Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.
Hospitable conference and coaching
In a move to reshape how short-term rental (STR) hosts learn and scale, Hospitable has announced two free initiatives to connect hosts directly with those who understand their day-to-day challenges: fellow STR owners and property managers.
Later this month, the vacation rental management platform will present “Host to Host: A Short-Term Rental Mastermind”, a two-day, virtual conference where only hosts take the stage. The event offers attendees an unfiltered look at the successes, setbacks and strategies of hosts who have built successful businesses across platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Agoda and direct booking channels.
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In tandem with the conference, Hospitable is rolling out “Your Host Mentor”, a free coaching hub with bite-sized video tutorials led by top-performing STR operators. These tutorials provide insight on how hosts tackle challenges such as guest communication, multi-channel distribution and revenue optimization.
Zartico appointments
Zartico has made a number of new appointments and promotions to kick off 2025.
The company, a PhocusWire Hot 25 Travel Startup for 2021, has elevated Nicole Brownell to the role of chief operating officer and hired Regine Lawton as chief technology officer. Brownell and Lawton join Zartico’s senior leadership team alongside Jay Kinghorn, chief innovation officer and CEO Sarah Lehman.
Zartico also announced the appointment of Josh Derouin as SVP of partnerships. Staci Mellman joins from Brand USA and will serve Zartico as executive advisor for growth and strategy. In addition, Zartico welcomed a new technology board member, Julian Castelli, a seasoned board director and operating partner for growth-stage tech companies.
FCM appoints Germany director
FCM has appointed Martina Groenegres as managing director for Germany.
Groenegres brings nearly 30 years of experience in aviation and the wider travel industry to the position having held various roles at Lufthansa and IATA.
“I’m truly excited to take on this role as it represents a unique opportunity to lead one of the most dynamic and innovative teams in the global travel industry,” said Groenegres.
Faye adds eSIM to app
Travel insurance startup Faye is offering an eSIM following a partnership with mobile services provider Gigs.
Faye, a PhocusWire Hot 25 Travel Startup for 2025, said the launch of its travel eSIM is part of its “commitment to providing quality services that ensure safer, smoother, and stress-free travel experiences through one single app.”
“At Faye, our mission is to go above and beyond with a product that supports your entire voyage with quality service and value,” said Doron Samish, vice president of product at Faye.
“Staying connected abroad ought to be easy and shouldn't cost the world. With just a few taps, travelers can now activate their eSIM directly in the Faye app, and avoid hefty roaming fees or the hassle of getting a physical SIM card abroad. We’re seeing significant adoption from travelers already, who can now enjoy high-speed data from the moment they land, whether traveling across Europe, Latin America or Asia.”
Nium adds Diners Club International card
B2B payments specialist Nium has launched a Diners Club International card for travel customers.
The company, which landed $50 million in Series E funding last year, said the partnership gives its travel customers “greater payment flexibility, acceptance and choice.”
"Expanding our payments offering with Diners Club International underscores Nium’s commitment to delivering innovative and flexible solutions that meet the evolving needs of the travel ecosystem," said Mark Anthony Spiteri, SVP and global head of card business at Nium. "Building on our real-time cross-border payments network spanning over 220 markets, our ability to issue virtual cards across four of the world’s leading payment schemes – Visa, Mastercard, UATP, and now Discover – gives our customers unparalleled global access, so they can scale their businesses seamlessly across borders and industries.”
Tripism adds leisure platform
Travel planning platform Tripism has launched a leisure platform for business travel customers.
The move enables corporate travel buyers to extend leisure travel offers and exclusive promotions to employees, for their personal travel.
“The leisure platform was developed in response to strong demand from corporates seeking innovative ways to add value and share travel benefits with employees,” said Adam Kerr, founder and CEO of Tripism. “This demand is a clear signal that companies value employee wellbeing and work-life balance. These discounts, negotiated by the corporate travel team, are increasingly recognised as a vital tool to boost employee engagement and retention and support the growing trend for extending business trips to enjoy personal leisure time.”
TProfile - Not Just Travel
United Kingdom-based travel agency Not Just Travel is providing its consultants with TProfile’s quotation tool following a trial.
The technology, which represents a £2 million investment for the agency, aims to improve the customer experience and save travel consultants time by enabling them to create media-rich itineraries in seconds and share them via WhatsApp, email or text.
“The impact has been immediate and substantial, so our significant investment in extending free access to the tool makes commercial sense,” said Steve Witt, co-founder of Not Just Travel. “This is a long-term partnership with TProfile and we’re proud to be one of their largest clients, with plans to become their biggest.”