This is a roundup of product news and announcements for travel STARTUPS in tourism and hospitality for September 2014.
Thursday 23 September 2014:
BlaBlaCar expands into Turkey
- Ride-sharing startup BlaBlaCar has announced its expansion into Turkey calling the destination a 'significant addition' to its community. Turkey presents the startup's 13th country with iPhone and Android applications available for download. BlaBlaCar is planning to open an office in Istanbul as well as recruit a country manager for the destination. The company announced $100 million in funding for global expansion earlier this year.
Hostel Rocket launches mobile apps
- Hostel booking platform Hostel Rocket has released mobile applications for both Apple and Android devices. The company, which launched in July, Startup Pitch here, says it has already received more than $400,000 in hostel bookings. Earlier this month, the startup released a browser version of its service.
Monday 22 September 2014:Tinker has reached the 100,000 passenger milestone in Europe
- This week Dutch airport taxi-startup Tinker says it has picked up its 100,000 passenger in the Netherlands. (See: "Startup pitch: Tinker thinks it knows what it takes to make the perfect airport taxi booking"). The company, founded in 2012, is about to launch into Belgium and Germany. It's also working on a business solution and a loyalty program. It has also been working on commercial alliances: In August, it signed deals with TUI Netherlands and Sundio group.
Tuesday 9 September 2014:UTrip enters B2B deal with Visit Dallas
- In a new B2B effort, UTrip will be launching a white-label version of its trip planner, with the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau as the launch customer among hotels and destination marketing organizations. Utrip uses a traveler's interests and budget to build a custom itinerary. (See Tnooz's profile of UTrip.)
LastRoom tries B2B