Features and Advice

Klarna acquires Inspirock, bringing smooth travel planning to its 90M global consumers

Klarna & Inspirock | October 25, 2021

Klarna, a leading global retail bank, payments and shopping service, is bringing its signature smoooth experience to the travel sector with the acquisition of Inspirock, an online trip planner that enables consumers to quickly and easily explore a destination's offerings and create personalized itineraries utilizing local expertise and artificial intelligence.

Over 25 million travelers a year use Inspirock to plan trips tailored to their interests or find inspiration on where to go and what to see. Klarna will integrate Inspirock's capabilities to allow Klarna's 90M users to plan and shop for a trip and pay for it in installments - all through the Klarna app. In addition, Klarna aims to save its customers hours of planning for the typical vacation by using Inspirock's technology.

By bringing Inspirock to Klarna, we are bringing the best of Klarna's smoooth customer experience to the travel sector. For customers, this makes the whole journey from inspiration to planning and preparing for a trip simpler, less stressful and more fun, while enabling our retail partners to better reach and engage with their audiences by offering more personalized content. It's a natural extension of the benefits Klarna brings to payments and shopping.

-Klarna CEO and Co-Founder, Sebastian Siemiatkowski

Inspirock's technology also enables Klarna to offer additional advertising and marketing opportunities to its growing network of over 250,000+ retail partners, helping them to reach high-intent shoppers with more curated and personalized content catered to their travel plans and preferences.

 "We are excited to bring simpler, easier trip planning to Klarna's 90m global consumers. Our goal at Inspirock has been to make planning a trip fast, fun and easy. Together we can deliver on Klarna's ambitions of providing a smooth shopping experience to the travel space in an innovative way. Klarna and Inspirock together can bring great inspiration, tools and shopping experiences, making planning the trip as fun as the actual trip itself."

-Anoop Goyal, CEO and Co-Founder of Inspirock

Klarna's marketing solutions include Comparison Shopping, an AI-driven styling engine, a virtual shopping platform, and an influencer marketing and measurement platform. Together, these services will help consumers make informed decisions about purchasing the products they want from the retailers they love at the best price. 

Travel is a huge global e-commerce market with strong predicted growth. 66% of global travel bookings are made online and this is expected to grow to 72% by 2025, creating a market worth a projected $833bn1. As Covid restrictions ease in many regions and travel plans are back in the calendar, Klarna research has shown that 21% of people put travel at the top of their list of categories they are going to splurge on in 20212.

About Klarna
We make shopping smooth. With Klarna consumers can buy now and pay later, so they can get what they love today. Klarna's offering to consumers and retailers include payments, social shopping, and personal finances. Over 250,000 retail partners, including H&M, IKEA, Expedia Group, Samsung, ASOS, Peloton, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike and AliExpress have enabled Klarna's innovative shopping experience online and in-store. Klarna is one of the most highly valued private fintechs globally with a valuation of $45.6 billion. Klarna was founded in 2005, has over 4,000 employees and is active in 17 countries. For more information, visit klarna.com.

Spotlight

Explore cutting-edge revenue strategies in the hospitality industry. Adopt the latest hospitality management trends to optimize the revenue stream.

Spotlight

Explore cutting-edge revenue strategies in the hospitality industry. Adopt the latest hospitality management trends to optimize the revenue stream.

Related News

Travel Technology

Surf Air Mobility Announces the Successful Completion of its Acquisition of Southern Airways

businesswire | August 09, 2023

Surf Air Mobility Inc. , a regional air mobility platform aiming to sustainably connect the world’s communities, announced today that the transaction between Surf Air Mobility and Southern Airways (“Southern”) closed immediately prior to the listing of Surf Air Mobility on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “SRFM” on July 27, 2023. The combination of Surf Air Mobility and Southern will provide the basis for SAM’s anticipated expanded, nationwide regional air mobility platform. Following the close of the transaction on July 27, 2023, Surf Air Mobility has 69,742,981 basic shares outstanding and 71,603,186 fully diluted shares outstanding. Operational and Financial Highlights, Surf Air and Southern together: 450,000 passengers across 48 cities with over 75,000 departures in 2022 Revenue of $100.6 million for the full year 2022, up 44.6% YoY on a combined basis2 Operating loss of $(111.7) million for the full year 2022, inclusive of $(33.4) million one-time transaction related expenses and $(38.2) million in stock based compensation Cash on hand at July 27, 2023 of $34.7 million, with the ability to draw $100 million in cash advances under the GEM share subscription facility3 Aircraft financing facility with Jetstream for up to $450 million to finance further expansion Fleet order with Textron Aviation Inc. to enable the growth of SAM’s fleet by up to 150 Cessna Grand Caravans Exclusive provider to Textron Aviation Inc. of battery electric and hybrid electric powertrain technology for the Cessna Grand Caravan Surf Air Mobility also announced that it will release its financial results for the second quarter of 2023 and provide outlook for the full year 2023 the week of August 14, 2023. “Surf Air Mobility is building a regional air mobility platform to sustainably connect the world’s communities. We are thrilled to announce the completion of our transaction, combining Surf Air and Southern into Surf Air Mobility, the largest commuter airline in the US by scheduled departures. We are now well-positioned to build a platform that delivers accessible, affordable, and sustainable regional travel for our customers,” said Stan Little, CEO of Surf Air Mobility. “Our public listing is just the beginning, and we look forward to sharing our journey as we execute on our vision to advance the future of flight.” Surf Air Mobility intends to accelerate the adoption of green flying by developing, together with its commercial partners, hybrid-electric and fully-electric powertrain technology to upgrade existing fleets. By creating a financing and services infrastructure to enable this transition at an industry-wide level, Surf Air Mobility believes it can bring electrified aircraft to market at scale and substantially reduce the cost and environmental impact of regional flying. Surf Air Mobility believes such cost and environmental impact reductions are achievable by the end of the decade, and that operating as a publicly-traded company and having efficient access to growth capital will enable and accelerate the implementation of its strategic plan. Sudhin Shahani, co-founder of Surf Air Mobility, continued, “Our end-state is electrification, but our flywheel begins with flying more passengers via network expansion and providing solutions to operators via Aircraft-as-a-Service (ACaaS), which we believe will drive growth in the near- and mid-term. Surf Air Mobility is a scaled – and growing – regional air travel company today, and we believe our path to electrification via supplemental type certification (‘STC’) will position us as a capital efficient, technology-enabled, first mover in the regional air ecosystem.” ABOUT SURF AIR MOBILITY Surf Air Mobility is a Los Angeles-based regional air mobility platform expanding the category of regional air travel to reinvent flying through the power of electrification. In an effort to substantially reduce the cost and environmental impact of flying and as the operator of the largest commuter airline in the US, Surf Air Mobility intends to develop powertrain technology with its commercial partners to electrify existing fleets and bring electrified aircraft to market at scale. The management team has deep experience and expertise across aviation, electrification, and consumer technology.

Read More

Travel Technology

Hyatt Expands Luxury and Lifestyle Portfolio Across the Americas

Hyatt Hotels | September 22, 2023

Hyatt Hotels Corporation embarks on a strategic expansion journey with over 30 luxury and lifestyle hotels planned for the Americas by 2025. The brand's rapid growth includes doubling luxury room inventory and increasing lifestyle rooms, making it a premier choice for high-end travelers. The strategic acquisitions of Mr & Mrs Smith and Dream Hotel Group enhance Hyatt's offerings for members of the World of Hyatt. The Hyatt Hotels Corporation has strengthened the brand with ambitious plans to expand its luxury and lifestyle presence throughout the Americas. With a robust development pipeline encompassing more than 30 planned hotels and resorts slated for completion by 2025, Hyatt is poised to make a significant impact. This strategic initiative includes venturing into new markets, reflecting the company's unwavering commitment to enhancing its brand offerings. Over the past half-decade, Hyatt has achieved remarkable milestones on a global scale, including doubling luxury room inventory, tripling the number of resort rooms, and quadrupling the availability of lifestyle rooms. The momentum behind this growth shows no signs of abating. Hyatt now proudly stands as the fastest-growing luxury portfolio, with luxury, lifestyle, and resort properties constituting over 40% of its extensive portfolio. This success solidifies Hyatt's position as the ultimate choice for discerning high-end travelers seeking unparalleled experiences. This brand expansion has new properties in sought-after destinations, including the Hyatt Centric Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Cas en Bas Beach Resort in Saint Lucia, and Hyatt Centric Querétaro in Mexico. Additionally, Hyatt is introducing Boundless Collection hotels, featuring Thompson Hotels in various U.S. and Mexican locations. Timeless Collection hotels will offer a home away from home experience, with Park Hyatt Los Cabos in Mexico and Grand Hyatt Scottsdale in Arizona among the highlights. The Inclusive Collection will welcome new resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico, including Secrets St. Lucia Resort & Spa and more. Several luxury and lifestyle Hyatt hotels have recently opened in the Americas, with exciting additions like Andaz Mexico City Condesa and Dreams Flora Resort & Spa in Punta Cana. The Fordson Hotel in Oklahoma City will soon join The Unbound Collection by Hyatt. Hyatt's transformative growth journey extends further through strategic acquisitions that enhance the offerings for its valued guests and members. The recent acquisition of Mr & Mrs Smith, a global travel platform renowned for its curated collection of boutique and luxury properties, is a testament to Hyatt's commitment to delivering exceptional experiences. This move significantly enriches the choices available to World of Hyatt members, providing them with an even more comprehensive array of rewarding stays and memorable experiences. In addition to this, Hyatt's earlier acquisition of Dream Hotel Group in early 2023 has opened up new horizons for World of Hyatt members, enabling them to access an expanded portfolio of stay options and lifestyle experiences in vibrant destinations like Nashville, Hollywood, South Beach, and New York City. Additionally, this acquisition catalyzes Hyatt's brand expansion into an emerging leisure market in Mexico, with the upcoming Dream Valle de Guadalupe (slated for 2024). Nestled across 35 sprawling acres in the picturesque Baja California region, this property will feature a sprawling vineyard, 61 well-appointed guestrooms and villas, a luxurious spa and wellness facility, and a trio of vibrant dining and nightlife venues, including an exclusive tasting room and pool bar.

Read More

Hospitality Trends

Ask Parker the Polar Bear! Quark Expeditions' new AI-driven partner portal makes every travel advisor a polar expert

prnewswire | August 29, 2023

Quark Expeditions, the global leader in polar adventures, announces the launch of a new Partner Portal for travel advisors and their firms—including an industry-first AI platform that will make every advisor a polar expert. "Our Partner Portal for travel advisors offers unmatched, industry-leading innovation and efficiency," said Wendy Batchelor, Vice President of Marketing for Quark Expeditions. "Anchored by the best team and the deepest experience in our sector, our blend of one-stop digital resources and lightning-fast AI tools will fuel sales success for our polar expedition partners—and this is only phase one; look for more exciting developments soon!" From customizable promotional and marketing materials, to the latest polar news and incentives plus Quark Expeditions' learn-from-anywhere PolarPRO training platform, the Partner Portal provides both inspiration and education—along with Parker the Polar Bear, the industry's first real-time, AI-driven virtual polar resource! "Our new AI-enabled virtual assistant leverages secure, cutting-edge language models trained by our own technology team using extensive in-house knowledge repositories," said Rajesh Thiagarajan, Director of Digital Products with Quark Expeditions' global development team. "Parker, together with the full suite of digital resources on the Partner Portal, will reduce time demands for advisors through fast and accurate answers to every polar client's questions." To learn more about the Partner Portal and its AI capabilities, travel advisors can contact the Quark Expeditions sales team—or click here to register and launch their polar expedition sales journey today! About Quark Expeditions The global leader in polar adventures for more than 30 years. The most passionate and seasoned team in the industry, taking explorers to the ends of the earth. Going where few ever dream, and walking where few ever will. Delivering extraordinary experiences and enriching lives through travel, Quark Expeditions is a Travelopia specialist company.

Read More