Who’s Who in the Travel & Mobility Unicorn Club 🦄

Hi there,

We’ve rounded up some of the week’s best in travel innovation, trends, and startup stories. In the meantime, our team is fully focused on everything FutureTravel Summit - and we can’t wait to meet you there!

Lots to dive into today, so grab a coffee (or tea!) and let’s get right to it:

Payment Strategy Revolution: In partnership with Skift, Airwallex launched the 2024 State of Payments in the Travel Industry report, diving into the key challenges with global payment systems and financial operations. Their findings show that 66% of travel executives see profit margins impacted by inefficient payment systems, 88% make regular foreign currency transactions, and 70% find cross-border payments have become more challenging over the past few years due to the rise in diverse customer payment preferences worldwide. Ahm, maybe it's time for a change? Download the full report to learn how you can overcome these challenges and future-proof your payment operations.

Hotel Tech Playbook. In a special episode of Hospitality Daily, host Josiah Mackenzie did a full breakdown of hotel tech, sharing over 20 years of personal insights and strategies for choosing, implementing, and maximizing tech solutions. Known for interviewing top voices in hospitality, Josiah takes the mic solo this time, offering an unfiltered guide to hotel technology - a must-listen for anyone ready to level up their tech game.

Venice’s Tourist Fee. Remember when Venice first started charging a tourist fee? Well, it worked. Now, the city’s expanding its €5 day-tripper charge to 54 days in 2025, double this year’s count. From mid-April through July, peak days will see day visitors paying the fee, or €10 for last-minute bookings. The move helps manage the tourist flow and funds local upkeep, balancing visitor impact with residents' quality of life.

Who’s Who in Travel & Mobility Unicorn Club. The unicorns are back, but with a new story. After a three-year break from covering billion-dollar startups, the brilliant people at TNMT did a deep dive into today’s travel and mobility tech unicorns. Now that the market seems more connected to real-world results, this new wave goes from ground mobility to travel finance. Highly recommend takinga look at their latest piece to see their analysis and insights into where travel innovation is headed. And of course their amazing (and very clear) charts and visuals, like this one:

Next Stop: Middle East. Berlin-based Blacklane, the worldwide chauffeur service, just raised $65 million to expand across Europe, the US, and the Middle East. With a new partnership and electric vehicles set to launch in Saudi Arabia, they’re enhancing airport and city transfers globally while training local chauffeurs. We can expect more seamless rides as Blacklane’s growth hits the fast lane.

Bringing Cruises to Mobile Shoppers. New York-based Cruisebound has landed $13 million in funding, adding to the $10 million raised at its launch. They are ready to expand their innovative cruise booking platform, designed for the mobile-first generation. Led by Thayer Ventures and joined by other big industry names, this investment will help Cruisebound continue its rapid growth. With features like AI assistance and flexible booking options, it’s winning over younger cruisers, who now make up its core audience.

Helping Small Hotels to Play Big. StayNow, a platform helping independent hotel owners compete against bigger brands, has raised $2.2 million in seed funding. Co-founded by Saawan Patel, StayNow’s mission is rooted in Patel’s family experience with motels. This funding will help expand their tech and marketing, supporting family-run hotels to stay competitive without hefty fees or terms. 

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.

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