The online accommodation sector within travel and tourism is dominated by a small number of platform intermediaries that impose high service fees, raising concerns regarding the equitable distribution of value. Using a business lens, this study draws on multiple theories to develop a practical framework for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies in transforming existing business models to foster more equitable ecosystems. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological methodology, conducting semi-structured interviews with fourteen academic and industry experts in AI, blockchain, and tourism and hospitality. Data analysis was performed with NVivo software using reflexive thematic analysis, which revealed the benefits and challenges of AI integration, the advantages and limitations of blockchain, barriers to implementing peer-to-peer (P2P) business models, the essential components of a practical integration framework, and the tension between integration and disintermediation in online accommodation. The findings indicate that neither AI nor blockchain alone is sufficient to displace entrenched market structures. Instead, participants proposed a hybrid model in which platforms retain governance and compliance functions while decentralising user identity, payments, reputation, and loyalty mechanisms through smart contracts. Lessons from failed and successful cases highlight adoption challenges but also point to the viability of blockchain-based accommodation startups when integrated with conventional platforms. These insights inform the development of the study’s VISTA framework and its stepped implementation roadmap. Overall, the study extends platform theories by advancing a hybrid business model that balances centralised and decentralised governance, while calling for future quantitative testing to validate and extend the framework.