A roundup of the week's biggest talent, product and partner news in the global travel industry.
Leadership Updates from Blockskye, Intrepid and WEX
Blockskye, a leading provider of blockchain solutions for the travel industry and named to PhocusWire's Hot 25 Travel Startups of 2024, announced the promotion of Dave Zitur to President and the appointment of Erik Magnuson as Chief Operating Officer.
Prior to joining Blockskye, Zitur served as COO and CIO at Travel Leaders Group and held various roles at Carlson Companies, while Magnuson served as vice president of product management and senior management at CWT.
Intrepid Travel, a tour operator specializing in small group adventure travel, has announced changes to its North American leadership team.
Current chief customer officer Lee Burns will become president of the Americas, while Canadian travel industry veteran Christian Walters will join from TourRadar in the newly created role of president of Canada.
“Under this new structure, the Americas will play a key role in our ambitious growth strategy to 2030,” said CEO James Thornton.
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Global commerce platform WEX has appointed Jason Hancock as managing director of international business payments.
Hancock plans to help clients navigate travel industry challenges with a focus on B2B travel payments, international expansion efforts in the Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa regions, and new virtual corporate payment solutions.
Otelier's new payment tool
Hospitality optimization platform Otelier has launched a new product, Otelier Digipay, which automates accounts payable workflows to increase efficiency for hoteliers.
The company claims that Digipay will help hotel general managers and finance teams by eliminating the time and money they waste processing invoices and cutting and mailing cheques to pay suppliers.
“Accounts payable is a critical function for hotels and management groups, driving significant savings by reducing the time and ensuring accuracy in managing, approving and paying invoices,” said Hotelier CEO Vic Chynoweth.
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Blacklane, SIXT
SIXT, a leading international mobility service provider, has partnered with Blacklane, the world's leading chauffeur company. Blacklane's chauffeur services can now be booked across North America through the SIXT app and SIXT.com.
The companies said the combination creates a powerful combination that will deliver quality experiences to guests, support sustainability efforts and drive market growth for both companies.
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Journey, Grapevine
Jyrney, the next-generation mobility platform for business travel, and Grapevine, a leader in intelligent communications, have announced a strategic partnership to enhance ground transportation bookings for business travelers.
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Both companies were named to PhocusWire’s 25 Travel Startups to Watch in 2023. Grapevine’s AI-driven communications engine and Jyrney’s comprehensive ground transportation platform enable travelers to receive timely, company-approved ground transportation options prior to traveling.
Journey said the integration will also give them greater visibility and control over travel expenses while reducing their carbon footprint.
Holidu, Top Rock
Holidu, one of Europe's leading vacation rental booking companies, has partnered with Toploc, the French nature vacation rental platform.
The partnership is said to provide further support to vacation rental owners with a platform that allows hosts to simplify renting out their holiday homes, increase online visibility for their properties and reach a wider target audience and international customers.
Nium, Air France
Nium, the 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 agencies.
The Nium Airline Payments (NAP) solution uses UATP certified rails and a private network of bank transfers to provide travel agents an alternative to card transactions, reducing costs, increasing choice and guaranteeing payment acceptance.
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