Articles tagged “investments”

Chantal Noble Haldorsen appears to be one of the rising stars of travel tech investing. Savvy entrepreneurs will note her insights.

The smartest money appears to be warming to the emerging asset class of professionally managed short-term rentals and vacation rentals. But it's probably too soon to expect an "STR REIT," or short-term rental real estate investment trust, this year.

A resurgence of early-stage startups launched in 2021 points to a new wave of innovation and energy coming into the travel sector.

Hertz is now in a pole position among rental car brands in the race to adopt electric vehicles. Separately, it's notable that private equity firm Certares has begun placing venture equity bets in early-stage companies.

Second seasons often disappoint, but Steve Singh's comeback bodes well for blue-chip corporations. Singh is a business travel icon, and his ideas and energy may rev up the metabolism of travel managers, whether or not they buy into his new startup Spotnana.

The WestCap Group has led a $150 million round in Flyr, a startup that helps travel companies boost their revenue. "Mogul management" appears to be the new "revenue management."

Expect more travel tech companies to mimic Plusgrade and get private equity backing to be able to do the acquisitions they need to grow during the recovery.

Luxury Escapes, an e-commerce travel deals business, plans to raise as much as $70 million (A$100 million). Makes sense. Travel companies with capital in hand may be best-prepared for the pandemic rebound.

So far this year, a dozen travel companies went public or made plans to do so. A couple of them may shine. But the odds are stacked against this year's IPOs, on average, over the long term. Find out why.

Travel startup Hopper has raised $175 million in additional investment, underscoring the potential of its financial services products and offering an interesting case study in new appetites in travel for fintech. It seems very much in the cards that the company will go public by, say, 2022.