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.
Marriott rolls out Ask Bonvoy AI search
Marriott International has begun a beta rollout of Ask Bonvoy, which enables travelers to search Marriott's hotel portfolio using natural language.
Initially available to a subset of Marriott Bonvoy members and new users in the United States, the tool uses Marriott's proprietary property data to surface hotels based on trip intent, amenities and destination preferences before handing users to the company's existing booking flow. Marriott said the feature will expand globally later this year.
Hospitable expands lodging tax automation
Hospitable has expanded its lodging tax automation capabilities to all 50 U.S. states, automating tax registration, calculation, filing and remittance for short-term rental operators.
The company said the feature is designed to simplify compliance as hosts diversify beyond online travel agencies (OTAs) and into direct bookings. Hospitable said it has remitted more than $4.5 million in lodging taxes on behalf of hosts across the U.S., the United Kingdom and Australia.
Agoda updates trip planning tools
Agoda has introduced a series of product updates including real-time flight notifications, AI-powered hotel search features and expanded multi-product booking capabilities.
The updates include flight status, gate and baggage notifications delivered through the Agoda app, a feature that pairs hotel images with relevant guest reviews using AI, and the ability to book hotels, flights and activities in a single transaction. Agoda also expanded language support for flight-related chat queries across several Asian markets.
Flae Robotics expansion, leadership
Flae Robotics is expanding into Germany and Austria following its recent entry into the U.K., as the hospitality technology company continues to grow its AI receptionist platform across Europe. The company said its BE-A platform automates guest communications and front-office workflows, integrates with hotel systems and supports more than 100 languages.
It has appointed Alexander Zawadzki as business development manager for Germany and Austria to lead the expansion. Zawadzki has over eight years of experience in property management system (PMS) technology and hotel booking platform sales.
Lonely Planet adds executives for platform growth
Lonely Planet has appointed Susan DeBottis as general manager of Lonely Planet Journeys, Tom Rendell as vice president of partnerships and Gary Knell as an advisor as the company expands its digital travel platform.
DeBottis will oversee the growth of Lonely Planet Journeys, the company's bookable experiences platform, while Rendell will lead partnership development. Knell, former chief executive of National Geographic Society and NPR, will advise on the company's broader growth strategy.
Lake.com introduces AI trip planning tool
Lake.com, a vacation rental platform focused on waterfront destinations, has introduced Lake Chat, a conversational AI assistant that guides travelers from destination discovery to accommodation booking within a single interface.
The tool allows users to search for vacations using natural language, compare properties and explore nearby activities and attractions. Lake.com said Lake Chat complements its existing search experience and is available across its inventory of more than 75,000 properties in more than 10,000 waterfront destinations across North America and Europe.
eDreams ODIGEO launches Prime in Latin America
eDreams ODIGEO has expanded its Prime travel subscription platform into Mexico and Argentina as part of its international growth strategy.
The company said the launches mark its entry into Latin America and support its goal of surpassing 13 million Prime subscribers by 2030. eDreams said early performance in both markets has exceeded subscription adoption rates seen in its core European markets.
RateGain expands European operations
RateGain has more than doubled its commercial team in Europe as it expands operations across the region, where it said Europe accounted for 31.6% of fiscal 2025 revenue.
The company is increasing investment in France and Italy while continuing to grow in Spain, the DACH region, the United Kingdom and Benelux. RateGain also said Oscar Ganuza, who joined as senior vice president of revenue for Europe in April, will lead its next phase of regional growth.
Navan launches meetings platform
Navan has introduced Navan Events, a platform that combines venue sourcing, attendee travel management and financial reporting for corporate meetings and events.
The platform centralizes venue sourcing, hotel requests for proposals, attendee registration and travel management, and includes an artificial intelligence-powered planning assistant. Navan Events is available in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe, with additional markets planned.
Groupize unveils AI-native meetings platform
Groupize has introduced an AI-native platform for meetings, events and group travel that uses artificial intelligence agents to manage workflows including venue sourcing, registration, compliance and group travel.
The platform also includes agent-to-agent connectivity with ChatGPT and Claude and will add additional AI-powered capabilities for travel logistics and budgeting later this year, the company said.
Avelo adds disruption assistance
Avelo Airlines has introduced Disruption Assistance, a travel protection option powered by HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions) that gives travelers automated rebooking options during eligible flight disruptions.
Available when booking through Avelo's website and mobile app, the service provides self-service rebooking on Avelo or another airline following eligible delays or cancellations, or a full refund if customers choose not to accept the alternative itinerary.
Southwest selects Amazon Web Services
Southwest Airlines has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its preferred cloud provider as the airline transitions to a cloud-based, AI-enabled technology architecture by 2028.
As part of the partnership, Southwest will modernize Southwest.com using AWS's Kiro coding service and expand the use of AI agents across software development, customer experience and operations.
British Airways upgrades NDC platform
British Airways is migrating its NDC offering to the Amadeus Altéa NDC platform as part of its broader technology modernization and retailing strategy.
The airline said the move will provide a more standardized distribution environment, simplify partner onboarding and enhance servicing capabilities such as exchanges, re-shopping and order updates. British Airways said the platform also lays the groundwork for its future transition to an Offer and Order model.
Civitatis, Despegar partner on tours
Civitatis and Despegar have formed a global partnership that will integrate Civitatis' tours and activities inventory into Despegar's platform.
Once the integration is complete, Despegar customers will be able to book Civitatis' catalog of tours, excursions and guided experiences through the online travel company's platform. The companies said the partnership will initially focus on Latin America, with Brazil expected to be a key growth market.