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 Claude.
Mindtrip, Meet Boston
Mindtrip, a PhocusWire Hot 25 Travel Startup for 2025, has partnered with Meet Boston to offer artificial intelligence (AI)-driven trip planning ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026, with Meet Boston becoming the first destination partner to launch Mindtrip's WhatsApp integration.
Travelers can plan personalized itineraries via MeetBoston.com or WhatsApp, covering attractions like the Freedom Trail and Fenway Park. Mindtrip already works with destinations including Brand USA, Visit California and Visit Orlando.
Hostaway launches AI CoHost
Hostaway has launched AI CoHost, an AI-powered strategic partner for vacation rental property managers.
It analyzes portfolio performance, offers market-driven growth recommendations, answers natural-language questions on revenue and operations, flags risks and opportunities and lets operators act directly through Hostaway's dashboard. CEO Marcus Räder said generic AI tools fall short, and AI CoHost gives managers industry-specific insight to focus on growth rather than day-to-day tasks.
Pikl makes new appointments
Pikl, a revenue growth partner for the short-term rental market, has named Simon Lehmann to its board.
Lehmann, former CEO of Interhome, brings more than 30 years in travel and hospitality and will support Pikl's UK growth and international expansion.
Pikl also hired Karen Mullins as head of customer marketing and Charlotte Savage as head of financial control. The company holds 20% U.K. market share and reports 2.1x revenue growth for partners using its flexible cancellation tool.
TSA, Google Wallet
The TSA has partnered with Google Wallet to let eligible travelers opt in to TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, making Google Wallet the first digital wallet to offer the feature.
Travelers add a boarding pass to Google Wallet, consent to share their digital ID and receive a TSA confirmation indicator. The service is available at 65 airports with more than 100 PreCheck airlines. TSA's Shelu Patel called it a faster route through security, while Google's P.J. Linarducci said it adds convenience ahead of peak summer travel.
FlightHub adds hotel booking
FlightHub has expanded its offering to include hotel bookings, adding access to more than 2.6 million accommodation options worldwide.
The move enables customers to book flights, hotels and vacation packages through a single platform, expanding the online travel agency's product portfolio beyond flight bookings.
Arbitrip powers El Al hotel booking platform
Arbitrip has partnered with El Al to launch a white-label hotel booking platform integrated into the airline's loyalty program.
The platform uses AI to personalize hotel recommendations based on travelers' profiles and booking history, while allowing El Al loyalty members to earn and redeem points on hotel bookings. The companies said the platform initially offers access to more than 1.5 million properties worldwide, with plans to expand to additional travel services such as car rentals and attractions.
Travelport adds Air Canada Flight Pass support
Travelport has added support for Air Canada Flight Pass bookings through its Smartpoint booking tool and TripServices API.
The capability enables Travelport-connected agencies to search, book and ticket eligible Air Canada New Distribution Capability (NDC) offers using Flight Pass credits within their existing workflow, eliminating the need to switch to airline-direct channels. Travelport said it is the first NDC GDS to support Air Canada's Flight Pass capability.
Sun Group, Amadeus
Sun Group has selected Amadeus Loyalty and Rewards to power a unified loyalty program spanning its aviation, hospitality, entertainment, healthcare, real estate and banking businesses.
The companies said the Sun Signature program enables members to earn and redeem rewards across the group's brands through a single loyalty account. Sun Group's airline, Sun PhuQuoc Airways, already uses Amadeus' Altéa passenger service system, Sky suite and revenue accounting technology.