Look out for the “Uber of generative AI” in travel
“I hope to be around when the next big thing arrives,” says Chris Hemmeter
Who will be the first travel startup to create the “Uber of generative AI”? That’s the challenge Chris Hemmeter, managing director of Thayer Ventures, issued at the Innovation Roundtable at Phocuswright Europe taki [...]
Lifestyle hotels show promising trends in post-COVID travel landscape
As global occupancy rebounds, lifestyle hotels offer unique experiences that challenge traditional accommodations.
The hospitality industry is witnessing a remarkable recovery as global occupancy rates in the first quarter of 2023 approach pre-pandemic levels. Fueling this resurgence are lifestyle [...]
Velocity Ventures launches “heartware” initiative targeting various sectors in travel
Corporate Partners Program aims to support the ecosystem by helping startups access industry and innovation professionals.
Velocity Ventures, a prominent investor in travel and hospitality tech in Southeast Asia, is spearheading an initiative to address the challenges faced by the various s [...]
Mapping cherry blossoms in Japan. Airbus helps elephants. Hopper’s risky business, more
Flickr’s role in cherry blossom research
Research by Monash University experts has tracked Japanese hanami (flower viewing) via social media images, producing a remarkable map of cherry blossoms across Japan to document their annual bloom and calculate its peak in major cities.
The study gathe [...]
Go City and QPSOFTWARE are developing a WeChat mini program in China
The partnership aims to enhance travel experiences in China's dynamic market
Go City, a global attraction pass company, has announced its collaboration with QPSOFTWARE as the lead technical agency for the development of a WeChat mini program in China. This initiative aims to cater to the needs of C [...]
From baseball hotel stay to Suica integration, SQUEEZE hits home run with hospitality innovation
Fancy staying in the middle of a baseball stadium? Try tower eleven hotel
Shinichi Tatebayashi, CEO and founder of SQUEEZE, is understandably very excited about his newest hotel, which he says is a world first. “tower eleven hotel” is a 12-room lifestyle accommodation, with a sauna and hotspr [...]
Listen: The golden age of travel disruption is here, says Wego chief
Last year at WiT Singapore, Ross Veitch, Chief Executive & Co-founder, Wego made a number of bold predictions about the future of travel, technology, and the Artificial Intelligence revolution. Trust us, you'll be surprised at how many he got right. He dishes out a few hot takes on the ways jobs [...]
Reviewing hotel reviews. Australia banks on Hopper. Digital nomads in Europe, more
Commbank opens a travel account with Hopper
Australia’s CommBank is the latest organisation to hop onboard Hopper to help make it easier for the bank’s customers to book flights, accommodation and car rental – both domestic and international.
Hopper ‘s range of travel features will be pa [...]
Atly Secures $18 Million in Funding for Location-Based Discovery and Mapping
The platform combines social media-like knowledge sharing with mapping and location discovery tools to create a more precise search experience.
Atly, a user-generated social mapping platform, has announced its official launch along with $18 million in funding from Target Global, Tal Ventures, and F [...]
GetYourGuide nabs $194M for global expansion, more AI development
TOURS and activities online booking platform GetYourGuide has closed $194 million in equity and credit financing and plans to use the funding to expand in key markets and to accelerate product innovation – including extensive work with generative artificial intelligence.
The financing comes in [...]
