Digital travel platform Agoda has deployed its Content Enhancement Tool to improve the presentation of hotels and other holiday properties on the platform, showcasing higher-quality images, faster loading speeds, and more relevant results.
Idan Zalzberg, chief technology officer at Agoda, emphasised the user-centric approach of the technology, stating, "A good picture can say more than a thousand words. Photos are essential to building trust when booking travel. With millions of images from various sources, we have developed a smart tool to classify, rank, and deliver the most relevant visuals quickly and at scale. This gives travellers a clearer, more informative, and true-to-life view of where they might stay, helping them book with confidence."
Enhancing content quality
Agoda aims to enhance the quality of content featured on its listings, providing consumers with an even better experience when viewing the over 6 million accommodation options available and the more than 450 million property images on the platform.
Its Content Enrichment Tool utilises Machine Learning (ML) and AI technologies to enhance millions of images. The tool's process involves identifying low-resolution images through a series of algorithms that analyse image quality, enhance their resolution using advanced upscaling techniques, remove duplicates, improve the tags added to images, and rank them based on clarity and relevance. Despite enhancements, the tool claims to maintain photo authenticity, ensuring accurate representation of the property.
Agoda reported that users are viewing more photos, spending more time browsing listings, and are more likely to check room details after interacting with upgraded visuals following the deployment of the content enhancement tool.
"This is about giving users additional confidence," Zalzberg added. "When you know what to expect, you book with more peace of mind and less hesitation."
