50,000 hotel rooms, fully automated

€6.5M raise + loyalty travel + Berlin plans

February 19, 2026

Hi there,

This week we're looking at a German startup using AI agents to fully automate hotel revenue management, and raising €6.5M to do it faster. We're also covering a Japanese luxury concept that lets multiple owners share a villa, plus a handful of funding rounds from the US, Italy, and Mexico worth knowing about.

And! it's our first time at ITB Berlin and we're keeping the schedule open for good conversations. If you're going and think we should meet, just reply to this email. We'd love to connect 🚀

happyhotel, an Offenburg-based startup, has closed a €6.5 million Series A round to build AI agents for hotel revenue management.

💬 "We are not building our system for the revenue manager - we are automating the tasks of a revenue manager. Our goal is to enable professional revenue management for every hotel and fully automate the selling of hotel rooms so hoteliers can focus entirely on their guests," said Rafael Weißmüller, CEO and co-founder.

The funding will go toward expanding across Europe and developing happyhotel's AI agent further. The tool helps hoteliers make smarter pricing and distribution decisions in real time, and is designed to take on more complex tasks over time. The startup currently manages pricing for over 50,000 hotel rooms across 12 countries, and says its customers see an average revenue boost of around 15%.

Some of the best conversations at ITB happen off the trade floor 👀

On March 3rd in Betahaus Kreuzberg, a curated delegation of Danish travel tech startups is hosting an evening focused on real solutions & partnerships.

Expect travel tech pitch sessions presenting concrete solutions, curated matchmaking with founders, and networking with hotels, destinations, attractions, DMCs and tech partners who are actively exploring collaborations.

If you’re looking for innovative tools to improve operations, guest experience or sustainability, this is a room worth being in. Save your spot!

🇩🇰 Meet the Danish travel tech delegation in Berlin

🇺🇸 Odynn raises $9.5M to help banks and loyalty programs launch branded travel booking portals quickly.

🇮🇹 Intuos raises €720K to grow its aviation-tech platform globally. The Italian startup helps flight schools, flying clubs, and small fleet operators run their day-to-day aircraft operations more safely and efficiently, combining software with IoT devices.

🇲🇽 Daypass lands $2M to expand its platform that lets travellers and locals book one-day access to hotels, beach clubs, spas, and activities - no overnight stay required.

🇯🇵 NOT A HOTEL raises ¥10.1 billion (around €55 million) in a Series C round mixing equity and debt, to grow its luxury villa platform across Japan. The concept lets multiple owners share a designer property, with access to 9 locations and over 1,100 owners already on board.

of travelers now use AI in trip planning, primarily for choosing destinations (42%) and accommodation (41%).

Source: Criteo Global Winter Travel Pulse 2025

🕵 Murder mystery travel
There’s a rise in staged murder-mystery trips where guests step into a fictional investigation during their stay. Think true-crime energy, but fully immersive and theatrical. Curious if this becomes mainstream 👀

🇩🇪 Making the most of ITB
It’s our first time at ITB and we’re building the schedule carefully to make the most of it (recommendations are very welcome <3) - so if there’s someone we should meet or something worth showing up for, send it our way!

See you next week,
Ana

Thank you for reading until the end.

The content of this newsletter is curated and published by Ana Metz, an innovation expert, passionate about technology and excited about the future of travel.

Looking for a space to promote your business or service for more than 26k subscribers? Let’s talk.