Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.
This roundup was created with the assistance of ChatGPT.
Hilton’s lodging category
Hilton is launching Apartment Collection by Hilton, a new category focused on furnished apartment stays that will be bookable through Hilton channels in the first half of 2026.
The company is kicking off the brand through a partnership with Placemakr, which operates short-term and extended-stay units in U.S. apartment buildings. Hilton said the move builds on its existing
inventory of about 10,000 apartment-style units and could add up to 3,000 more through Placemakr. Initial destinations include New York City, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, with stays integrated into Hilton Honors.
Navan, Emirates
Navan has added Emirates to its roster of direct airline connections via New Distribution
Capability (NDC), giving customers access to the carrier’s full range of fares and ancillary services through the Navan platform. The company said the integration includes NDC-only promotions, seat selection, baggage add-ons and the airline’s chauffeur-drive
service for eligible premium cabins.IHG appoints SVP of AI
IHG appoints SVP of AI
IHG Hotels & Resorts named Wei Manfredi SVP of artificial intelligence (AI) and architecture as it deepens its technology leadership. Manfredi will lead IHG’s AI strategy, strengthen data and technical
architecture and build partnerships, with an emphasis on responsible, secure innovation.
Manfredi has a background in technology and franchise. Her experience includes leading global companies such as Lululemon, Visa, Google Cloud and McDonald's.
Journey launches in Spain, names group CTPO
Journey launched in Spain as part of its international expansion plan, offering a platform to sell rooms, spa, dining and activities in one basket.
The company also named Andrew Metcalfe group chief technology and product officer (CTPO) as it accelerates product development. Metcalfe joins from Access Hospitality, where he led product across Guestline, SHR, ResDiary and Staah. A hotel owner himself,
he will oversee the evolution of Journey's hospitality performance platform.
Copenhagen Optimization, Brisbane Airport
Copenhagen Optimization deployed two modules from its Better Airport software suite, Better Forecast and Better Security, at Brisbane Airport (BNE),
giving teams shared forecasts and staffing plans to manage security screening demand.
The rollout follows Brisbane Airport’s upgrade of security lanes to CT Standard 3 technology, part of its Future BNE program. Copenhagen Optimization said the tools improve predictability, resource deployment and passenger flow. Brisbane Airport said
tighter alignment of passenger volumes and trained staff will be critical as traffic is projected to grow from 25 million to 52 million over the next 20 years.
Revenue Analytics, Jonas Chorum
Revenue Analytics and Jonas Chorum announced a new two-way integration connecting Jonas Chorum’s property management system (PMS)
with Revenue Analytics’ N2Pricing revenue management system via the JonasARC open API platform.
The setup enables automated, real-time data exchange: reservation, inventory and rate data flow into N2Pricing, while optimized prices and restrictions sync back into the PMS. The companies said the integration reduces manual work for revenue teams, improves
pricing accuracy with live operational inputs and accelerates pricing cycles to help hotels capture more revenue.
Paxport, Wizz Air
Paxport announced a strategic distribution partnership with Wizz Air, giving travel sellers access to the carrier’s 750 routes through Paxport’s platform.
The deal aims to simplify low-cost carrier booking by surfacing Wizz Air fares alongside ancillaries such as seats, bags, sports equipment and Wizz Priority. The integration should support a smoother booking experience for online travel agencies (OTAs),
tour operators, travel agencies and travel management companies (TMCs) while improving conversion and revenue opportunities.
Conferma appoints new CEO
Conferma appointed Mark Ledsham as CEO, tapping the payments and fintech executive to lead its next growth phase.
Ledsham brings leadership experience from Currencycloud, XE.com, Euronet Worldwide, OFX, Macquarie Group and Deloitte Australia. Conferma said he will build on recent momentum, strengthen partnerships and expand adoption of products including its Connect
Direct solution and integrations with hotel brands such as Hilton.
RMS, Salto
RMS announced an integration with smart access provider Salto to streamline guest access management for hospitality operators.
The connection links reservations and access control in a single workflow, letting RMS users issue mobile keys from the reservation screen through Salto KS and the Salto app. Operators can also manage access for shared amenities such as gyms, pools and
parking. RMS said the integration supports faster check-in, reduces manual key handovers and improves security through real-time key management and access logs.
Civitatis, ABC•CCRA
Civitatis has been named a preferred partner of travel agency services network ABC•CCRA.
Civitatis said the deal expands its B2B reach by giving ABC•CCRA member agencies access to its catalog of experiences, including attraction tickets, guided tours, day trips and transfers. The tours and activities platform said agencies will be able to
book activities in multiple languages and earn commissions on destination services that complement air and hotel sales. ABC Global Services said the partnership adds inventory that is particularly
strong in Europe and Latin America.
Flydubai, Amperity
Flydubai has signed with customer data platform Amperity to consolidate passenger
information across its systems as it advances its modern airline retailing plans.
The Dubai-based carrier said the technology will help it link traveler records from channels such as check-in, inflight recognition, customer service and marketing, including cases where bookings arrive via third parties or lack loyalty identifiers. Flydubai
plans to use Amperity’s identity resolution and APIs to retrieve unified profiles in real time and support more targeted offers and communications.
Guesty, 360 Suites
Guesty has struck a partnership with Brazil-based property manager 360 Suites, naming it an official reseller in the country. 360 Suites will use Guesty as its core PMS and sell the platform alongside local onboarding, implementation and support in Portuguese.
The companies said the arrangement is aimed at Brazil’s shift toward larger short-term rental operators that need centralized oversight. 360 Suites will also connect its 360 Hub tools to Guesty, including Brazil-focused dynamic pricing and AI-powered guest messaging via OTAs and WhatsApp.
Operto’s CEO
Operto has appointed Tim Major as CEO as the Vancouver-based hospitality operations and guest experience platform looks to sharpen its product strategy and market positioning.
Major, a hospitality tech executive with more than 15 years of experience, most recently served as president of PMSs at Fullsteam, overseeing five PMS brands including IQware, Megasys, Resort Data Processing, RoomKeyPMS and Maestro. At Operto, he will focus on product development across short-term rentals and hotels and on building agentic AI tools aimed at independent hotels.
QuadLabs' automation platform
QuadLabs has launched Konnect Absolute, an enterprise automation platform aimed at TMCs, corporate travel agencies and other high-volume travel sellers. The company said the tool is designed to reduce manual processing by standardizing bookings, running automated quality checks, enriching passenger name records based on policy rules and automating ticketing and fulfillment.