Articles tagged “startups”

This week, several travel startups collectively announced they had raised more than $195 million in funding. Concepts included rental apartments for corporate workers in the hybrid era as well as enterprise software for airline business intelligence and corporate travel technology.

Second seasons often disappoint, but Steve Singh's comeback bodes well for blue-chip corporations. Singh is a business travel icon, and his ideas and energy may rev up the metabolism of travel managers, whether or not they buy into his new startup Spotnana.

It is certainly an attractive time for private equity firms to invest in travel companies under pressure, but picking winners is never a slam dunk.

The WestCap Group has led a $150 million round in Flyr, a startup that helps travel companies boost their revenue. "Mogul management" appears to be the new "revenue management."

SiteMinder minimized the pandemic's hit to revenue by selling new tools to help hotels with payments and digital marketing. No wonder Fidelity International wanted to invest ahead of the startup's likely initial public offering in 2022.

Making the right choices has never been more crucial coming out of this pandemic. Not far from the core of every decision will be technology. Skift is now offering travel executives weekly the critical information needed to build, buy, or partner.

H2O Hospitality is a Korean startup that gained traction in Japan and now plans to offer its hotel and vacation rental management services in other markets. If you can make it in Osaka, you can make it anywhere.

Travel startups Angel Host, Thatch, Wanderlog, YouTravel, Margin Fuel, Zo World, and others have raised capital this week. Continued innovation is a bright spot as the travel sector heads into the last quarter of the year.

The travel sector is recovering slowly and unevenly from the pandemic, so startups will need all the help they can get to thrive.

Airlines have historically been cautious about adopting new technologies. So it's striking to hear any talk that carriers are buying new software during the pandemic-related revenue crisis.