insta? Yeah, you won’t find it here. It’s like using an out-of-date Frommer’s or Rough Guide to plan a trip. ChatGPT also can’t account for the recent garbage collector strikes in Paris. Here’s some tips if you’re headed that way soon. Photographer: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu So I called in the big guns. I took the exact same parameters to two tried-and-true human travel advisors: Sunil Metcalfe, sales director at [Black Tomato](, and Pamela Schein Murphy, an independent advisor who uses the [Fora platform]( to engage with her clients. Here’s how their recommendations stacked up. REQUEST NO. 1 — Dinner at a restaurant bringing the city’s culinary identity in a new direction. - Metcalfe: [Mosuke]( (reopening in late June) embodies a fusion, future-forward approach to food in a way that seems effortless and not fussy - Murphy: [Le Servan](is not your grandmother’s French bistro, but a modern, understated version that blends contemporary flavors with traditional ingredients. - ChatGPT: [Yam’]([Tcha]( is a one-Michelin-starred restaurant that fuses French and Asian cuisine. All three did a great job here touching upon a dining experience that has evolved beyond the traditional French canon of cuisine, although only Metcalfe and Murphy could help me actually score a reservation. ChatGPT’s choice is the most famous of the three, meaning getting a table was a problem. Thankfully, the best pastries in Paris you can get on a whim. Photographer: Céline Clanet for Bloomberg Pursuits REQUEST NO. 2 — Stay at a chic hotel that feels Parisian in style, and is walking distance to a lot of great attractions but still has a neighborhood feel. $1,000/night budget. - Metcalfe: [Relais Christine]( has always been a hidden gem in Paris, but now under the Relais & Chateaux wing and with the Guerlain Spa, it has taken pied-à -terre chic to new levels. - Murphy: [Les Jardins du Faubourg]( is a relatively new hotel that was once the home of Maréchal d’Aguesseau. The location is decidedly Parisian, and the decor is the perfect blend of modern and traditional. - ChatGPT: [Le Bristol Paris]( is a five-star hotel located in the heart of the 8th arrondissement and offers elegant, Parisian-style rooms. It is also within walking distance of many popular attractions, such as the Champs-Elysées. This exemplified the AI’s tendency to pick grand, legendary items for my itinerary which is perfect for someone hoping to experience the greatest hits. The humans opted for smaller, more intimate properties, both considerably newer, too. A room at LVMH’s latest luxury bauble, Cheval Blanc Paris, would have blown my budget. Photographer: Alexandre Tabaste REQUEST NO. 3 — Visit an upwardly trending neighborhood in ‘Grand Paris’ and include specific points of interest. - Metcalfe: take in the charms of the Canal St Martin stopping at [Fric-Frac](for a coffee and a pastry or enjoy [Le Comptoir General](, one of the coolest bars in the area. - Murphy: young and hip, the 11th arrondissement has a number of incredible restaurants and bars taking over the area. [The Edith Piaf museum]( is definitely worth a look. - ChatGPT: Montreuil is known for its vibrant street art scene and village-like atmosphere. Explore the [March]([é]([aux Puces de Montreuil](, a large weekend flea market, the Parc des Beaumonts, and the Château de Montreuil that now serves as a cultural center. I think the AI really excelled at honing in on broader targets, like making neighborhood touring selections. It subsequently generated a list of side streets in which to check out all of the area’s public murals. I appreciated the human selections as they prioritized certain points of interest like a restaurant or bar. So does GPT stand for Great Planner of Travel? Not quite. Not yet. Although the AI gives recommendations on par with human experts, it’s missing the human element, that is the nuance that takes a recommendation from excellent to extraordinary. It has no vibe check. Nor any way to actually help you with your trip. I would use AI again for future travel planning merely to generate lists from which I could cull points of interest. Tedious Googling it does with aplomb. Connect with Brandon via [Instagram](  The human touch. ChatGPT may be good as collating a bunch of intel from a variety of sources, but the best recommendations come from boots-on-the-ground reporting. Here’s some of my favorite adventures I’ve covered for Bloomberg from exploring Kyoto not as a relic of tradition but as a bastion of newness and innovation, to unraveling the social media-driven narrative in Iceland that blinds most travelers to the country’s best offerings. [Forget Cherry Blossoms: The Real Reasons to Go to Kyoto Right Now]( Modernized kaiseki cuisine, world-class contemporary art, and a cutting-edge cocktail culture reveal that Japan’s bastion of history has been a simmering cauldron of fresh ideas all along. [Why Madeira’s Lush Ecosystem and Sweet Wines Make It Ripe for a Visit]( There’s history, adventure, and world-class food and drinks, all on one tiny island. [With Food and Drinks in the Spotlight, Now’s the Perfect Time to Visit Wales]( Spend a night or two in a country that’s riding high on new innovation and accolades—built on centuries-old traditions. [The True Believers of Guatemala Are Luring International Travelers]( A small chain of hotels is planning for a future of safer travel to a country filled with cultural riches. [The Wrong Way to Visit Iceland]( Ignore everything Instagram shows you, and venture instead to the hidden places few travelers have ever seen. The luxury underbelly. This April marks six years that I’ve been going undercover at some of the most elite luxury hospitality brands in America and beyond—all to understand how these highly esteemed companies cater to the oft-impossible demands of their affluent clients. The extremes have always made for excellent cocktail party conversation, but it’s also the averages—the everyday systems and services—that have captured my attention and imagination as well. It’s fascinating to understand the ‘cult’ in ‘culture’ at these hospitality heavyweights, that secret sauce that’s earned them their best-in-class status. [My week working at Turtle Bay Resort was no different.]( Illustration: Mark Wang We’ve been wanting to embed at a legendary resort for years, and it was the popularity of HBO’s The White Lotus that finally convinced us to pull the trigger. Turtle Bay was the obvious choice, as it’s Oahu’s only true mega-resort, sitting on 1,300 acres of land (twice the size of Waikiki’s entire hotel district). Within a few days, almost every character archetype from Mike White’s hit series had been scouted: the buffet hounds, the disaffected honeymooners, the catty teenagers and even an escort. [There were a few big surprises, too](. Hungry for more? These have been my five favorite entries in the series. [The 12 Shocking Things I Learned by Working as a Butler at the Plaza Hotel]( [Bizarre Rich-People Secrets I Learned Undercover at Canyon Ranch Spa]( [Ten Things I Never Knew About Las Vegas Until I Ran a High-Roller Suite]( [Nine Secrets I Never Knew About Airports Until I Worked at LAX]( [Twelve Things I Never Knew About Clothes Until I Became a Personal Shopper for Barneys]( Desert island reading. While doing interviews for the release of my latest book, the most common question I received was: If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring five books, which ones would they be? Being recently back from Hawaii, I thought I’d flip the question and pick five captivating titles that take place on deserted islands instead. (Is it cheating if I include my own, [The Far Land](?) - [The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder]( by David Grann - [Hawaii]( by James A. Michener - [Moloka’]([i]( by Alan Brennert - [The Beach]( by Alex Garland - [My Island Home: An Autobiography]( by James Norman Hall You had some questions! Several of you wrote in via [our dedicated question line](mailto:AskPursuits@bloomberg.net?I%20have%20a%20question) and also [via our Instagram](. Here are some answers. Is there anything so scandalous from your secret service stories that you can’t include it in the magazine? Yes. And that’s a big, resounding yes. So many great bits get left on the proverbial cutting room floor either because we simply don’t have the space in the magazine for all the gory gossip, or a story is so spicy—so beyond the threshold of acceptable human behavior—that it’s better left unsaid. One of the most interesting quirks about regularly infiltrating these ultra-elite realms is that oftentimes the same demanding characters reappear. We protect client anonymity to the fullest, but I’ve seen a certain pop diva and another ultra-famous male athlete each make blind appearances on at least three separate occasions each. At Aspen, clients often request a “fun young guy”… Illustration: Zohar Lazar I’ll share a favorite anecdote of mine that ended up on the editorial chopping block for my Aspen story [when I worked as a ski instructor at the famed resort](. It details a second sport that I encountered on the mountain: wine oneupmanship at [the Little Nell](: Oftentimes, guests like to sit in the hotel’s centrally located Living Room where they can enjoy a plate of wagyu sliders, sit back and “label out,” as [Carlton McCoy]( (the Little Nell’s sommelier at the time) calls it—purchasing a particularly pricy bottle of red and angling the bottle outward so passersby can glimpse the brand name on its sticker. McCoy has an unlimited budget to source the best corkages from around the world, and his wine list creeps all the way up to around $60,000 for a bottle of DRC (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti). McCoy says he gets a big spender, that is someone dropping over $20,000 for a bottle, around every 10 days. By the end of the ski season, the Little Nell’s main dining venue, Element 47, will do over $6 million in wine sales. It helps, of course, that roughly 75 cases of Dom Pérignon are sold on New Year’s Eve alone. Flight prices are killer, but for hotel discounts, there IS a hack that still works. Source: Kimpton St Honoré Paris Are airfares going to go down anytime soon? I was just looking into booking flights to [head back to Japan]( for another reporting project and definitely had some sticker shock—and that’s for off-season travel! One saving grace: Since Delta doesn’t charge change fees anymore except for the most basic of economy tickets, I don’t have to worry about overpaying now only to see the price drop later. If the price decreases between now and my departure date, I can[simply rebook at the lower price](, keeping the value of the cost difference as a credit for a future flight.  I do believe that travel in general is going to remain a much more expensive pastime—or commodity, depending on how you look at it. I highly recommend [giving this white paper a read](. Commissioned by hospitality conglomerate Delaware North, the “Forth” report (Future of Recreation, Travel & Hospitality) is  a candid look at the industry from all angles, including how environment, political and social factors are affecting our decision making and spending behaviors.  Of course Tokyo is tops when it comes to incredible public toilets. Photographer: Takaaki Iwabu/Bloomberg There should be a review of every destination’s public toilets. Does something like this exist? This seemed like the perfect opportunity to re-engage with our friendly ChatGPT AI and add this question to my Paris planning. Here’s what I got when asking for five public restrooms that were free, clean and didn’t come with an associate purchase. But from personal experience, I definitely don’t agree with number five…  - Jardin des Tuileries - Parc des Buttes-Chaumont - Jardin du Luxembourg - Parc Montsouris - Forum des Halles shopping center New for subscribers: Free article gifting. Bloomberg.com subscribers can now gift up to five free articles a month to anyone you want. Just look for the "Gift this article" button on stories. (Not a subscriber? Unlock limited access and [sign up here](.) Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. 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