Travel Weekly Group Ltd

🚢 Odysseus, a cruise booking engine specialist, integrates live booking for Atlas Ocean Voyages, offering travel advisors yacht-style itineraries. CEOs Monish Luthra (Odysseus) and James Rodriguez (Atlas) highlight the partnership's benefits for providing adventure-filled travel options and empowering advisors with effective booking tools. The integration reflects a commitment to exceptional client experiences.

📌 Travel Ledger, an automated accounts receivable and payable platform for travel, integrates with Revolut, Europe's rapidly expanding bank. The partnership allows travel businesses to manage B2B payments through Travel Ledger using Revolut Business accounts. This streamlines business banking activities like payment collection, merchant services, foreign exchange, and supplier settlements. The API integration is particularly advantageous for SMEs, supporting Travel Ledger's aim to be a key component in the travel industry's business banking ecosystem. CEO Roberto Da Re highlights the move's alignment with SMEs' financial consolidation needs.

🏙 Luxurist, a new luxury travel ecosystem, launched today, aiming to redefine the B2B premiere travel market. Powered by HBX Group, the platform boasts over 3,300 properties in 141 countries, known as La Collection. It enables luxury travel advisors to provide exceptional service and experiences, meeting the high demands of today's luxury travelers. Initially live in the US, expansion to European markets is expected within the year.

🛫 Insurtech provider battleface partners with WINGIE, a leading travel marketplace in the MENA region, offering services from over 450 airlines. The collaboration integrates battleface's travel insurance into Wingie's booking process, providing users with the Global Protection Plan, including 24/7 emergency and travel assistance. Michael Barta, battleface's managing director for Europe, highlights comprehensive benefits such as travel medical expense coverage and trip interruption. Orkun Ozkan of Wingie emphasizes enhanced customer travel experience and peace of mind.

🗺 Gigasure launched a customizable backpacker insurance with Core and Max plans, featuring Search and Rescue and Back to Base cover. Benefits can be added via the app with permanent or temporary Boosts for specific activities. Max policy includes Search and Rescue as standard. The policy also has GigaShield for flight and baggage delays, offering cash payouts for delays over three hours. Claims can be submitted through the app with pre-populated forms, simplifying the process. CEO Ernesto Suarez emphasizes the policy's flexibility and reassurance for travellers.

💰 TravelPerk, a business travel platform, concluded a Series E fundraise of $200 million and acquired Yokoy, an AI-powered European leader in expense, invoice, and card payment processing. The round, led by Atomico with EQT Growth, Noteus Partners, Kinnevik, and General Catalyst, nearly doubled TravelPerk's valuation to $2.7 billion. The funds will drive expansion into the US market, following the 2024 AmTrav acquisition, and enhance their product and technology. TravelPerk reached EBITDA break-even at the end of 2024 after two years of over 50% annual growth. Atomico and EQT Growth will join the Board of Directors.

📌 Hospitality Technology Advisory (HTA) appoints Joshua Beagrie as a consultant. Previously a senior business analyst at Alliants for over three years and at Kognitiv Corporation focusing on group strategies. Beagrie aims to optimize hotel services and profitability through digital and IT transformations, enhancing guest and staff experiences. HTA, founded last year, is known for being a trusted partner in the hotel industry. CEO Kevin Edwards expresses confidence in Beagrie's ability to drive better business performance and innovate for increased profitability.

🛫 Hong Kong Airlines adopts Accelya’s BIDT Audit solution to enhance operational efficiency and reduce GDS costs. Accelya will audit millions of transactions, aiming to recoup lost revenue. In the first month, the audit revealed inventory abuse, projecting annual savings in the hundreds of thousands of USD for the airline. The partnership underscores Hong Kong Airlines' trust in Accelya's expertise and anticipates significant cost savings, better agent education, and improved inventory management.