Dan Peltier

We're desperate for any solution that makes booking corporate travel less painful. It appears TravelPerk's investors realize the value in a company that wants to give travel managers technology that makes them smarter, and that's a long time coming.

These are the newest travel startups from AngelList vying for travelers’ interest and investors’ attention.

Millennial travelers are already money-makers for brands around the world. But luxury-oriented Chinese millennials seemingly look to fill up any free time with travel, and there is a substantial market to accommodate them.

Technology for hotel employees has made significant strides in the past five years, but there are still new frontiers to be addressed such as putting staff in guests' hands via mobile concierge apps or communicating with guests through messaging platforms.

These are the digital trends we were talking about this week.

Both Seatfrog and Bookingkit seek to empower more consumers, whether it's giving them a smarter booking experience for tours and activities or the chance to get flight upgrades without any hassles.

These are the newest travel startups from AngelList vying for travelers’ interest and investors’ attention.

Larger influencers are still important to channeling a brand's messaging and casting a wide net, though localized micro-influencers with more niche followings often do better jobs at inspiring conversations among communities that travelers can more easily identify with.

By letting guests bid for rooms and getting hotels to engage in this practice, more guests are encouraged to book direct and understand the benefits of doing so.

These are the hospitality trends we were talking about this week.