TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
businesswire | March 29, 2023
Travel bookings with Boatsetter, the leading marketplace for on-water experiences and boat rentals nationwide, have increased almost 80% year-over-year with renters using the platform’s on-demand “Instant Book” feature, allowing renters the flexibility to get out on the water within 48 hours or less of making the original booking. The growth in reservations follows an early indication of record breaking consumer demand in major hubs such as Austin, Dallas, Phoenix, and San Diego. The company has grown the fleet of boats in each of these locations by more than 100% in the past 12 months, providing renters with an even greater array of on-the-water experiences to choose from.
The company attributes its unprecedented growth in these areas to its success in innovating the platform to meet growing consumer demand driven by popular work-and-play trends, including “bleisure” (business and leisure) trips, “workcations” (trips employees take during working hours with some time leftover to explore new locales), and "staycations" (vacations spent at home involving day trips to local attractions).
“As working consumers continue to take advantage of flexible remote work and hybrid work models, it’s easier than ever to extend a weekend trip with a partial day, full day or multi-day boat trip,” said Boatsetter CEO Michael Farb. “Boatsetter makes it easy for travelers to spend a day working from a boat, enjoy a sunset cruise after work, or even reserve an early morning fishing experience before logging on to the work day.”
Boatsetter has evolved its mobile-app and website experience to offer almost unlimited flexibility and customization options. Prospective renters can find varying trip durations, from half or full-day rentals to 2, 3, and 6-hour excursions, and even multi-day reservations. Multi-day bookings, an ideal option for renters who want to get out on the water for consecutive days in a row, have skyrocketed, with a 70% increase compared to data from this time last year. In addition, Boatsetter observed increased interest in day boat rental styles; the most popular vessels being pontoons, followed by center consoles, and bowriders.
“Our goal is to create a platform that makes getting on the water an accessible option for as many people as possible,” added Farb. “The Boatsetter team is consistently tracking consumer trends and the needs of our renters to innovate and expand our marketplace options.”
With over 1,500 captains to choose from, Boatsetter also offers the largest network of USCG-certified captains, allowing renters to enjoy a stress-free boating environment without any previous experience. To learn more about Boatsetter or book a rental, please visit www.boatsetter.com.
About Boatsetter
With more than 50,000 boat listings available in over 700 locations worldwide, Boatsetter is the leading marketplace for on-the-water experiences and boat rentals. Boatsetter makes it easy to discover and enjoy a wide array of on-water experiences by connecting qualified renters directly to boat owners and licensed captains. Featuring the largest database of USCG-certified captains, Boatsetter makes it possible for even those with no prior boating experience to tap into an incredible array of water activities. Credited with pioneering the first ever peer-to-peer boat rental insurance policy, Boatsetter has empowered boat owners with the tools and support to become entrepreneurs on the water. Launched commercially in 2014, over one million boaters and boat owners alike have turned to Boatsetter to discover the endless possibilities the water provides.
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HOSPITALITY TRENDS
prnewswire | May 24, 2023
Jurny, Inc., a pioneering hospitality tech company powering operations for short-term rental (STR) properties across the globe, is rolling out its latest and most robust operating system to date. Available now, JurnyOS 2.0 is powered by GPT-4 and features dynamic AI tools designed to connect, optimize and automate operational tasks and guest management.
JurnyOS 2.0 Highlights:
Never Miss a Message with Nia - Nia is Jurny's advanced AI assistant built on GPT-4, which can automate tasks and enhance customer service while improving operational efficiency. It is already more accurate at many tasks than the average human agent and, thanks to generative ai, is rapidly improving each day; Nia can already handle full conversations with guests, making it infinitely scalable.
Premier Management in a Free PMS - Jurny now offers the industry's only completely free PMS leveraging generative AI to assist hosts with managing their properties. With no onboarding fees, an intuitive user interface (UI), and the help of Nia, properties are live in minutes, not months.
One (Click) and Done - Jurny's new OS and PMS feature the industry's most robust integration for Airbnb. Property managers can sign in once to seamlessly connect to the Airbnb platform, sync content and historical data, update rates and availability, and receive bookings in real time from the easy-to-use Jurny platform.
All-in-One Vertically Integrated System - Remove the hassle of finding the best tools and say goodbye to tracking multiple licenses and renewal dates. Jurny offers a natively integrated best-in-class technology stack, including popular tools like Wheelhouse, Autohost, Minut and others for advanced analytics & reporting, channel management, reputation management, electronic payments, IoT access control, website development and more.
Luca Zambello co-founded Jurny after more than a decade of working in different areas of the hospitality industry. After building and managing a luxury rental business in Los Angeles, which grew to more than 300 units across five markets and grossed over $1 million in its first year, Zambello quickly realized how archaic existing operational management solutions were and began developing tech in house. In 2019, he and his team launched Jurny to fix the fragmented and costly property management model through modern, transformative technologies.
Today, Jurny is leading the industry's transition to the digital age, utilizing AI and automation in smart ways that enhance the guest experience. According to a recent report from Skift on generative AI's impact on travel, customer service and guest support is one of the most expensive cost centers for short-term rental management companies and the hospitality industry as a whole.
"The release of Jurny's AI-enhanced technology and access to its premium PMS for free is poised to transform the industry," said Andrew Kitchell, Founder & CEO of Wheelhouse. "By democratizing access to advanced tools that were once only available to the biggest players, Jurny is not just changing the game, it's leveling the playing field for everyone in the industry."
About Jurny, Inc
Jurny helps vacation rental and short-term rental (STR) hosts to reimagine property management through its free property management software (PMS) and cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI)-driven JurnyOS, powered by GPT-4. As the most advanced ecosystem in the industry, Jurny enables single-click native integration with Airbnb and other leading solutions for channel sales, dynamic pricing, guest verification, IoT device management, customer service and more.
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HOSPITALITY TRENDS
prnewswire | May 17, 2023
Funds advised by Apax Partners LLP ("Apax") announced today that they have reached a definitive agreement to invest approximately $450m to acquire a significant minority stake in IBS Software, a leading provider of modern Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions to the global travel and logistics industry, from Blackstone. Following the transaction, Apax will partner closely with IBS Software's Founder and Executive Chairman, V K Mathews, who will remain the majority shareholder.
Founded in 1997 with a vision of redefining the future of travel through technology innovation, IBS Software provides next-generation SaaS solutions that power the most mission-critical operations at the world's leading aviation, tour and cruise, hospitality and logistics companies. With a comprehensive portfolio of modular, cloud-based solutions purpose-built for the travel industry, IBS Software helps travel companies accelerate innovation and drive efficiency across a broad set of core business processes, including cargo and logistics, flight operations, passenger services, loyalty programs, cruise operations, energy & resource logistics and hospitality distribution platforms. Backed by a team of 4000 professionals across the world with more than 25 years of deep domain expertise, IBS Software's scalable, cloud-native platform and demonstrated market leadership, position it to define the future of mission-critical technology for the travel industry.
V K Mathews, Founder and Executive Chairman of IBS Software said: "We're excited to partner with Apax as we enter a new phase in our mission to transform how travel companies operate in a digital world. This investment is an endorsement of our strategy and our commitment and contribution to the industry, and we have a shared vision with Apax for the future of the business. We thank our customers and employees who have been instrumental in our success so far. We're grateful to the Blackstone team for their invaluable support over the years and we look forward to an exciting and fulfilling journey ahead with Apax."
Anand Krishnan, CEO, IBS Software, added: "As the travel industry rapidly embraces digitalisation, we have a vital role to play in helping our customers accelerate revenues, drive efficiency and create differentiated customer experiences. Apax has deep experience in partnering with leading SaaS providers and will be a strategic partner for IBS Software as we embark on a new phase of growth. We thank Blackstone for helping us create real value and a true partnership."
Jason Wright, Partner, Apax, commented: "We are thrilled to partner with VK and the management team at IBS Software. Having closely monitored the travel software sector over the last several years, IBS Software stood out to us as uniquely positioned in the industry, offering a next-gen software suite that we believe is truly unrivalled. Over the last two decades, IBS Software has invested in products, innovation, and culture, while continuing to scale the business. We believe there is tremendous growth potential ahead and look forward to leveraging our software experience to help IBS Software become a world leader in travel and logistics software."
Amit Dixit, Head of Asia Private Equity, Blackstone, said: "We are happy to have played an important role in IBS Software's transformation to a SaaS company with global leadership in Travel and Logistics. IBS is already one of the largest enterprise SaaS companies out of India. We thank VK for his strategic vision and for being a terrific partner, and Anand and the management team for their impeccable execution. Value creation at IBS Software demonstrates our business-building approach to investing and reinforces our conviction in Technology as a sectoral theme."
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close end of Q2 2023. Financial terms were not disclosed.
J.P. Morgan is acting as financial advisor to IBS Software and Blackstone, Drew & Napier LLC is acting as legal counsel to IBS Software and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as legal counsel to Blackstone.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is acting as legal counsel and Jefferies LLC is acting as financial advisor to Apax.
About IBS Software
IBS Software is a leader in providing SaaS solutions for the travel industry based in Singapore. It manages mission-critical operations for clients in the aviation, tour & cruise, and hospitality industries. The aviation industry solutions provided by the company include fleet & crew operations, passenger services, staff travel, loyalty programs, aircraft maintenance, and air cargo management. It also operates a B2B and B2C distribution platform that provides hotel room inventory, rates, and availability to a network of hospitality companies and channels. Additionally, it offers a comprehensive, customer-centric digital platform for the tour and cruise industry that includes onshore, online, and on-board solutions. IBS Software is a Blackstone portfolio company with 15 offices worldwide.
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