PhocusWire

Hilton is partnering with Be My Eyes, an app that connects those who are blind or have low vision with sighted volunteers and, in the case of Hilton, customer service representatives through live video and #AI. “We believe that every guest – regardless of ability or any other factor – deserves a reliable and friendly travel experience, and we are proud to partner with Be My Eyes to make that more of a reality for thousands of Be My Eyes users," said Mike Gathright, senior vice president of customer excellence and innovation at Hilton. Read more on #PhocusWire: https://bit.ly/3BN26yW #travelnews #traveltech #travelindustry #hoteltech

AviLabs, the company behind #airline disruption technology Plan3, has raised €8 million in fresh funding. The investment in the Iceland-based company was led by Frumtak Ventures with existing investor Brunnur Ventures also participating. Avilabs, which launched in 2019, plans to put the funding into global expansion and further innovation in #aviation technology. The company already works with a number of carriers including Transavia, Transat and Volotea. Read more on #PhocusWire: https://bit.ly/4f9dmnL #travelnews #travelindustry #traveltech #airlinetech

Airbnb has officially launched its co-hosting marketplace with 10,000 co-hosts in 10 countries. The new service enables hosts to hire other hosts to help them manage tasks like creating listings, taking photos, cleaning and communicating with guests. “We’ve found that over 40% of hosts said they would host more than they do currently if they had help,” said Jay Carney, Airbnb’s global head of policy and communications. Some are wondering if this service has the potential to truly shift the power dynamics between property owners and traditional property managers. Get the full story on #PhocusWire: https://bit.ly/4870zzP #traveltech #travelnews #travelindustry #propertymanagement

Following a successful collaboration, Wingie Enuygun Group has extended its partnership with Travelport to expand throughout the Middle East and beyond. The rapidly growing online #travel marketplace recently worked with Travelport as a strategic partner to gain access to new consumer bases in the Middle East - specifically in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Its next move? Expansion into new markets, enabled by modern #retailing strategy. Learn more on #PhocusWire: https://bit.ly/3AcHNdA #traveltech #travelnews #travelindustry #onlinetravelmarketplace #travelretailing

RoomRaccoon Hotel Tech, a Netherlands-based provider of cloud-based #hotel management software, has acquired Lobbi Hotel Software, a Belgium-based #hospitality software provider, for an undisclosed amount. RoomRaccoon said the acquisition will add more than 300 properties to its client base in the Benelux region. Learn more on #PhocusWire: https://bit.ly/3NqH6R1 #travelnews #traveltech #travelindustry #hoteltech #hospitalitytech

#Payments continue to be a major cost driver in the #travel industry. According to Phocuswright's latest research report on the topic, 4-5 in 10 global respondents strongly agreed that card processing fees are too high. Alternative forms of payment are a lower cost alternative to traditional forms of payment, especially in emerging regions. But the industry's low adoption of #AFP illustrates a gap between opportunities to reduce costs and struggles with change due to legacy systems and processes. The State of Global Travel Payments 2024 dives into the impact of #AI on payments, fraud, shifts in distribution, B2B developments and more: https://bit.ly/3NuF95W #travelindustry #traveltech #travelnews #travelpayments #alternativepayments

Asia can be found operating 3 to 5 years ahead of the rest of the world in terms of travel tech adoption, according to a recent report from TNMT. The report provides insight into the priorities of corporate investors in Asia when it comes to tech powering the #travel industry. The takeaways are interesting, especially considering the travel tech #investment climate globally has been lukewarm in recent years. “Asia is one of the most dynamic regions for travel tech investment,” said Jeff Kim, CEO of Yanolja Cloud and group chief strategy officer at Yanolja. “The pandemic accelerated digital transformation across industries, but in Asia, we’re seeing sustained growth and innovation, especially in AI and automation.” PhocusWire recently reached out to Kim and other investors in the region, who weighed in on the trends identified by TNMT: https://bit.ly/3Nxg0aN #traveltech #travelnews #travelindustry #travelinvestments

GlobalTix has closed a Series B funding round of about $5 million led by Tin Men Capital with participation from Seeds Capital, Orzon Ventures and others. Founded in 2013, the ticketing software provider and marketplace distribution platform provides solutions for #attractions, #tours, and #activities. The company said the #funding will be used to fuel its expansion plans and to implement artificial intelligence solutions. Learn more on #PhocusWire: https://bit.ly/401nJp5 #travelnews #travelindustry #traveltech

In November 2020, PhocusWire announced its Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2021 - 25 of the most promising young companies across nearly every #travel sector. While the pandemic had brought most travel to a standstill for a large portion of the year, these #startups had still been hard at work creating solutions and products to better serve the industry. PhocusWire recently caught up with some of the companies from our class of 2021 to hear about how they've grown and the challenges they've encountered in the last few years: https://bit.ly/3zVcSCE #travelnews #travelindustry #traveltech #travelstartups #hot25

?? Checkout PhocusWire's latest roundup of the people, product and partner #news from the global #travel industry this week: https://bit.ly/3YhRGA6 FCM Meetings & Events Americas, the long-standing industry specialists and one of the flagship divisions of Flight Centre Travel Group, has announced the appointment of Gabriella Antoniotti as the new business leader for the Americas. Guesty, a property management platform for short-term rental and #hospitality properties, has appointed Kate Cox as chief marketing officer. Stay22, a travel tech company that offers affiliate revenue generation opportunities for travel content creators, has announced the integration of Booking.com's products. This partnership will offer Stay 22’s network of content creators the opportunity to generate revenue from every element of the travel experience in one place. Swiipr, an #airline payment technology company, has appointed Kirk Nagy as vice president of sales for the Americas. Otamiser, an #OTA ranking management platform, has announced its expansion into the short-term rental industry with the launch of AutoRank. Leveraging #AI, the tool analyzes Airbnb search trends and #guest behavior to automatically refresh property listings every 48 hours. German startup Onsai has launched an AI-driven voice solution to aid operational efficiency in the hospitality sector. NexusCube, the B2B division of NexusTours, and Juniper Travel Technology have entered an agreement with Globick, a B2B connectivity platform for #tours and experiences. TPConnects Technologies, an IATA-certified global aggregator and distribution technology company, announced the implementation of #NDC content and servicing capabilities for Hawaiian Airlines on its Iris platform. Holibob, a provider of tours and #experiences technology, has appointed Derek Lakin as vice president of product and engineering. Civitatis a curated marketplace for tours and #activities, has appointed Alexandre Oliveira as the new country manager for Brazil. #travelnews #travelindustry #traveltech