<p>The rapid adoption of AI chatbots in the tourism industry has changed how tourists search for information, plan their trips, and decide where to stay. Even though more and more researchers are examining AI-enabled services, there are not many real-world studies showing how specific chatbot features affect visitors’ booking decisions through experiential processes. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the role of customer experience as a crucial mediating factor linking AI chatbot attributes to booking intention, while also exploring the moderating influence of tourists’ technological readiness. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study combines the functional attributes (perceived usefulness, ease of use, information quality, and 24/7 availability) and the social-interactive attributes (anthropomorphism and conversational intelligence) of AI chatbots to create a complete research model. Data were collected via an online survey targeting travelers in Bangladesh who had previously used AI chatbots for travel information or booking. Using purposive sampling, 326 valid responses were analyzed with SPSS (v.25), AMOS (v.24), and PROCESS Macro (v.4.2) to investigate direct, mediating, and moderating effects. The results show that all the chatbot features have a positive and significant influence on customer experience, which, in turn, has a significant positive effect on the intention to book. Mediation investigation substantiates that customer experience functions as a vital psychological conduit through which AI chatbot qualities influence booking intention. Moreover, the moderation results demonstrate that tourist technology readiness substantially strengthens the relationship between customer experience and booking intention, underscoring the importance of individual differences in technology adoption.</p>