Travel Technology
point.me | September 07, 2023
point.me, a real-time flight search and booking engine using loyalty program reward points on 150+ airlines, has announced a Series A fundraise completion of $10 million. This investment is led by Thayer Ventures and backed by notable investors, including PAR Capital Ventures and Plug and Play Ventures, and will fuel point.me's expansion.
The company plans to enhance its partnerships with leading the US card issuers, grow its premium concierge service, and scale its consumer subscription business. point.me’s platform currently operates in collaboration with major credit card providers like American Express, Chase, and Capital One, offering seamless searches and bookings. This funding will enable deeper integrations with current partners and the establishment of new collaborations, ultimately delivering enhanced accessibility for users.
point.me has amassed over 1.5 million registered users in the initial year, reflecting its remarkable growth. The company's annual recurring revenue has surged by an impressive 1860%. With this latest Series A funding, the company will be strengthening its integration with loyalty rewards programs across all its product offerings. This strategic move will further elevate the user experience and accessibility, cementing point.me's position as a leader in real-time flight booking using loyalty rewards points.
This Series A funding marks milestone in point.me's rapid ascent within the travel industry. In addition, the company had previously secured $2 million in seed funding, led by PAR Capital Ventures, with participation from WndrCo Holdings, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Sujay Jaswa, and a group of executives from Meta and DoorDash.
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Hospitality Management
Context Travel | September 22, 2023
Context Travel, a leader in travel experiences, is set to revolutionize how globetrotters connect with culturally diverse destinations across the globe. The company is excited to introduce its innovative line of Audio Guides, designed to offer an enriched and interactive travel encounter.
Several distinguishing characteristics of Context Travel's Audio Guides set them apart in travel. Firstly, these guides are GPS-enabled, ensuring that audio tours automatically play based on the traveler's location, even offline. This functionality allows travelers to fully engage with their surroundings while immersing themselves in the local culture.
Secondly, the self-paced nature of these guides empowers travelers to explore destinations at their convenience without feeling rushed. The engaging commentary adds insight and context to their journey, enhancing their overall experience.
Lastly, their foundation in expertise sets Context Travel's Audio Guides apart. Drawing from the vast network of seasoned guides, these audio companions offer an insider's perspective and captivating narratives, providing travelers with a unique and insightful way to connect with their chosen destination. Context Travel is ushering in a new era of immersive travel exploration with these features.
Context Travel is offering a promotion for early adopters to commemorate the launch of Audio Guides. Travelers can receive 50% off their first audio guide purchase with the promo code CONTEXT50.
Context Travel's dedication to delivering exceptional and educational travel experiences is exemplified through its storied legacy of expert-led tours. These journeys have allowed travelers to gain profound insights into the realms of history, art, archaeology, gastronomy, and culture, all under the guidance of distinguished scholars in their respective fields. With the launch of its innovative Audio Guides, Context Travel takes a significant stride forward in expanding its mission. By making these enriching experiences more accessible to a broader audience, the company solidifies its position as a trailblazer in immersive and insightful travel. This evolution underscores their unwavering commitment to fostering a deeper understanding of the world's cultural treasures for future generations.
About Context Travel
Context Travel is an expert-led digital and travel experiences platform dedicated to enriching global understanding of cultural heritage. The company pairs explorers with enthusiastic experts who offer insights that surpass the conventional. Holding B Corporation certification since 2011, it underscores its commitment to extraordinary and sustainable tourism. Travelers have various options, including private or small group walking tours, pre-trip lectures, or engaging audio guides, all aimed at advancing Context Travel's mission to ignite a passion for cultural exploration.
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Hospitality Trends
Cendyn | October 13, 2023
Cendyn, a leader for digital transformation in the hospitality industry, has significantly expanded its capabilities by strategically acquiring PUSHTech, a pioneering force in hotel Customer Relationship Management (CRM) services and marketing automation technology. This acquisition represents Cendyn's dedication to elevating the future of CRM within the hotel sector, driven by innovation, customer-centric solutions, and empowering hoteliers to optimize revenue through advanced CRM strategies.
Jack Blaha, CEO of Cendyn, commented,
"By seamlessly integrating PUSHTech's next-generation technology into Cendyn's portfolio, we are poised to elevate the industry's standard for hoteliers seeking to amplify their sales and marketing CRM capabilities."
[Source –Cision PR Newswire]
The company's core mission centers on refining the guest experience through sophisticated technology and services, with a strong focus on customer-centricity. Jack further expressed enthusiasm for the acquisition, highlighting its potential to further realize their mission.
PUSHTech, a cloud-based Customer Data Platform (CDP) and CRM platform excels in marketing automation, guest journey automation, and sales CRM, offering a unified solution tailored to the hospitality industry. Built on a modern tech stack, this platform empowers hotels to enhance direct bookings, boost guest loyalty, and automate guest journeys across various channels, including email, SMS, WhatsApp, social media, and more.
The acquisition signifies a significant milestone in Cendyn's evolution, symbolizing a pivotal stride for the industry. Cendyn is resolute in its aim to deliver a next-generation CRM platform for the hospitality sector. With this acquisition, Cendyn doubles down on its dedication to innovation and its core mission: enabling hoteliers to reshape how they engage with guests, foster enduring loyalty, and ultimately enhance profitability.
Amid the growing challenge of fostering guest loyalty in the modern era, Cendyn's acquisition of PUSHTech reaffirms the company's strong commitment to advancement in the CRM sector. This strategic decision underlines Cendyn's unwavering dedication to providing hoteliers with the means to cultivate long-lasting guest relationships, ultimately leading to enhanced loyalty and more lucrative revenue streams.
About Cendyn
Cendyn, a leading digital transformation provider in the hospitality industry, specializes in assisting hotels worldwide. The company empowers businesses to enhance profitability and cultivate guest loyalty through an integrated technology platform. It harmoniously aligns key hotel departments, including revenue, eCommerce, distribution, marketing, and sales, by providing centralized data, applications, and advanced analytics. This convergence allows hotels to capture more demand and expedite their growth efficiently. With a global presence, Cendyn’s mission is to drive excellence and innovation in the hospitality sector, enabling hotels to thrive and achieve enduring success.
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Business Travel
Simpleview | September 11, 2023
Simpleview, a leader in destination marketing solutions, and Viator, a top online marketplace for travel experiences, have joined forces. This partnership empowers destination marketing organizations (DMOs) to enhance online engagement, equip partner listings with enticing offers, build tourism brands, instill traveler confidence, and drive business to their partners.
Incorporating Viator's vast catalog of tours, activities, and attractions, DMOs can curate unforgettable experiences for travelers. From exploring hidden gems to providing traveler-centric booking solutions, this collaboration positions DMOs to thrive in the competitive tourism landscape. Additionally, it equips destination marketing organizations with a powerful tool to boost website engagement.
In addition to its evident benefits for DMOs and travelers, the partnership showcases the strategic alignment between Simpleview and Viator. Combining their expertise, these industry leaders facilitate a deeper connection between travelers and destinations, making it easier for visitors to embark on exciting journeys and immerse themselves in the beauty of the world's most captivating places.
Greg Evans, Chief Revenue Officer at Simpleview, mentioned,
At Simpleview, our mission is to bridge visitors with unique local attractions.
[Source – Cision PR Newswire]
Viator broadens horizons for ‘top-of-funnel' or 'out-of-market' visitors and streamlines bookings for the 'in-market' users, embodying the company's dedication to transforming digital interactions into memorable journeys. This partnership empowers DMOs with tools for visitor growth while offering tailored content to fuel travel ambitions. Further, Greg expressed team’s excitement about bringing Viator's capabilities to Simpleview’s CMS.
About Viator
Viator, a subsidiary of Tripadvisor, specializes in simplifying the process of discovering and booking unforgettable global tours, activities, and excursions. The company offers a broad range of options for travelers, with an extensive catalog of over 300,000 experiences, whether they seek adventures close to home or in far-flung destinations. Committed to ensuring that travelers make the most of their precious leisure time, Viator relentlessly emphasizes quality, catering to various interests ranging from straightforward tours to exhilarating extreme adventures and everything else that is intriguing.
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