Startups

Think of workplace communications tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams. Well, Beekeeper and Lua are versions of those tools built to help hourly workers without desktop computers. Many hotel groups use them to help housekeepers stay up-to-date in the workers' native languages.

This week, travel startups announced more than $20 million in funding. The startups target high-end B&Bs, group travel booking, destination planning, and other concepts.

Greece says it's all set to welcome tourists in May, as the EU has just unveiled a new Covid-19 pass for travelers. But will the fragmented bloc be able to agree on rights attached to the certificate in time to save the summer?

Recent investor bets include a German short-term rental brand (Cosi), a Finnish startup that builds chatbots for hotels (Hotelway), an Australian startup that offers rural cabins for urban dwellers (Unyoked), and a French revenue management company (Yieldin).

After a difficult year, 2021 is likely to be a year of travel startup exits and consolidation fueled by IPOs, M&A, and — new on the scene — SPACs. These deals could help drive renewed enthusiasm for investing in and founding companies within the travel.

This deal cements Vacasa status as the largest full-service property manager for whole-home vacation rentals in the U.S. That makes it a rare pure-play bet on alternative accommodations for its private equity backers, which have prompted Vacasa to consolidate more of the sector.

For many cultural heritage sites affected by the pandemic, it's "game on." Med Gaims and Questo offer some promising models for destinations looking to engage tourists in the recovery.

PayPal founder Peter Thiel once said: "We wanted flying cars. Instead we got 140 characters." But some investors now think flying driverless taxis will be viable by 2024. We have that and other travel startup news in this week's roundup.

The pandemic derailed record years of venture capital activity in travel, resetting the industry to 2014 levels of investment. But our assessment shows signs for optimism about the future of the travel industry and its ability to innovate technology and incubate globally relevant startups.

In its early days, Airbnb created new lodging inventory by wooing people who had never hosted strangers to try renting out their spaces. Harvest Hosts isn't going to be the next Airbnb. But it does a similar trick to expand the bookable options available in the outdoor sector.