All published updates

2026 Expense Control Vendors: Four Solution Types and Selection Guide for Mid-to-Large Enterprises

Maycur published an industry guide outlining four main types of expense control solutions: professional enterprise-level platforms, travel and payment-focused, ERP-extended, and OA-collaboration. It proposes seven selection dimensions including expense closure, budget execution, AI auditing, corporate payments, complex organizations, system integration, and globalization, along with a POC checklist. Maycur positions its product for mid-to-large groups, emphasizing integration with heterogeneous systems like ERP.

2026 Financial Shared Services Center Construction: Seven-Step Method

Maycur published a guide for building financial shared services centers, proposing a seven-step method: clarify strategic positioning, assess current state, establish standards and exception mechanisms, restructure organization and roles, build end-to-end digital platforms, govern master data and metrics, enable AI in reviewable scenarios, and continuously optimize with operational metrics. The article emphasizes synchronized design of strategy, processes, organization, data, and technology, and provides POC and acceptance checklists.

BCD Travel and SQUAKE Launch Corporate Guide to Credible SAF Action

BCD Travel and SQUAKE co-hosted a webinar providing a practical framework for corporate travel programs on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), covering understanding SAF, evaluating credibility (evidence, documentation, chain-of-custody), and communicating progress safely. Inga Bösl of Siemens Switzerland shared real-world experience implementing SAF in corporate travel.

Colombia Earthquake and Travel Advisory Update

The UK FCDO updated travel advice for Colombia following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Chocó on August 10, warning of potential travel disruption and airport closures, with Matecaña International Airport in Pereira currently closed. FCDO continues to advise against all but essential travel to parts of Colombia, including border areas with Venezuela and Ecuador, the Pacific coast, and central regions.

Impact and considerations

The earthquake causes travel disruption and airport closures, affecting business travelers' itineraries; they should monitor updates and adjust plans.

Siloed Revenue Manager Model Leaking Profit for Modern Hospitality Brands

Thibault Masson, Head of Product Marketing at PriceLabs, argues that the traditional siloed revenue management model is no longer suitable for scaled hotel and short-term rental operations. Revenue decisions are distributed across marketing, operations, finance, and other departments, causing data misalignment, slow response, and profit leakage. The article suggests integrating revenue management systems across the business and using AI to expand analytical capacity and make revenue insights accessible to more teams.

Rain Acquires Ansa to Expand Stored-Value Wallets Beyond Single Merchants

Fintech company Rain acquired Ansa, a provider of branded stored-value wallets and closed-loop payment infrastructure. Ansa founder Sophia Goldberg joins Rain as Head of Payments. The acquisition enables Rain to extend stored balances beyond single merchants, accepted on Visa and Mastercard rails at participating businesses, and plans to support agentic payments.

Mews Secures First E-Money License for a Hospitality Operating System in the EEA

De Nederlandsche Bank granted Mews Financial Services B.V. an Electronic Money Institution license, making Mews the first hospitality operating system in the EEA to hold regulated e-money status. The license allows Mews to natively process payments, safeguard guest funds, and build embedded financial products, unifying operational and financial ledgers with in-house risk and compliance. In 2025, Mews processed $19.7 billion in hotel transaction value.

PREHOST Releases 7-Point Web Infrastructure Resilience Checklist for Hospitality Tech Leads

PREHOST released a Hotel Website Infrastructure Resilience Checklist, based on Google CrUX data from 17 million websites, to help independent hotel and PMC tech leads evaluate web hosting performance, backup protocols, and vendor SLAs. The checklist covers seven areas including real-world server responsiveness, security edge, disaster recovery, SLAs and redundancy, and vendor transparency.

Toast, Square Expand Google Partnerships to Bring Agentic AI Ordering to Ask Maps via Universal Com…

Square and Toast expanded their integrations with Google, bringing US restaurant operators into Ask Maps, Google Maps' conversational AI interface. Built on the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), diners can discover, customize, and complete orders via natural language prompts while operators maintain control over menus, pricing, and first-party guest relationships. Orders flow directly into operators' workflows, bypassing third-party commissions.

The Next Distribution Shift Won't Be Driven by People

The article explores AI agents as new decision-makers entering the hotel booking journey. Voyagier founder Daniel Gardner argues that hotels need to optimize structured data rather than just human-facing marketing, and the GDS may become more valuable for providing standardized data. He advises hotel tech teams to use AI to describe their hotel to identify data gaps.

Airbnb partners with Tripadvisor to scale Experiences

Airbnb has partnered with Tripadvisor Group to bring a selection of Tripadvisor experiences to the Airbnb platform, with certain tours and activities bookable later this year. The move aligns with Airbnb's strategy to scale Experiences, as CEO Brian Chesky noted on the Q2 earnings call that they added 1,000 new experiences, increasing supply by nearly 80% year over year.

Italy travel advice updated: volcanic activity affects flights

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Italy, noting that Mount Etna's eruption is affecting flights and that there is a high risk of wildfires during summer. Travelers are advised to check with their travel provider and stay informed about safety.

Impact and considerations

Italy is a popular business travel destination; flight disruptions and wildfire risks may impact business itineraries, so companies should monitor employee safety and adjust plans.

Switzerland travel advice updated: G7 border closures and protests

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Switzerland, noting that border crossings with France will be closed around the G7 Summit, causing severe delays, and that protests may occur in Geneva. Travelers are advised to plan carefully and avoid affected areas.

Impact and considerations

Border closures and protests during the G7 Summit may affect business travel, so companies should adjust itineraries and ensure employee safety.

Sweden travel advice updated: EES information

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Sweden, mainly updating information on the European Entry-Exit System (EES). Travelers are advised to check the entry requirements page for the latest rules.

Spain travel advice updated: EES information

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Spain, mainly updating information on the European Entry-Exit System (EES). Travelers are advised to check the entry requirements page and note advice for traveling via France or Gibraltar.

Slovenia travel advice updated: EES information

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Slovenia, mainly updating information on the European Entry-Exit System (EES). Travelers are advised to check the entry requirements page for the latest rules.

Slovakia travel advice updated: EES information

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Slovakia, mainly updating information on the European Entry-Exit System (EES). Travelers are advised to check the entry requirements page for the latest rules.

Romania travel advice updated: EES information

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Romania, mainly updating information on the European Entry-Exit System (EES). Travelers are advised to check the entry requirements page for the latest rules.

Portugal travel advice updated: EES and wildfire risk

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Portugal, updating information on the European Entry-Exit System (EES) and warning of high wildfire risk from April to October. Travelers are advised to check entry requirements and safety pages.

Impact and considerations

Portugal is a business travel destination; wildfire risk may affect itineraries, and EES rules impact entry, so companies should stay informed.

Poland travel advice updated: EES and border security

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Poland, updating information on the European Entry-Exit System (EES) and warning of military strikes near the Ukraine-Poland border, with restricted access. Travelers are advised to stay informed.

Impact and considerations

Poland's proximity to the Ukraine border poses security risks that may affect business travel, so companies should assess itinerary safety.

Norway travel advice updated: EES information

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Norway, focusing on the European Entry-Exit System (EES). Travellers are advised to check the latest entry requirements and ensure they have appropriate travel insurance.

Netherlands travel advice updated: EES information

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for the Netherlands, focusing on the European Entry-Exit System (EES). Travellers are advised to check the latest entry requirements and ensure they have appropriate travel insurance.

Malta travel advice updated: EES information

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Malta, focusing on the European Entry-Exit System (EES). Travellers are advised to check the latest entry requirements and ensure they have appropriate travel insurance.

Luxembourg travel advice updated: EES information

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Luxembourg, focusing on the European Entry-Exit System (EES). Travellers are advised to check the latest entry requirements and ensure they have appropriate travel insurance.

Lithuania travel advice updated: EES information

The UK FCDO updated its travel advice for Lithuania, focusing on the European Entry-Exit System (EES). Travellers are advised to check the latest entry requirements and ensure they have appropriate travel insurance.