FCM Meetings & Events’ new business leader 

FCM Meetings & Events, the long-standing industry specialists and one of the flagship divisions of Flight Centre Travel Group, has announced the appointment of Gabriella Antoniotti as the new business leader for the Americas.

Antoniotti will oversee the entire meetings and events division across the United States and Canada. She will step into her new leadership role during a transformative time for the FCM M&E business, as the company is prepared to undergo a global relaunch targeting worldwide growth.

“Globalizing the FCM M&E business will allow us to add consistency and scale for customers looking for a global meetings and events provider, with hub offices in all four regions, global consistency but with local nuance to understand specific client needs,” said Simone Seiler, FCM M&E global general manager. 

Guesty’s new chief marketing officer

Guesty, a property management platform for short-term rental and hospitality properties, has appointed Kate Cox as chief marketing officer. 

Cox brings experience in driving strong growth for recurring revenue businesses in B2B and B2C sectors.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kate to the Guesty team,” said Amiad Soto, CEO and co-ounder.

“Her understanding of brand-building, extensive background in growing recurring revenue models, and her success in scaling high-growth businesses will be instrumental in furthering Guesty’s global leadership. Kate’s insights and experience will help propel our efforts in developing a robust marketing strategy that continues to push the industry and our customers forward while staying true to our mission of providing best-in-class solutions for the short-term rental industry.

Booking.com, Stay22

Stay22, a travel tech company that offers affiliate revenue generation opportunities for travel content creators, has announced the integration of Booking.com’s products.

This partnership will offer Stay 22’s network of over 2,700 global content creators the opportunity to generate revenue from every element of the travel experience in one place, including accommodations, flights, car rentals and attractions, within their platforms. 

“We can’t think of a better way to empower content creators than by continuing our partnership with Booking.com to offer various travel products through a single booking experience,” said Andrew Lockhead, CEO of Stay22. “It will allow us to provide them with innovative tools to enhance their offerings and boost their revenue through access to multiple travel products in one reservation flow. With over 1.5 billion visits per year from users with high purchase intent for travel services, Stay22 is uniquely positioned to drive significant value for not only creators and their audiences, but also those distributing via them.”

Swiipr appoints new vice president of sales

Swiipr, an airline payment technology company, has appointed Kirk Nagy as vice president of sales for the Americas.

Nagy’s background includes positions at Cirium, where he was
responsible for enterprise business development, Travelport as regional vice
president and head of alliances, Worldspan as commercial director and regional vice president and American airlines as commercial director. 

Nagy said, “I’m excited to be joining the Swiipr team at
such a crucial stage in its growth. Airlines in the U.S. are increasingly
discovering the benefits of Swiipr’s digital payments systems, which not only
help passengers but also drive efficiencies for the airlines themselves.”

Otamiser launches AutoRank

Otamiser, an online travel agency ranking management platform,
has announced its expansion into the short-term rental industry with the launch
of AutoRank.

Leveraging AI technology, AutoRank analyzes Airbnb search
trends and guest behavior to automatically refresh property listings every 48 hours.
In addition, it allows hosts and property managers to achieve visibility and
secure bookings on Airbnb.

“In a marketplace as competitive as Airbnb, where visibility
directly dictates success, staying ahead of the positioning game is absolutely
crucial,” said Bart-Jan Leyts, CEO and founder of Otamiser. “What makes
AutoRank so groundbreaking is its ability to adapt in real-time to Airbnb’s
constantly evolving algorithms and shifting guest preferences. It’s like having
an expert marketer working behind the scenes 24/7, ensuring your property is
not only staying relevant but leading the pack.”

Onsai’s new voice solution

German startup Onsai has launched an artificial intelligence-driven voice solution
to aid operational efficiency in the hospitality sector.

“Our goal is to dramatically increase operational
efficiency in hotels while enhancing the guest experience,” said Jochen Emig, CEO and co-founder of Onsai.

“With Onsai Voice, hotels can
offer round-the-clock service without incurring additional personnel costs. At
the same time, staff gain valuable time to focus on value-adding tasks and
personal guest care on-site. It’s not just about cost savings, but a
significant gain in time and productivity,” said COO Ralf Bonin.

NexusCube, Juniper Travel Technology, Globick

NexusCube, the B2B division of GoNexus Group, and Juniper
Travel Technology have entered
an agreement with Globick, a B2B connectivity platform for tours and experiences.

“With this agreement, Globick will support the acceleration
of new integrations with experience providers,” said Roberto Bermúdez, managing
director of Nexus Cube & director of Juniper Experiences by NexusTours.

“This
agreement positions us as one of the largest providers of experience and
mobility services in the B2B world. Thanks to our scalable and efficient
technology, combined with NexusCube’s robust distribution network of 17,000 B2B
travel buyers, including OTAs, tour operators and retail travel agencies
worldwide, we enable the travel sector to offer these products to its customers
and partners,” he added.

TPConnects Technologies, Hawaiian Airlines

TPConnects Technologies, an IATA-certified global
aggregator and distribution technology company, announced the implementation of
New Distribution Capability (NDC) content and servicing capabilities for Hawaiian
Airlines on its Iris platform.

Travel
agencies using Iris can access NDC content alongside traditional EDIFACT, low-cost carrier and aggregator content, providing a single interface for all airline bookings.
Iris enables seamless shopping and servicing of air content and ensures that
travel sellers can offer the best available fares and products to their
clients. 

“This
launch marks a significant milestone in our commitment to driving innovation
and efficiency in the travel industry,” said Paul Ryumugabe, vice president of product at TPConnects Technologies.

“By integrating NDC
content from Hawaiian Airlines, we’re empowering travel sellers to expand their
footprint and provide comprehensive experiences to their customers. It is in
perfect alignment with our goal to provide the best available content to travel
sellers and build our content independence.” 

Holibob’s new vice president of product and engineering

Holibob, a provider of tours and experiences technology, has
appointed Derek Lakin as vice president of product and
engineering.

Lakin brings more than a decade of experience leading engineering teams
and a total of 25 years in the tech industry..

“On behalf of the whole team I’d like to give a big warm
welcome to Derek,” said Craig Everett, CEO of Holibob. “He joins at an
incredibly exciting moment for our growth and his outstanding experience will
prove invaluable as we innovate how tours & activities are curated and sold
around the world.”

Civitatis appoints new country manager 

Civitatis, a curated marketplace for tours and activities, has appointed Alexandre Oliveira as the new country
manager for Brazil.

The company said the move reflects Civitatis’ goal of achieving
100% business growth in terms of Brazilian clients’ bookings by 2025 and aligns with its broader
focus on expanding its footprint in Latin American markets.

“I am excited to join Civitatis and contribute to the
company’s growth in Brazil, a country rich in potential, particularly with its
impressive e-commerce and digitalization growth rates,” said
Oliveira. “I look forward to coordinating the efforts of our local team to
achieve the ambitious growth we envision for Brazil.”