Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

Travel Technology

Airbnb Raises Another $1 Billion for Possible Expansion

Aleksandr Shatskih

Home rental company AirBnb has just got another $1 billion (£821 million) cash injection to be used for expansion. The company, which disclosed the funding in a securities filing on Thursday, raised the money in a financing round that began last summer. The company is now valued at soem $31 billion, but this filing did not list new investors.

Dreamlines Raises $19 Million Growth Capital

Phil Butler

Hamburg-based Dreamlines has announced its most recent investment round of €18 million euro. This is the latest backing of the online cruise marketplace in the last 12 months.

#SEW17 – Innovation Invades Crete

Phil Butler

All this week the European conference ‘Startup Europe Week’ is being held across Crete, in Greece. Organized by the non-profit Youth Entrepreneurship Club, with the assistance of the Europe Startup/European Committee, the Region of Crete / Regional Unit of Chania, KEPPEDIH-CAM, and a host of others. After a two day stent in Chania, the conference moved up […]

Booking.com Launches Startup Accelerator

Phil Butler

Today Booking.com announced the launch of a new accelerator program, Bookingcom Booster, designed to jump start innovation. The new 3-week program gives startups the chance to pitch for grants of up to €500,000 euro.

Airbnb Really Is the Big Bad Wolf

Phil Butler

The hotel industry is in a nightmare of dire concerns over a beleaguered hospitality market. Airbnb and the impact the so-called “sharing economy” is on every hotelier’s mind, and understandably. The industry is for all intents and purposes, lost in a forest like Little Red Riding Hood trying to figure how much business the Big Bad Wolf […]

TrustYou Study Eyeballs Customer Booking Habits

Aleksandr Shatskih

A recent TrustYou travel industry study reveals the factors really affecting the consumer decision-making process. The study tracked the decision making path of travelers as they searched for accommodations etc.

State of Hotel Tech: Shop Before Buying

Phil Butler

The day may come when a hotel guest expects and gets a real Orwellian experience out of their stay. At least this is a dreamscape that could take place if unbridled tech geeks are put in charge.

Airbnb Eyeballs Tilt Payment App

Aleksandr Shatskih

Airbnb is eyeballing a deal to acquire the payment app Tilt for between $10 and $20 million. If the deal goes through it will probably amount to an employee hire and some back end tech only.

AR Will Change the Hotel Experience Forever

Phil Butler

For those who thought augmented and virtual reality technologies were just for gamers, news from Chinese search giant Baidu tells of the company building an AR lab to research and build experiences for the digital world. Across the spectrum of the mobile-digital realm, companies are in a frenzied uptake mode for developing and launching AR capability. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the travel, booking, and hospitality experience spaces.

Nissan/Renault acquires down and out ride startup Karhoo

Aleksandr Shatskih

French automaker Renault has just acquired taxi metasearch app Karhoo, according to the news from Tnooz. In a deal undertaken by Renault’s wholly owned bank RCI, the business which acquired the assets of Karhoo from the administrators of the startup.

Lola Travel Gets $15 Mil, A+ in Responsiveness, and a Wink

Phil Butler

News Kayak founder Paul English has just raised $15 million in funding for his Lola Travel Co. is a shot in the arm for a travel tech industry stagnant since months. According to the news, Lola received a fresh infusion of capital from Charles River Ventures, General Catalyst and Accel.. Here’s a brief snapshot of a new company that says it’s going to provide on-demand, personal service to the world of travelers.