Top Travel Tech Weekly News

News / Online

Airbnb leads $160M investment in hospitality platform Lyric

By Jill Menze | April 17, 2019

The Series B round will allow the San Francisco-based company to expand its relationships with local real estate developers. Read More

News / Online

Ryanair to get new website, promises more personalization

By Linda Fox | April 17, 2019

The move is part of the airline’s customer strategy for 2019, which aims to deliver a more personalized service on its digital channels. Read More

News / Online

Middle Eastern travel marketers see Amazon as biggest disruption threat

By Mitra Sorrells | April 17, 2019

Travel marketers in the Middle East say Amazon has the greatest potential to disrupt travel marketing in the next five years. Read More

News / Online

Women's Leadership Initiative comes to Phocuswright Europe

By Jill Menze | April 16, 2019

Following a successful debut at The Phocuswright Conference in November, the Women’s Leadership Initiative is coming to Amsterdam to kick off Phocuswright Europe on May 14. Read More

News / Distribution

OYO strikes first bedbank deal, Hotelbeds gives it 60,000 buying outlets

By Kevin May | April 15, 2019

Hotelbeds has become the first third-party bedbank to sign a distribution deal with India-based OYO Rooms. Read More

News / Online

From WiT Middle East 2019: Travel brands jostle to find their groove in a booming market

By Siew Hoon Yeoh - WiT | April 15, 2019

A look at the five key takeaways from WiT Middle East conference. Read More

News / Startups

Middle East, part 2: The travel startup scene

By Mitra Sorrells | April 15, 2019

For part two in our series on the Middle East we explore the startup ecosystem with input from founders, investors and support programs. Read More

News / Technology

How Expedia is using deep learning to improve the hotel booking process

By Linda Fox | April 12, 2019

Expedia Partner Solutions is using deep learning models to improve the hotel booking process for partners and - ultimately - the end consumer. Read More

News / Technology

University stakes claim on first AI-powered travel guide

By Linda Fox | April 12, 2019

The University of Surrey and Open University have created an AI-driven app to enhance a travel guidebook with digital content. Read More

Interview / Online

Sounding Off: Loyalty does not belong in the past

By PhocusWire | April 12, 2019

Quote from David Armstrong, CEO of HolidayPirates, in an article on PhocusWire this week on what makes him tick. Read More

Interview / Distribution

STARTUP STAGE: Gomingo wants to bring down commission rates for accommodation providers

By Linda Fox | April 11, 2019

Gomingo aims to bring down commission rates for hotels and other accommodation providers by offering 0% commission to hotels that sign up initially with a promise that they will only reach a maximum of... Read More

News / Online

More expansion for GuestReady with acquisition of competitor BnbLord

By Mitra Sorrells | April 11, 2019

European Airbnb property management company GuestReady has grown its property count to 2,000 with the acquisition of BnbLord, a Paris-based competitor. Read More

Interview / Distribution

Travelstart looks to Middle East for growth

By Siew Hoon Yeoh - WebInTravel | April 10, 2019

With South Africa as its home base and its businesses spread across the African continent, Travelstart believes its roots and experience make it well suited to take on the emerging and fragmented... Read More