Justin Dawes travel tips

The company Outsite plans to purchase roughly 150 boutique hotels in Europe over the next five years to expand its cohousing community for digital nomads. 

Mondee has acquired an AI company called Purplegrids in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $19 million.

Airbnb made public filings on Tuesday showing that its acquisition of AI company GamePlanner.AI was paid partially with stock valued at about $104.5 million. 

Airbnb said Tuesday that it has acquired an AI company founded by a creator of Siri. The company, called GamePlanner.AI, is a 12-person AI company that has been developing outside of the public eye since it was founded.

Uber is working on a lot of projects to push its business beyond its traditional focus. 

Four travel tech startups have announced fundraises of over $29 over the past week.

Amadeus and Microsoft have been working together to explore how generative AI can be integrated into new technologies for the travel industry.

Amadeus is nearly recovered in terms of revenue compared to pre-pandemic levels. Executives shared those details during an earnings call on Tuesday, as well as information about the impact of conflicts in the Middle East and technical innovations the company is developing. 

Five travel tech startups have announced fundraises this week totaling more than $144 million. 

Booking Holdings reported a record number of room nights booked in the third quarter and strong gains in its flights business. It expects growth to continue but noted a caveat: Business has slowed down in the Middle East because of the Israel-Hamas war and the company’s current forecast assumes no further expansion of the conflict.

Sabre said it had positive cash flow in the third quarter for the first time since 2019 – $39 million, a reversal from negative $123 million a year ago. Revenue jumped 12%, driven primarily by an increase in air and hotel bookings. 

Airbnb’s recent quarter was its most profitable ever and also the best in terms of revenue, according to a shareholder letter the company released Wednesday.

Air Lease Corporation has a unique position in the industry. As a company that purchases commercial aircraft and leases them to airlines, the company has a close understanding of the economic health of the industry worldwide. 

IHG Hotels & Resorts recently rolled out a function that allows guests to find and book rooms based on certain attributes, a project it says has been years in the making.

Three travel tech startups have announced fundraises this week of more than $57 million.

Amadeus is piloting a new AI-powered retail system meant to make airlines sales more like shopping on Amazon.

Since ChatGPT was released last November, several other well-funded companies have released their own versions in an effort to compete. 

Five travel tech startups announced fundraises of more than $57 million this week.

Expedia increased spending 10 times over five years to advertise vacation home rentals on Google, but the online travel agency saw no increase in traffic because the search giant has been prioritizing its own flight and hotel products. 

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, October 20. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, October 19. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.