In Phocus

Within the vacation rental industry, opportunity abounds as operators lean into consolidation and professionalization.

During an interview in the PhocusWire studio at The Phocuswright Conference last week, Sharad Sunderesan, founder and CEO of Homescreen, and Eric Goldreyer, CEO of Savvy, shared their thoughts on these trends.

“You’ll see consolidation bri...

Cryptocurrency is carving out a role in travel—from B2C bookings to B2B settlements—through stablecoin-powered payments and crypto-savvy consumers making high-value transactions. Although cryptocurrency still represents a small portion of global travel spending, industry leaders believe change is coming quickly.

“Travel is an emotional and high-value purchase,” said Damien Cramer, senior vice president of gl...

Saudi Arabia-based OTA Almosafer, which means “traveler” in Arabic, is making headway in the Middle East. Now head of the company, Muzzammil Ahussain has risen the ranks from COO to EVP to CEO—a role he’s held since January 2023.

In an interview with PhocusWire, Ahussain said Almosafer sets itself apart from global OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia through “local understanding and local knowh...

You could be forgiven for thinking that travel companies might shy away from taking companies public via special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Many will have seen industry peers have a rough ride back in 2022 and question what has changed.

For Chris Hemmeter, managing director of Thayer Investment Partners, the travel industry is in a very different place now. In an interview with PhocusWire, he said there is already a resurg...

While ancillaries are often discussed as a way to boost profit, not every travel company has introduced these revenue streams. But what's holding them back?

Mark McLaughlin, CEO of Coras, and Inigo Valenzuela, CEO of Smartvel, opened up about the hesitancy they encounter in the pitching process to travel suppliers.

Mclaughlin identified technology as a roadblock. As an API provider for tickets and events, he said he&rsquo...

As the short-term rental (STR) industry continues to evolve, it’s become clear that vacation rentals can be more than just a place to rest one’s head—and Airbnb has tapped into this opportunity with its recent launch of Services.

But what benefit do ancillaries really pose to STR providers? Industry leaders shared their thoughts in a panel-style interview in the PhocusWire studio at Phocus...

The travel industry has had pretty much everything thrown at it in the first six months of 2025. It has faced ongoing global conflict, economic instability, political uncertainty and challenges related to climate change.

The second quarter earnings of online travel agencies, hotel groups and airlines reflected some of this turmoil. Airlines blamed macroeconomic factors for revenue losses and demand uncertainty, while the CEO...

Loyalty has long helped brands drive engagement but not everything is plain sailing in the travel loyalty world.

The landscape is shifting with younger generations demanding something different from programs and companies reassessing what's working. At the end of last year, for example, Morning Consult reported that travelers aren’t totally satisfied with programs as they exist. And in 2023, McKinsey ...

Travel’s tours and activities sector has been growing in recent years, and the space is continuing to evolve in 2025.

Industry leaders opened up about current trends during a studio interview with senior reporter Morgan Hines at Phocuswright Europe earlier this summer. 

Right now, experts said there are some key shifts tied to demographic, booking behavior and emerging technology, all of which could shape the f...

Peter O’Donovan's career has included several leadership roles, and he now sits as the CEO of CarTrawler. O'Donovan was appointed to the role in 2022 after four years as chief operations officer.

CarTrawler works to connect clients and travel brands to mobility solutions and car rentals across the world.

During a CEO Spotlight interview in the PhocusWire studio at Phocuswright Europe, O’Donovan discussed wha...

The travel industry is known for being susceptible to just about everything, from financial downturns and global conflict to rapid technological development and climate change. However, it's also known for its ability to bounce back—often quite quickly.

At Phocuswright Europe 2025, CheckYeti, a specialist in outdoor experiences, and WingBuddy, a packaged tour operator, joined us in the PhocusWire studio ...

If the first quarter of 2025 proved lackluster for travel startup funding with only about $1 billion going into newcomers in the space, the second quarter slipped further.

It seems all the headlines around tariffs as well as the political uncertainty and global conflict may have put investments on hold, with only about $800 million going into travel startups, according to Phocuswright’s Travel Startups Int...

During an interview at the PhocusWire studio at Phocuswright Europe, Maxim Sevastianov, founder and CEO of Trava, said he defines API connectivity success in the course of a long game.

“You define that there is a certain need in the market for that particular application, right?” he said. “Then you develop and you talk to the customers, of course, and they say there is a need for that.”

However, it...

As travel came to a screeching halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jari Virtanen, CEO of Stena Line Travel and Retail Group, was faced with a blank slate. 

So, Virtanen, who oversees a portfolio of brands including Sembo, European Online Flights, Motorist and Best Travel, took the time to innovate and look to the future.

According to Virtanen, at the time, he looked at larger online travel agencies (OTAs) and noticed ...

API-first property management system (PMS) Apaleo aims to help hoteliers scale business. And according to founder and CEO Uli Pillau, the platform give developers and startups, as well as established players, the opportunity to innovate.

“When you look at us, we are the only not all-in-one PMS in the market—we are a true platform, so our innovation comes really from all of the apps and the modules and com...

With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), search engine optimization—or at least SEO as we know it—has been effectively kicked out of the party. And it's a “reality” that the travel sector is being forced to confront.

Mario Gavira, vice president of growth and brand for Kiwi.com, who has been vocal about the future as it relates to AI and agentic AI, said the industry has to adapt.

“Our ...

In an executive interview, Gillian Jones, senior business development manager of Condatis, and Vikas Bhola, CEO of Neoke, suggested that a shift towards digital ID adoption may help facilitate the connected trip, but it can feel daunting. 

And while fragmentation presents a barrier, standardization is another concern, with regions and industries developing their own frameworks for implementing SSI.

According to Bhola, how...

Speakspots, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered WhatsApp hotel chatbot, has entered the B2B space with a white-label AI agent for hotels.

The new feature was announced at Phocuswright Europe in Barcelona.

“We started as an AI travel planner. Now we have over 50,000 users every month, especially in Europe,” said Andres Martinez Artal, CEO and founder of Speakspots, in an interview with PhocusWire. “We...

Multiday adventure and experiences platform TourRadar has unveiled TourRadar Moments in its app. The social commerce initiative enables travelers to book trips from uploaded photos and video reels content.

The company is also rewarding the creators for sharing the content with travel credits for future trips.

TourRadar co-founder and CEO Travis Pittman said "the timing is perfect" for the initiative amid ongoing developments i...