Travel app Hopper flying high with fresh $96 million raise. It seems the travel bug is still around, and as people are still itching to get away, investments in the companies making it happen are still taking off. Now, travel app Hopper, which has been showing the benefits of agility and timely-executed pivots since its 2007 launch, […]
Tag: Acquisition
Meet the city that has robots as guides
Budapest tourism to be fueled by AI. AI is increasingly shaping the travel and tourism space, and now the city of Budapest is getting involved. Budapest Brand has partnered with The Trip Boutique to give travellers a more personalised stay in the city, offering tailored itineraries that match visitors interests, styles and tastes – all available free of charge. By […]
Robots at the Airport
Robots at the airport. Aeroporto di Roma has adopted a new fully autonomous delivery robot. This means air passengers can scan a QR code to purchase F&B and retail items at the airport and get them delivered right up to the gate in a digital and completely frictionless experience. This is part of their long-term strategy, aimed […]
A Fresh Look for Airline Shopping
Taxis taking the skies. United has just made another investment into a possible future mode of mobility – airborne taxis. The American firm just put $15 million into EVE Air Mobility alongside a conditional purchase agreement for 200 four-seat electric aircraft plus 200 options. It comes just one month after a $10 million deposit for Archer Aviation’s similarly sized air taxi. […]
TravelTech Startups: Latest News Investments
Aero’s premium airline secures $50 million. It seems that luxury air travel is picking up pace. Not only have we seen airlines stepping up the levels of luxury available, enhanced sitting and sleeping provisions, but also the rise of premium air travel. Aero Technologies, a premium private jet operator has raised $50 million in Series B […]
Vail Now Resorts dominates Australian skiing with latest buy
Vail Resorts now owns three out of the five major Australian ski fields following its acquisition of Mount Hotham and Falls Creek for $174 million from Merlin Entertainments last week. Both resorts are located in Victoria about a five hour drive from Melbourne. Vail has owned Perisher, Australia’s largest and most popular resort, since 2015. […]
Back to the future as Flight Centre buys Topdeck
Flight Centre has bought 90% of Topdeck Tours, a company started by FLT founder Graham Turner in 1973. Topdeck Managing Director James Nathan will retain a 10% shareholding in the business. Mr Nathan also runs Back-Roads Touring in which FLT has a 67% stake and will continue to manage both businesses. The deal values UK-based Topdeck Tours at £21.84m. […]
Luxury Escapes Buys Scoopon Travel & BonVoyage from Catch
The Lux Group, which owns online travel business Luxury Escapes, has bought Scoopon Travel and BonVoyage as part of a complicated, multi-faceted transaction with the Catch Group that will create a pure-play online travel business with $300m turnover and enormous buying power while clearing the way for further growth. In what the companies are calling Australia’s largest “home grown” e-commerce […]
Chinese company wins approval for Club Med purchase
French travel icon, Club Med, will be likely Chinese-owned by February 9 after regulators approved the takeover bid by Fosun International, which has offered €24.60 per share for the resort operator, valuing it at around €939 million. Fosun has been in a bidding war with Italian businessman Andrea Bonomi for Club Med since May, 2013, the […]
Virgin Australia disappears from view after Bain Capital acquisition
Update 18.1.21: Virgin eyes ‘former glory after major c-suite appointments Challenging times for Virgin Australia and its new owners, Bain Capital, which paid $3.5 billion for the broke and battling airline several months ago, but has given the carrier no voice or profile during Australia’s peak summer holiday season. All the talk has been left to […]