2015 Archives

The Smart Hotel of the future adapts to any building, and it's plugged into a city's open data platform to provide a new and untapped hospitality user experience that prioritizes efficiency, connectivity and mobility.

Everyone wants a trip made just for them, and when you're paying luxury prices it's more likely to happen.

It is very attractive for Booking.com to abstain from charging travelers a booking fee on vacation rentals. But the lack thereof means Booking.com's commissions may not be competitive and shareholders will likely demand that Booking.com maximize the revenue opportunity and impose the booking fee.

These startups have ideas that build on themes travelers have already said they care about: visuals as the gateway to travel, wanting brands to actually know who they are and wanting something unique at sites that by definition are already unique.

If airports want to welcome and comfort travelers, that phrase's definition implies more than charging outlets and iPads at gates or restaurants featuring local cuisines. Having a slow Wi-Fi connection isn't an extension of home for many travelers but it's encouraging to see faster speeds will soon become more common.

This week's travel startup funding, all in one place.

Paul English of Lola Travel wants to address some of the shortcomings, including the lack of human intervention in trip-planning, that were never addressed during his tenure at digital-only Kayak. Perhaps Kayak's new text-based travel service will fill some gaps -- if they really exist, that is -- as well.

As 2015 comes to a close, here are some of the most disruptive trends that have impacted destination meetings and event technology development over the year.

These are the newest travel startups from AngelList vying for travelers’ interest and investors’ attention.