How to Book Hotels with ChatGPT and Claude (2026)

AI assistants can now search and book travel for you, as long as they are connected to a booking system. MAQAMI runs a free Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and other clients live hotel and flight search. This guide shows how to set it up and what to expect.

What MCP is, in one paragraph

MCP is an open standard for connecting AI assistants to tools and data. A travel MCP server exposes tools such as “search hotel rates” or “search flights”. When you ask your assistant to find a hotel, it calls those tools, reads the live results and answers with real prices instead of guesses.

Connect MAQAMI in about a minute

• Claude (claude.ai, Desktop, mobile): Customize → Connectors → Add custom connector, URL https://mcp.maqami.co/, no sign-in. Works on the Free plan.
• ChatGPT: turn on Developer mode in Settings → Security and login, then create a developer-mode app with the same URL and No Authentication.
• Cursor, VS Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Windsurf: one command or one line of config; see the setup guide.

What you can ask

• “Find 5-star hotels in Istanbul for 15 to 17 August, 2 adults.”
• “Show me the amenities and photos for the second hotel.”
• “Search flights from Dubai to London on 10 December for one adult.”
• “Hold that room and send me the checkout link.”

How payment works

The assistant never takes payment. When you pick a room or fare, it holds the price and returns a checkout link on book.maqami.co for exactly that option. You enter guest details and pay through Stripe there, and the booking is confirmed instantly. Signed-in members pay up to 10% less than guests.

Privacy

An MCP server only receives the tool calls your assistant sends, such as a destination and dates. It does not see the rest of your conversation. Booking look-ups require both the booking ID and the email used to book.