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PhocusWire

A regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

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S7 · E12
Wednesday · 18 min
CEO Spotlight: Andres Spitzer of Civitatis
Andrés Spitzer took over as CEO of Civitatis on January 1, 2026, after leading product and technology at the tours and activities marketplace. In this conversation with PhocusWire’s Linda Fox, recorded in the PhocusWire Studio, he reflects on his first six months in the role. Conflict in the Middle East forced his team to change how it operates and shift demand to other markets. Spitzer names AI-driven discovery and trust as the biggest challenges facing the industry. Travelers have moved from searching Google to asking questions to asking agents to act for them. Activities lag far behind flights and hotels in technology maturity, and Spitzer explains what Civitatis must fix to be ready for agentic commerce. He also covers how millions of traveler reviews build trust, lessons he brought from Amazon and the company’s growth in Latin America, including its new partnership with Despegar. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E11
October 14 · 18 min
CEO Spotlight: Julie Cheetham of Travalyst
Julie Cheetham is ten months into her role as CEO of Travalyst, the not-for-profit coalition of travel and technology companies founded by Prince Harry. In this conversation with PhocusWire’s Linda Fox, recorded in the PhocusWire Studio at Phocuswright Europe 2026, Cheetham argues that sustainability has not slipped down the corporate agenda despite global conflict and economic pressure. Instead, senior leaders now frame it around revenue, risk and efficiency. Hotels are already seeing climate change hit the bottom line. Cheetham explains why credible data changes traveler behavior. The Travel Impact Model, built by the Travalyst coalition with Google, has surfaced aviation emissions data in more than 160 billion searches, and travelers pick the lower-impact option when price and routing are close. She also covers the rise in bookings at third-party certified properties, AI’s role in spreading tourists to lesser-known destinations and multimodal planning, and the push to consolidate competing certification schemes. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E10
October 7 · 23 min
CEO Spotlight: Matthijs Welle of Mews
Mews CEO Matthijs Welle sits down with PhocusWire's Linda Fox to explain an eventful year for the hospitality tech company. Six months after raising $300 million in Series D funding at a $2.5 billion valuation, Mews cut 15% of its workforce. Welle says the two moves are unrelated. The restructuring aimed to build an AI-first organization where teams act quickly instead of waiting on meetings, and it created a new role: the product builder. That shift is reshaping Mews' acquisition strategy. Welle splits deals into two types: property management systems, which Mews sunsets over time, and products folded into R&D. With in-house builders now creating products faster and cheaper, buying them makes less sense. Welle also covers fragmentation in hospitality tech and why hoteliers want a single vendor, how AI turns Mews into one operating system, his working relationship with founder Richard Valtr and plans to win more large hotel brands. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E9
September 30 · 18 min
Split payments and the future of checkout in travel with Samuel Flynn of Hands In
Hands In co-founder Samuel Flynn joins PhocusWire's Linda Fox in the PhocusWire Studio to explain how split payments differ from buy now, pay later. Flynn says Hands In targets insufficient funds at checkout, letting travelers combine payment methods and groups split costs across participants. He positions the company as a technology layer rather than a lender. He also predicts agentic AI will replace traditional checkout and discusses fragmentation, blockchain and fraud. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E8
September 23 · 18 min
From banker to luxury villa specialist with Natasha Martsekis of Bright Blue Villas
After 20 years in institutional trading, Natasha Martsekis left banking to follow her passion for hospitality. In 2014 she founded Bright Blue Villas, a luxury villa rental company built on the principles she learned on the trading floor: trust, accountability and treating owners as strategic partners. In this conversation recorded in the PhocusWire Studio at Phocuswright Europe 2026, Martsekis explains why that institutional approach paid off and why she wishes she had grown the portfolio faster early on. Bright Blue Villas now manages 325 villas across 20 destinations in Greece, and she sees room to scale as exceptional new properties go up on the smaller islands. She also shares where AI fits in luxury travel. In her view it supports the human touch rather than replacing it, with the biggest gains in pre-booking, pre-arrival and repeat stays. Martsekis discusses operational challenges, destination evolution and the role of the experience concierge. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E7
September 16 · 13 min
AI in action in corporate travel with Nikita Miller of Perk
Perk (formerly TravelPerk) has launched an MCP connector linking Claude, ChatGPT and other AI assistants directly to its travel and spend management platform. Chief product officer Nikita Miller frames it around killing "shadow work," the time employees waste digging through reports and switching tools for basic answers. The connector lets travelers pull trip and expense details, finance teams access invoices, travel managers review approvals and policy rules, and event managers check sessions and attendee data, all through natural language. Speaking in the PhocusWire Studio, Miller said the goal spans from individual spend all the way to CFO-level reporting at month's end. Perk plans to expand the connector this summer to cover booking, expense submission, receipt uploads and approval flows, a further push into agentic travel management. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E6
September 10 · 16 min
Merger & acquisition trends in travel with Morgann Lesné of Cambon Partners
Q2 2026 was quiet for travel startup funding but busy for M&A. Only two Series B rounds stood out: hotel tech company Smartness raised €47 million, and India-based hostel operator The Hosteller raised $16 million. WeRoad closed the quarter's lone Series C, $58 million led by Airbnb. Clarasight raised an $11.5 million Series A for product development and geographic expansion. Phocuswright's Travel Startups Interactive database shows $1.7 billion in funding for the year's first five months, up from $1.1 billion in 2025. M&A carried the quarter. Expedia Group's acquisition of CarTrawler stood out, aimed at building a one-stop shop for B2B travel. Juniper acquired Deem, and Lighthouse acquired Hotelrank.ai. Bigger deals included Long Lake Management's $6.3 billion purchase of American Express Global Business Travel and Apollo Global Management's agreed $5.7 billion takeover of easyJet. Speaking in the PhocusWire Studio at Phocuswright Europe 2026, Cambon Partners' Morgann Lesné told Linda Fox that deal volumes from 2022-2023 haven't returned, but consolidation pressure is building as small players run out of runway. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E5
September 2 · 11 min
What Revolut's entrepreneur in residence Stanislav Bondarenko thinks AI can do for travel
Revolut's AI travel push, a year after acquiring Swifty, is led by Stanislav Bondarenko, the startup's co-founder, now inside Revolut's lifestyle unit. His goal is unchanged: book flights and hotels from a single voice message. Speaking with PhocusWire's Linda Fox in the PhocusWire Studio, Bondarenko named the advantages of joining a larger company — stability and access to Revolut's existing user base. But the bigger factor is data: the transaction and behavioral history of Revolut's millions of customers. He called this double-edged. It shortcuts development because the team already knows what works, but more data also means more noise, so the real challenge is separating signal from clutter. He also described using a traveler's past trips and spending to anticipate needs before they're stated, comparing it to mind reading — removing steps by inferring intent rather than requiring explicit input. His boldest claim: booking won't need a dedicated chatbot or app going forward. It could happen contextually, wherever the traveler already is. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E5
August 26 · 18 min
Navigating AI developments as a startup with Zerolook
Zerolook, a Switzerland-based startup that predicts flight prices, has raised US$1.9 million in pre-seed funding led by Playfair, with participation from Vento Ventures, TrueSight Ventures, Alpha Ventures and several angel investors. Its machine learning model predicts flight prices and itineraries, aiming to cut the volume of searches hitting airline systems. Recent OAG figures show up to 20,000 searches generate one ticket sale, a number that could climb to 200,000 as agentic artificial intelligence (AI) increases search volume. Zerolook's model presents users with a predicted itinerary, price and confidence score. In the PhocusWire Studio, CEO Simone Lini discussed plans to compute prices differently than the fare-filing process used for six decades, along with the startup climate and AI's impact on distribution. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E4
August 19 · 17 min
Loveholidays' ambitions in the growing packaged travel market with Isabella Cheng
Loveholidays has quietly built one of the fastest-growing positions in European package travel, expanding from a UK-only startup in 2012 into eight markets and roughly 15% of the UK packaged travel market. In this conversation, head of strategy Isabella Cheng unpacks the bigger shift behind that growth: dynamic packaging has gone from a niche 2% of the UK market in 2009 to about a quarter of it today, and Loveholidays has built its entire model around being the technology layer that aggregates flights and hotels on the fly rather than selling pre-built package holidays. Cheng also gets specific about where AI actually earns its place at the company, walking through how their chatbot Sandy handles the majority of customer chats at agent-level satisfaction and saves an estimated £4 million a year, and how AI-assisted coding has let engineering nearly double its deployment pace without adding headcount. She wraps with a candid take on the IPO question that's been trailing the company for years. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E3
August 12 · 18 min
CEO Spotlight: Filip Filipov of OAG
Less than a year into leading OAG, CEO Filip Filipov sat down with PhocusWire's Linda Fox and the thing that's actually surprised him isn't AI, it's customers. Preferences are outrunning what technology can deliver, on both consumer and B2B sides. The industry, he says, is chasing customers' dreams of what a product could be rather than what's currently buildable. AI adoption matched his expectations directionally but beat them on speed — marketing, finance, and commercial teams picked it up as fast as engineering did. But he pushes back on treating adoption as even across the industry. A startup with the right people moves fast. A decades-old institution carrying legacy process and PII constraints is often capped at Copilot in Word. He's also skeptical of "AI" as a catch-all, lumping product, technology, and distribution together as if they're one thing. The conversation also covers the CEO role's personal weight and where he sees real innovation in travel. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E2
August 5 · 24 min
The new rules of travel discovery in the age of AI with Propellic and Stiplo
Generative AI is transforming how travelers discover and book trips, according to a PhocusWire interview with John Matson, chief revenue officer of Propellic, and Carlo del Mistro, founder of Stiplo. Del Mistro said hotel owners often contact his company after finding their property missing from ChatGPT results. He likened today's AI visibility landscape to early SEO, when ranking drivers were poorly understood and constantly shifting. Matson said tracking is still early stage, though statistically relevant measurement is now possible to show movement on specific prompts. Generative engine optimization (GEO) is growing in importance alongside traditional SEO, which both speakers said still plays a major role, depending on the LLM used. AI referral traffic remains small but is growing exponentially, with higher conversion since those visitors arrive already qualified. On suppliers versus OTAs, Matson said he is bullish on suppliers, who can build products from physical assets and retain first party data. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E1
July 29 · 30 min
Travel's AI winners and losers: the debate continues
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how travelers discover and book trips, but a critical question remains unresolved: will AI reinforce the industry's biggest players or tear down their advantages? In this episode, two of travel tech's most vocal commentators bring their ongoing public debate into the studio. Mario Gavira, chief marketing officer of Travelier, argues that AI is more likely to strengthen dominant OTAs and hotel groups than displace them. He points to their tech infrastructure, loyal customer bases and unique inventory as durable moats. In his view, AI simply becomes another marketing and booking channel, one the biggest brands are well positioned to exploit. Christian Watts, founder and CEO of Magpie, pushes back hard. He believes AI agents will fundamentally change the shopping experience, replacing endless search results with a handful of tailored options chosen on a traveler's behalf. That shift, he argues, could erode the advantages today's leaders depend on. The conversation moves through some of the industry's most contested questions: whether loyalty programs still matter when an agent can compare offers instantly, what role Google plays as AI reshapes discovery and whether AI platforms become the next gatekeepers travel brands have to negotiate with. Recorded live at Phocuswright Europe 2026 in Barcelona and hosted by PhocusWire's Linda Fox, this episode captures a debate that's been building across a series of opinion pieces for the past 18 months, now playing out face to face. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S6 · E21
May 6 · 30 min
CEO Spotlight: Gonzalo Estebarena of Despegar
Just weeks into his new role as CEO of Despegar, Gonzalo Estebarena is outlining an ambitious vision for the Latin America-based OTA as it enters its next phase under Prosus ownership. Having previously served as Despegar’s CTO and chief commercial officer, Estebarena said the company has maintained its “startup soul” while gaining the scale and resources of a global technology company following Prosus’ $1.7 billion acquisition in 2025. A major focus is artificial intelligence, with Despegar committing $100 million annually over the next three years to AI development while aiming to triple the size of the business. Estebarena said access to Prosus has accelerated conversations with technology partners and provided Despegar with a “front-row seat” to AI experimentation and innovation. Expansion in Brazil is a key priority, particularly as Despegar works to become part of a broader Prosus ecosystem spanning travel, food delivery, entertainment and other consumer services. Estebarena described this strategy as targeting “life-decision moments” for consumers. He also discussed Prosus’ development of a “large commerce model,” designed to predict customer actions rather than words, enabling more personalized offers and communications that drive transactions. The interview also explores Uber’s move into hotels, Despegar’s internal AI projects and the leadership challenges Estebarena faces as CEO. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S6 · E20
April 30 · 19 min
Rethinking tours and activities distribution with CityUnscripted and Context Travel
In this episode, the CEOs of CityUnscripted and Context Travel unpack how distribution in tours and activities is evolving as major platforms like Tripadvisor and Airbnb expand their presence. Nick Whitfield of CityUnscripted argues that while the landscape may appear increasingly commoditized, the reality is more nuanced. Overwhelming choice and sameness across listings create friction for consumers, opening the door for differentiated experiences to stand out. He points to shifting search behavior, driven in part by AI, as a catalyst that could benefit more distinctive, experience-led operators rather than purely scaled marketplaces. June Chin-Ramsey of Context Travel reinforces that differentiation will hinge on human connection. As definitions of luxury evolve, she sees a growing premium on meaning and personal attention rather than traditional markers like high-end amenities. Expert-led tours, she argues, deliver something technology cannot replicate. AI and augmented tools may enhance discovery and planning, but they will not replace the depth and authenticity of a knowledgeable guide. Together, the guests highlight a fragmented but opportunity-rich sector where success will depend on clarity of product, thoughtful use of technology and a renewed focus on human-led experiences. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S6 · E19
April 22 · 31 min
CEO Spotlight: Jeremy Sampson of The Travel Foundation
The conversation around sustainability in tourism may feel more advanced than ever, but real change isn’t keeping pace. Jeremy Sampson, CEO of The Travel Foundation, argues that growing consensus on tourism’s environmental and social impact has created a misleading sense of progress. While awareness has increased, the system itself hasn’t evolved quickly enough to match the accelerating pressures of climate change and global instability. What the industry once expected to face years from now is already unfolding, compressing future risks into today’s reality. As these challenges intensify, Sampson believes regulation will become a key driver of change, shifting more control to destinations whether the industry is ready or not. He points to initiatives like the Canary Islands’ RegNext program as examples of collaboration between governments and industry to support more sustainable growth. At the same time, reframing sustainability through the lens of economic resilience is helping bring more stakeholders to the table. Still, gaps remain between what consumers say and what they do, raising questions about how success in tourism sustainability should ultimately be defined. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S6 · E18
April 15 · 17 min
Hotel stack readiness for AI with SiteMinder and Scenic Hotel Group
Hotels are actively exploring AI as a strategic investment, with a strong focus on improving guest engagement and operational efficiency. James Bishop of SiteMinder emphasizes that the real opportunity lies in automation, not workforce reduction, but enabling staff to work more productively. Chris Clayton of Scenic Hotel Group reinforces that AI is not a plug-and-play solution, warning against oversimplified expectations. Instead, hotels must carefully identify the right applications to drive meaningful return on investment, recognizing that AI implementation requires thoughtful integration rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Both guests highlight that success with AI hinges on data quality and readiness. Well-structured, accessible data is essential for AI to deliver value, while poor data leads to unreliable outcomes. The discussion also touches on how AI can enhance personalization and reshape the role of online travel agencies, all within the context of longer-term technology adoption cycles. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S6 · E17
April 8 · 18 min
CEO Spotlight: Wendy Olson Killion of Rome2Rio
Multimodal travel is quickly becoming central to how people plan and experience trips, according to Rome2Rio CEO Wendy Olson Killion. Speaking at The Phocuswright Conference, Killion emphasized that multimodal transportation—combining flights, trains, buses and more—is no longer a niche behavior but a core part of travel. This shift is reflected in Rome2Rio’s data, where 50% of searches now involve multiple modes of transport. She noted that short-distance travel, particularly within 90 miles, is seeing significant growth, signaling changing consumer preferences and a broader definition of how trips are structured. Several factors are driving this trend. Regulatory changes, such as European Union restrictions on regional flights, are encouraging alternatives like rail. At the same time, cultural influence is playing a role, with celebrities and influencers reshaping perceptions of train and surface travel. Killion described this as the “surface rising,” highlighting the growing importance of non-air options. Beyond consumer behavior, she also discussed her first year leading Rome2Rio after transitioning from Expedia Group, and how the company is addressing challenges like overtourism. Together, these dynamics point to a future where multimodal travel is not just an option but the foundation of trip planning. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S6 · E16
April 1 · 25 min
CEO Spotlight: Nishank Gopalkrishnan of Dreamlines
Nishank Gopalkrishnan, six months into his role as CEO of Dreamlines, is focused on understanding both the cruise industry and how the company can stand out in a relatively under-digitized segment of travel. Drawing on experience across startups and major players like TUI and MakeMyTrip, he sees cruises as a fragmented market with significant room for innovation. Despite representing only a small share of global tourism, the cruise sector presents a major opportunity to modernize booking and packaging, which he and his team are actively working to reimagine. A key pillar of this transformation is artificial intelligence, which Dreamlines is embedding into its rebuilt technology stack to drive more efficient and dynamic cruise packaging across both consumer and business channels. Gopalkrishnan also points to AI’s potential to enhance personalization, particularly within loyalty programs, while acknowledging broader industry challenges and his own early hurdles as CEO. Overall, his vision centers on leveraging technology to unlock a more seamless, personalized and scalable cruise experience. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S6 · E15
March 25 · 19 min
Travel platforms face cost and compliance impact of changing regulations
Travel companies are entering a far more regulated era as governments in Europe and the U.K. expand consumer protections to reflect how travel is now bought and sold. Historically, regulations like the Package Travel Directive focused on bundled trips, but new rules extend coverage to services purchased within a 24-hour window, even if booked separately across a single platform. According to Rhys Griffiths of Fox Williams, this marks a significant shift, potentially requiring more companies to obtain licenses and implement insolvency protections. As a result, businesses that once operated outside strict regulatory frameworks may now face tighter operational constraints and oversight. At the same time, broader regulatory pressures are intensifying. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive will require travel companies to disclose environmental, social and governance risks, including how climate change could impact demand patterns and business performance. Additional measures like the Digital Services Act are also increasing scrutiny, particularly around online content such as illegal listings. With penalties increasingly tied to company turnover, the financial stakes are high. Taken together, these changes are dramatically widening the regulatory net, catching many travel companies off guard as they struggle to keep pace with evolving compliance requirements. All episodes: https://www.phocuswire.com/in-phocus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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