Here’s our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.

Leadership updates from Blockskye, Intrepid and WEX

Blockskye, a leading provider of blockchain solutions for the travel industry and PhocusWire Hot 25 Travel Startup for 2024, announced the promotion of Dave Zitur to president and the appointment Erik Magnuson as chief operating officer.

Prior to Blockskye, Zitur’s background includes roles as COO and CIO at Travel Leaders Group and various positions at Carlson Companies. Magnuson’s prior roles consist of vice president of product management and senior roles at CWT. 

Intrepid Travel, a tour operator specializing in small-group adventure travel, has announced changes in its North American leadership team. 

Current chief customer officer Leigh Barnes becomes president of the Americas and Canadian travel industry veteran Christian Wolters joins from TourRadar in the newly created position of president of Canada.

CEO James Thornton said, “Under this new structure, the Americas will play a key role in our ambitious growth strategy for 2030.”

Read more details here

WEX, a global commerce platform, has appointed Jason Hancock as managing director of its international business payments division.

By focusing on B2B travel payments, international business expansion efforts in APAC and MEA regions and emergent virtual corporate payment solutions, Hancock plans to help customers navigate the challenges in the travel industry.

Crewfare, Lumo win startup battles

Event and group booking specialist Crewfare has won TravelTech Show’s Trailblazer Awards. The company beat off four other startups to win the competition. Separately, flight disruption solution Lumo, a PhocusWire Hot 25 Startup for 2019, fought off competition from eight other companies to win the Business Travel Innovation Faceoff Europe.

Otelier’s new payment tool

Otelier, a hospitality optimization platform has launched a
new product, Otelier Digipay, that automates accounts payable workflows to
unlock efficiency for hotel operators.

The company said Digipay will help hotel general managers and finance teams
by eliminating unnecessary time and money that they spend processing invoices
and cutting and mailing checks to pay suppliers.

“Accounts payable is a critical function within hotels and management groups and reducing the number of hours it takes to manage, approve and pay invoices, while assuring accuracy, can result in significant savings,” said Otelier CEO Vic Chynoweth.

Read more details here

Sabre, Spotnana

Sabre and Spotnana have expanded their partnership to include Sabre’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) content. The collaboration now provides travel management companies and corporate travelers with more travel options enabling them to compare NDC content alongside traditional options.

Read more details here.

Blacklane, SIXT

SIXT, a leading international provider of mobility services,
has partnered with Blacklane, a leading global chauffeur company. Blacklane
chauffeur services are now bookable across North America via the SIXT app and
SIXT.com.

The companies said the integration will create a powerful
combination that will bring elevated experiences to guests, support
sustainability efforts and drive market growth for both companies.

Read more details here

Jyrney, Grapevine

Jyrney, a next-generation mobility platform for business
travel and Grapevine, a leader in intelligent communications have announced a
strategic partnership to enhance ground transport booking
for business travelers.

Both of the companies were on the list of PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2023. With
Grapevine’s AI-driven communication engine and Jyrney’s comprehensive ground
transport platform, travelers can now receive timely, company-approved ground
transport options ahead of their trips.

Jyrney said the integration will also improve visibility and
control over travel expenses while reducing CO2 emissions.

Holidu, Toploc

Holidu, one of Europe’s leading vacation rental booking
companies, has collaborated with Toploc, a platform for nature vacation rentals
in France.

This partnership is said to further support vacation rental
owners with a platform that will enable hosts to simplify renting out their
vacation homes and benefit from greater online visibility for their properties,
reaching a wider target audience and international customers. 

Nium, Air France

Nium, a global leader in real-time cross-border payments has
partnered with Air France and KLM to power “closed loop” electronic payments
between airlines and travel agents. 

The Nium Airline Payments (NAP) solution will provide an
alternative to travel agent card transactions by using a private network of UATP
authorization rails and bank transfers to offer lower costs, more optionality
and guaranteed payment acceptance.

Read more details here