Kayak's new CEO Peer Bueller and CPO Matthias Keller discuss AI transformation. Kayak AI usage is still single-digit, but users are more likely to search without a destination. They emphasize that agentic booking is more likely in corporate travel, while leisure will take time.
This week's travel tech news: Amex GBT, Shell Aviation, and Google extend SAF partnership; HTS partners with Hopper to upgrade Avion Rewards; Agoda opens Bangkok office; SqaaS launches ShellBot; Capital A names deputy CEO; NextTrip adds agentic tools; PriceLabs launches Revenue Accelerator; Hostaway launches website solution; PCL Construction selects Navan; JTB launches Teal Essential; CityBlue Hotels partners with Inntelo.
Acai Travel has partnered with Lumo to integrate predictive disruption technology into its AI service platform. The integration helps travel companies identify at-risk trips earlier and manage delays and cancellations efficiently. It ranks cases by risk, surfaces rebooking options, and can initiate outreach before travelers contact support.
HBX Group has completed the full acquisition of Paris-based dynamic packaging technology company PerfectStay for an undisclosed amount. HBX initially acquired 25% of PerfectStay in mid-2024, and the transaction is based on a long-term, performance-based deal related to EBITDA until 2030. HBX said the acquisition reflects a shared belief in the long-term potential of holiday packaging as a strategic growth opportunity in B2B2C travel. PerfectStay will continue to operate from its Paris headquarters, supported by HBX Group's technology, product, and sourcing teams.
Dreamlines CEO Nishank Gopalkrishnan, six months into the role, plans to expand through packaging travel services alongside cruise, forging B2B partnerships, and driving efficiency using AI. He views the cruise sector as only 4-5% of the global tourism market and in need of digitalization, with significant innovation opportunities. The company is rebuilding parts of its technology stack to enable AI-driven cruise packaging and highlights AI's role in personalizing loyalty programs.
Booking Holdings has announced the appointment of Kurt Sievers, former CEO of NXP Semiconductors, to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Sievers brings extensive experience in technology, mobility, and global consumer markets, having led major initiatives including the NXP-Freescale merger. Director Lynn Radakovich will retire after the annual meeting in June.
Almosafer, Saudi Arabia's leading travel company, has announced a strategic collaboration with Accor's Makkah hotel cluster (including Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel) to enhance inventory access and distribution efficiency, supporting Saudi Vision 2030. The partnership leverages Almosafer's Hajj and Umrah businesses and global network.
Booking Holdings announced it will hold a conference call to discuss Q1 2026 financial results on April 28, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET. Results will be posted on the IR website at approximately 4:00 p.m. ET, and the call audio will be available for replay for seven days.
Uber has agreed to acquire Blacklane, a premium chauffeur service, to expand into luxury and executive travel. Terms were not disclosed, and the deal is subject to regulatory approval, expected to close by end of 2026. Blacklane, founded in 2011, operates in over 500 cities across 60+ countries and has raised over $150 million. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said premium travel is a fast-growing segment, and the acquisition will broaden options for riders.
Fliggy, part of Alibaba Group, has launched 'flyai,' a developer-facing travel skill now live on ClawHub and GitHub. Built on Fliggy's Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard, it supports the full travel journey from inspiration to booking, spanning flights, hotels, attractions, ground transport, and more. Fliggy says the tool is plug-and-play, enabling developers to build applications including themed travel products and corporate travel management agents. It is being integrated into the skill stores of major Chinese smartphone manufacturers including Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Honor.
Navan reported Q4 and full-year fiscal 2026 earnings with revenue of $702 million, up 31% YoY. Q4 revenue rose 35% to $178 million. The company turned free cash flow positive for the first time and gross booking volume increased 42% to $2.3 billion in Q4. Navan also launched Navan Edge, an AI travel assistant targeting the $56 billion unmanaged travel market.
Layla.ai founder Saad Saeed shares his entrepreneurial journey. Founded in 2023, Layla.ai aims to simplify travel planning using AI and creator content. The company has processed over $1 billion in planned trip value and has around 30,000 paying subscribers. It recently secured a seven-figure investment round from investors including United Airlines Ventures and Baidu Capital. Saeed believes three shifts—data availability, social media inspiration, and AI technology—make travel planning finally solvable.
Swiss group booking specialist Lobby raised $2.2 million in funding from Founderful, with GetYourGuide co-founder Pascal Mathis joining the board. Founded in 2025, the company plans to expand into meetings, experiences, cruises, and airlines. Its AI platform helps hotels automate group booking requests, reduce manual processes, and increase conversion rates.
Tongcheng Travel announced 2025 annual results with revenue up 11.9% YoY to RMB 19.396 billion, and adjusted net profit up 22.2% to RMB 3.403 billion. Core OTA business grew 16%, with transportation ticketing revenue up 9.6% and accommodation reservation revenue up 16.8%. Monthly paying users reached a record high of 45.5 million.
Tongcheng Travel announced Q4 and full-year 2025 results. Q4 revenue grew 14.2% YoY to RMB 4.84 billion, with adjusted net profit up 18.1%. Full-year revenue increased 11.9% to RMB 19.396 billion, and adjusted net profit grew 22.2%. Core OTA business grew 16%, with accommodation reservation revenue up 16.8%.
Tripadvisor has reached an agreement with shareholder Starboard Value to add four new directors. This follows a letter from Starboard calling for a sale of the company and new director appointments. Starboard owns more than 9% of the company. Dhiren Fonseca and Andrew Cates have been appointed immediately, and Starboard will recommend two more at the annual meeting. The move aims to support value creation.
MakeMyTrip (MMT) has partnered with Mastercard to launch an AI-powered travel and lifestyle concierge called Lifestyle Navigator. The service combines MMT's travel marketplace and trip planning assistant Myra with Mastercard's AI capabilities to offer personalized experiences, including destination insights and payment product recommendations. MMT is the first OTA partner for Mastercard in this initiative, and it will be deployed first in India, available on MMT's platform later this year.
Startup Go With Rosie launched this month offering a free platform that recommends destinations and properties for families. The platform scores venues from 0 to 100 for family-friendliness and provides itinerary tools that account for nap times. The company makes money from hotel bookings. Founder Tyler Heilberger says the beta generated $30,879 in bookings with zero marketing spend.
Alibaba reported quarterly results for the period ended Dec 31, 2025: revenue of RMB 284.843 billion, up 2% YoY (9% on a like-for-like basis); adjusted EBITA down 57% to RMB 23.397 billion, mainly due to increased investments in instant retail, user experience, and technology. Cloud Intelligence Group revenue was RMB 43.284 billion, up 36% YoY, with AI-related product revenue growing triple digits for the tenth consecutive quarter. Qwen app MAU exceeded 300 million.
Trip.com Group expects to deliver approximately $5 billion in gross merchandise volume from destination services, driven by strong APAC demand. The company introduced a multilingual ticketing machine solution supporting 15 languages, deployed in over 7 countries and regions, serving over 300 attractions. AI plays a key role in personalization and customer service, with tools like Trip.Planner using over 20 million points of interest to generate personalized itineraries.
Capital One has launched a standalone travel app, allowing cardholders to book travel, redeem rewards, and track trips in real time, including airport lounge capacity and waitlist updates. The app brings technology in-house from Hopper, enabling deeper personalization and a seamless experience. Capital One does not plan to acquire Hopper but remains an investor.
India-based OTA MakeMyTrip is considering a listing in India to unlock additional capital for growth. The company recently completed an internal restructure bringing brands under a single entity. It also acquired tour operator Flamingo Transworld and invested in visa processing company Atlys. Revenue increased 11% to $296 million in Q3 FY2026.
Spend management platform Ramp has acquired guest travel startup Juno, planning to operate it independently while supporting its own travel offerings. Juno, founded by Pana's founders, launched last year and raised $6 million. Juno will retain its brand and team, and continue partnerships with TMCs like Altour, Direct Travel, and BCD Travel. Ramp plans to expand into Europe.
Expedia Group has partnered with PredictHQ to bring contextual data about global events to its hotel partners via Expedia Partner Center. The integration aims to provide hotels with demand insights to boost revenue strategies. The pilot began last year, with a full launch in late 2025. Chief commercial officer Greg Schulze highlighted that such events like the World Cup create demand spurts, and the tools help hotels optimize before, during, and after events for sustainable revenue.
This week's travel tech news briefs include: Key Data launches Dex AI; Airbnb names former Uber executive Gus Fuldner as global head of operations; RateGain partners with Juspay for embedded payments; Amadeus' Outpayce partners with UnionPay International; Navigator and Kargo collaborate on AI travel media; Dolphin Dynamics launches AI data entry tool; Eviivo upgrades owner management; HBX Group launches AI-powered Bedsonline; Lighthouse launches Review Agent; Red Roof partners with Milestone for AI transformation; HotelREZ appoints new VP.
Airbnb co-founder and chief strategy officer Nathan Blecharczyk said at ITB Berlin that Airbnb is actively pursuing its hotels vertical, starting with cities like New York and San Francisco, adding hotel-specific features like room type selection. He discussed AI use in customer support and future personal travel agents, and expressed confidence against disintermediation due to strong supply-side relationships. He also noted 60% of Airbnb's business in Europe is outside cities and announced a $1 million fund with the German Tourism Association to promote non-urban travel.
At SAP Concur Fusion 2026, SAP Concur showcased AI-driven innovations including Joule integration with Microsoft 365, new Expense Automation and Pre-Submit Audit Agents, and deepened partnerships with Amex and Visa. Concur Travel expanded to India, and TripIt Pro added new risk alerts.
The article explores how the strategic alliance between SAP Concur and Amex GBT is redefining business travel through the Complete solution. Both companies emphasize co-development, a unified data layer, and AI at the core to deliver seamless travel and expense experiences. It also discusses NDC complexity, data advantages, and questions for CXOs.
OpenAI is moving its Instant Checkout feature in ChatGPT to apps, tempering the idea that AI could render travel intermediaries obsolete. Industry experts note that travel transactions involve complex layers like pricing volatility and fare rules, making intermediaries hard to bypass. Following the news, stocks of OTAs like Expedia and Booking rose.
CMF Capital, an investor in Booking Holdings, sent a letter to the board criticizing its aggressive share buyback program for increasing financial risk. CMF noted that the company's equity ratio declined from about 39% in 2019 to 11% by end of 2022 and has since turned negative. The investor urges suspending buybacks and using cash flow to reduce debt and rebuild equity. Booking Holdings has not responded.
India-based OTA MakeMyTrip has acquired a majority stake in tour operator Flamingo Transworld to strengthen its holiday packages business. Flamingo operates group tours in regions like Gujarat and Maharashtra. The acquisition will leverage complementary customer bases and distribution to widen package options.
Business travel AI platform BizTrip AI raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding, bringing total funding to $2.5 million. The company aims to replace fragmented booking tools with an AI assistant that dynamically recommends compliant options, reducing exceptions and improving compliance, saving costs for enterprises.
Amex GBT reported Q4 and full-year 2025 results: full-year revenue of $2,718 million, up 12%; Adjusted EBITDA of $532 million, up 11%. The company reiterated 2026 guidance for revenue growth of 19%-21% and doubled its share repurchase authorization to $600 million.
Alibaba Group Holding Limited announced it will report its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, before the U.S. market opens on Thursday, March 19, 2026, and will hold a conference call at 7:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (7:30 p.m. Hong Kong Time) the same day. Participants must pre-register via the English or Chinese registration links to receive dial-in numbers, a passcode and a unique access PIN. A live webcast will be available, and a replay will be accessible for one week after the call.
Expedia Group CFO Scott Schenkel said at Morgan Stanley conference that the company is undergoing a 'radical' transformation, improving efficiency through new performance metrics, AI adoption, and cost cuts. Self-service rate has exceeded 50%, and savings will be reinvested in emerging technologies like AI.
Lonely Planet has launched a new app that combines its expert destination guides with maps, local recommendations, and trip building tools. Curated by its team of 450 travel experts worldwide, the app is currently available in the U.S., with an AI assistant planned for later. Travelers can get a year of free membership for a limited time, with paid tiers expected in late 2026. This move is part of Lonely Planet's evolution from guidebook publisher to digital ecosystem, complementing the Lonely Planet Journeys booking service launched in fall 2025.
The article introduces Ctrip Corporate Travel as a business travel management platform, highlighting its comprehensive resources, intelligent control, and global services. Serving over 3/5 of Fortune 500 companies and 1 million growing enterprises, Ctrip Corporate Travel helps businesses save an average of 30% on travel costs through integrated resources, technology, and data.
Navan has introduced Navan Edge, an AI-powered personalized travel assistant for business travelers without access to managed travel programs. It offers hyper-personalized recommendations and, with approval, can rebook flights, alert hotels about delays, and adjust dinner reservations. Currently available on iOS in the U.S., it supports hotel bookings only, with flight and restaurant bookings expected soon. Navan Edge aims to serve frequent travelers who lack corporate tool support.
European vacation rental company Holidu has acquired German portal Bestfewo.de for an undisclosed amount. Bestfewo will operate independently but integrate into Holidu's software. This is Holidu's 13th acquisition, expanding its host base in Germany and leveraging AI for fast integration.
Affiliate revenue platform Stay22 has secured a $122 million minority growth investment from Summit Partners. The company plans to invest in infrastructure and partner ecosystem, expand internationally, and grow its team. Summit Partners' Colin Mistele and Daniel Kim joined Stay22's board. Montreal-based Stay22 provides an affiliate monetization platform for travel creators, media publishers, and event organizers, using AI to improve booking and conversion.