PhocusWire’s weekly travel tech news briefs: Breeze Airways, Holibob, HRS, Mindtrip and more

Here’s our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.

Holibob, Zytlyn

Holibob, a platform that helps people discover and book personalized
activities, has announced a strategic partnership with Zytlyn, an artificial intelligence-powered
prediction platform. Both companies were PhocusWire Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2023.

While focusing on regions like the Middle East and North Africa,
the companies said the collaboration will enable personalized marketing and merchandising
of experiences, drive revenue and customer loyalty for travel brands.

Zytlyn CEO Houman Goudarzi said, “We both feel that
travel brands, DMOs and operators face a humongous untapped opportunity to
grow market share and revenue while enhancing the travel experience by using AI
for customer acquisition, recommendations, personalization and smart pricing –
particularly many Middle East destinations with big growth ambitions.”

Breeze Airways content added to Expedia, AmTrav

Breeze Airways, the startup airline launched by JetBlue
founder David Neeleman in 2021, has two new distribution partners.

Expedia Group will now provide access to Breeze’s more than
170 routes across 29 markets the United States.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Expedia Group to find a
broader audience for our unique route network, connecting underserved city
pairings with nonstop flights,” said Lukas Johnson, Breeze’s chief commercial
officer. “And now Expedia Group’s travelers have another airline to book their next
getaway.”

And another new partner for Breeze is travel management
company AmTrav, which is the first corporate booking tool to offer Breeze
content. 

As part of that partnership Breeze has also launched a new
product, the “BreezeCorp bundle,” which provides benefits such as full
flexibility and refundability, a carry-on bag and a standard seat assignment. 

“We’re proud to welcome AmTrav as our first corporate travel
partner,” Johnson said. 

“Our expansive growth combined with our unique business
model is fueling demand for both leisure and business travel alike, and we look forward
to introducing AmTrav’s customers to our seriously nice form of air travel.” 

HRS first to be certified in Concur Travel’s Hotel Connector

HRS, a global corporate lodging and payment technology platform,
has announced its integration with Concur Travel, a cloud-based platform that
offers solutions for travel and expense management.

This collaboration allows SAP Concur customers to access a
combination of AI-infused functionalities that optimize performance and
expedite the booking experience for travelers and travel managers.

Martin Biermann, chief product officer for HRS, said, “Our
AI functionality, working in concert with the new Concur Travel and its Hotel
Connector functionality, promises next-level performance for our mutual clients
in the months and years ahead.”

Read
more details here.

New sustainability-as-a-service platform launches

BehaviorSMART,
a global travel and tourism sustainability consultancy firm, has announced the launch
of their new platform “beSMART.”

The beSMART
platform will guide users through learning paths that break sustainability
goals into actionable steps, encouraging professionals and travelers to make sustainable
choices.

In addition,
beSMART empowers destination management organizations and destination
management companies to enable their local suppliers to deliver sustainable
experiences. It facilitates the integration of environmental, social and economic
sustainability practices, which transforms micro tactics into larger impacts across
the tourism supply chain.

Positive outcomes of the new launch include reduced carbon
footprint, decreased single-use plastics and overall waste output, and improved
water conservation while also helping companies achieve cost savings, improved
resource efficiency and optimized asset utilization.

SITA adds self-service solutions to Shanghai airport

SITA, a provider of air transport technology solutions, has added
state-of-the-art passenger verification and check-in solutions to Shanghai
Pudong International Airport.

SITA will deploy common-use-self-service bag drops and
kiosks for Pudong Airport’s foreign airlines and their passengers, which will
make the experience through the terminal easier.

Sumesh Patel, president at SITA APAC, said, “As air travel
booms globally, and airports see a massive surge in travelers, there is an
increased need for technology that can speed up the boarding process, reducing
delays and traffic for passengers. With this collaboration, Pudong Airport
gains SITA’s leading self-service solutions, tailored to bring a streamlined
journey to international travelers at Pudong Airport.”

Mindtrip announces “Start Anywhere” feature

AI-powered trip planner Mindtrip launched a new feature called “Start Anywhere” this week. The new functionality option aims to give travelers the capability to build their “dream itineraries” based on any inspiration point, whether that stems from a publication, a social media post or a travel website.

“People don’t plan travel in a linear fashion, yet the travel industry continues to offer only platforms that do just that,” said Andy Moss, CEO of Mindtrip.

Mindtrip’s team believes planning travel should be just as enjoyable as traveling. “We’ve developed Start Anywhere to enable people everywhere to turn all of the incredible travel content online into something actionable,” he said. “You want recommendations for 36 hours in Miami? Now you have it.”

Moss continued: “We are excited to see what travelers do with this game-changing technology and how it will transform the way we all approach planning vacations.”

The feature is meant to assist whether users are starting from scratch – or if they’ve already booked certain trip elements. To learn more about how the feature works in practice, visit Mindtrip.ai.

Leadership updates from TBO.com, Weel

TBO.com, a global travel distribution platform, has announced the appointment of Gerardo Del Rio as president of international business.

With over 20 years of experience in hospitality, travel and consulting sectors, Del Rio plans to strengthen the company’s presence in existing markets while strategically entering new ones.

“I look forward to leveraging my experience to foster innovation, build strategic partnerships and drive the company’s expansion in the global market,” he said. “I am particularly excited about spearheading TBO’s international growth initiatives, tapping into new markets and enhancing our global footprint.”

Weel, an Australia-based spend management platform, announced the promotion of Damon Hauenstein to the expanded role of chief financial officer and chief operating officer, where he will oversee the company’s daily operational execution.

Hauenstein brings in over a decade of experience at Citi, where he most recently worked as a director in the global investment banking team.

Weel also recently announced a strategic partnership with Nium and Visa to enhance its customer offerings and increase company growth along with the appointments of Marten Jagers as chief revenue officer and Nina Putica as head of marketing.