Travel Planning

HYP3R happy as it raises $17M to expand geofencing tech
News / Technology
HYP3R happy as it raises $17M to expand geofencing tech
By Kevin May | September 17, 2018
A string of investors have handed HYP3R a $17 million war chest by way of a Series A investment in the company. Read More
tripcreator-8-million-funding
News / Startups
TripCreator lands $8M in funding, plans New York move
By Linda Fox | September 14, 2018
TripCreator, a trip planning service, has raised $8 million in funding from venture capitalists and business angels. Read More
Hilton Honors app add recommendations
News / Technology
Hilton’s new in-app guide offers tips from hotel employees
By Mitra Sorrells | September 13, 2018
Hilton is adding location-based recommendations for food, nightlight, shopping and activities to its Hilton Honors mobile app.   Read More
Evaneos raises $80M, eyes U.S expansion
News / Online
Evaneos raises $80M, eyes U.S expansion
By Linda Fox | September 11, 2018
The France-based multi-day tours specialist has attracted $80 million in funding, bringing its total investment to date into three figures. Read More
Google launches Touring Bird with 25,000 experiences in 20 cities
News / Online
Google launches Touring Bird with 25,000 experiences in 20 cities
By Jill Menze | September 7, 2018
In April, PhocusWire uncovered details of Touring Bird, the hush-hush tours and activities app Google was developing inside its Area 120 incubator. Now Touring Bird has officially launched 25,000... Read More
Airbnb for Work expands, looks beyond core business travel market
News / Online
Airbnb for Work expands, looks beyond core business travel market
By Jill Menze | September 5, 2018
Airbnb, in its tenacious quest to engage with one billion guests by 2028, is ramping up its efforts to court the professional community by expanding its Airbnb for Work offerings. Read More
Offline part 1 agencies
News / Distribution
Back in the offline world, part 1: Travel agency endurance
By Mitra Sorrells | September 4, 2018
First up in this month’s series on the offline travel market, we look at the traditional agency model to understand the audience it still serves and how it has continued to stay relevant. Read More
How purchasing trends, trip motivations and booking behaviors differ across four markets
News / Online
How purchasing trends, trip motivations and booking behaviors differ across four markets
By Phocuswright Research | August 31, 2018
It's critical for travel companies to understand the consumer behaviors and preferences that influence purchase decisions. Commissioned by Google, Phocuswright recently published a series of reports on... Read More
indian bleisure travelers
News / Online
Bleisure on the rise among Indian business travelers
By Mitra Sorrells | August 31, 2018
Business travelers from India are increasingly investing time and money to add leisure experiences to their work trips.  Read More
The impact of influencer marketing on the booking journey
Opinion / Online
The impact of influencer marketing on the booking journey
By Angharad Miller - Swayy | August 30, 2018
Let’s set the scene. Up until the digital revolution, traditional marketing and word-of-mouth were the only real ways to grow consumer awareness at a notable scale. Read More
Surveying the travel startup landscape, part 4: Exit strategy
News / Startups
Surveying the travel startup landscape, part 4: Exit strategy
By Mitra Sorrells | August 28, 2018
For the final piece in our month-long series on startups, we gathered learnings from three companies that have been purchased in recent years. Read More
QOTW: Something about not moving fast enough
News / Technology
QOTW: Something about not moving fast enough
By PhocusWire | August 24, 2018
Quote from Terry Jones, chairman of WayBlazer, in an article on PhocusWire this week. Read More
ALICE and Puerto Rico partnership
News / Technology
New app aims to boost tourism in Puerto Rico, nearly one year after Hurricane Maria
By Mitra Sorrells | August 24, 2018
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company is partnering with hotel operations platform ALICE and Roca Marketing to bolster tourism on the island by enhancing communications between hotels and tourists. Read More
ota hotel profitability
Opinion / Online
Online travel agency moves harming profitability: What hotels need to know
By Max Starkov - HEBS Digital | August 24, 2018
Two recent events in hotel distribution created a mild media buzz, but unfortunately were ignored by some hoteliers and quickly forgotten by the industry: Expedia’s Add‐On Advantage and Booking.Basic. Read More
Revenue and loyalty for vacation rentals in the age of Amazon and Google
Opinion / Online
Revenue and loyalty for vacation rentals in the age of Amazon and Google
By Mike Putman - Custom Travel Solutions | August 23, 2018
The accommodations market has expanded over the past decade, in part due to the growing vacation rental sector. However, nobody quite knows how vacation rentals will fit into the larger travel ecosystem... Read More