PhocusWire

Reservation tech company Kaptio has received new funding as it looks to expand operations globally. Growth equity fund VEX has acquired a 70% stake in the Iceland-based company, but financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The investment marks Kaptio's first funding since the pandemic. It plans to use the financial support for product development, sales and marketing, cloud operations and to fund new innovation programs with clients. Learn more on #PhocusWire: https://bit.ly/4gnOMQp #travelnews #traveltech #travelindustry

It’s hard to recall when tech didn’t play a role in #hotel management. Now hotel system infrastructure has evolved within a framework of application solutions to meet specific needs. However, the hotel industry’s “short-term fix” tech is stuck in a high-maintenance vertical framework. Standalone applications must interface with the same core systems in the hotel and a business with a portfolio of fragmented systems, causing unnecessary complexity. To move forward, hotel companies need to be strategic about how they evolve their tech architecture. Read more on #PhocusWire: https://bit.ly/4gjIb9z #traveltech #travelindustry #travelnews #hoteltech #hospitalitytech

Free Webinar - December 10th at 11am ET 🗓️ Register now and mark your calendars: https://bit.ly/3OzBXqn As artificial intelligence transforms the #travel and #hospitality landscape, businesses face a critical decision: use #AI solely for cost reduction and automation or leverage it to enhance customer engagement and service excellence. Join us for this live webinar, brought to you by WNS, where we'll explore: -How AI is reshaping the future of travel -The strategies industry leaders are using to deploy these technologies -Why defining an AI manifesto is essential for differentiating your brand #freewebinar #livewebinar #traveltech #travelnews #travelindustry

Airbnb has had a year of making and being involved in the headlines. The #accommodation platform re-opened to submissions of new #experiences, launched Icons, a co-host marketplace, and has continued to fight the march of regulations in the short-term rental segment. Speaking at The Phocuswright Conference 2024, Dave Stephenson, Airbnb’s chief business officer, touched on many of these themes as well as others including the drive for greater personalization, the role of artificial intelligence, and loyalty. Watch the full session now on #PhocusWire: https://bit.ly/3BoxhAz #travelnews #traveltech #travelindustry #airbnb #shorttermrentals

We welcomed Airbnb chief business officer Dave Stephenson to The #Phocuswright Conference. Hear what he told me about the company’s expansion plans, the potential for a guest marketplace and a loyalty program, use of AI and what it’s doing with all that data it’s collecting on users (with questions in its profile like “My favorite song in high school…” and “My biography title would be…”)

For more than a decade, IATA's New Distribution Capability standard has been a topic of discussion and debate among airlines and travel sellers. In 2023, American Airlines was one of the first to make a bold push for NDC by moving 40% of its lowest fares to be available only through its own channels and NDC channels. But shortly after American's chief commercial officer, Vasu Raja announced he was leaving the company in May, the airline said it would reverse course on the strategy - delighting some travel advisors and fueling skepticism about the future of NDC. While it's now clear American's strategy didn't pan out, that doesn’t mean the industry should stand still or retreat, said Cory Garner, a former American Airlines executive who now runs his own airline distribution consultancy, Garner, in a keynote address at The Beat Live event in New York City Tuesday. Learn more on #PhocusWire: https://bit.ly/3ZNwjrj #travelnews #traveltech #travelindustry #airlinetech #NDC

Capturing the pulse of #traveltech: The #PhocusWire team in action at The #Phocuswright Conference 2024 last month! Catch up on the breaking conference news now ➡️ https://bit.ly/3D0tPN6

Some of the #travel industry's most influential players met during WiT Singapore to discuss a subject that's poised to change the way we see the world - literally. This year’s theme, The Next Generation in Travel Tech, wasn’t just about new gadgets or better algorithms. It was about understanding the massive shifts #AI is bringing to everything from customer service to personalization and what that means for travelers. Here are the major insights and predictions from the Web In Travel event, which just might hint at how we’ll book, plan, and experience travel in the coming years: https://bit.ly/419zZV8 #traveltech #travelindustry #travelnews

There's still time to register for tomorrow's free webinar ➡️ https://bit.ly/3Z268eF Our live discussion with Ciklum and Stripe's industry experts will explore: -Why frictionless travel has become a necessity, not a luxury -Ways to benchmark your digital strategy against Gen Z's expectations -How to reimagine personalization and loyalty with data -The tech trends that will shape 2025 #freewebinar #livewebinar #genztravel #traveltech #travelindustry #travelnews

Live webinar - December 10th at 11am ET Click here to reserve your spot: https://bit.ly/3OzBXqn As AI continues to transform the #travel and #hospitality landscape, businesses face a critical decision - use it solely for cost reduction and automation, or leverage it to enhance customer engagement and service excellence. In this free webinar from PhocusWire and WNS, we'll explore the strategic decisions that must be made to effectively deploy these technologies and explain why defining an #AI manifesto is essential for differentiating your brand. #freewebinar #livewebinar #traveltech #travelindustry #travelnews