Kate Harden-England

🍴 OpenTable introduces an AI-powered dining assistant, Concierge, to aid travelers in finding restaurants from a network of over 65,000 venues. Available on the homepage, it offers verified reviews, menus, and real-time availability. UK research shows 49% of Brits spend nearly an hour pre-travel researching restaurants. Over 35% plan to use AI for bookings this year. Concierge has 450,000 active users and an 86% satisfaction rate globally, influencing dining decisions for travelers.

🏟 Travelsoft Group, through its platform company Orchestra, has acquired Afidium to enhance its offering in the French market by optimizing air revenues and automating processes. Founded in 2005, Afidium will leverage its products like FareOpt and QualityCheck to improve multi-source bookings and air inventory management for travel agencies and tour operators. The acquisition follows Travelsoft's recent purchase of .BOSY in January, supporting over €50 billion in bookings across 90+ countries.

📅 TravelAI acquires Sonder brand, including Sonder.com, with court approval on July 6, 2026. The sale excludes properties, leases, and operations. TravelAI aims to revitalize the Canadian brand, offering curated global stays. Previously, Sonder faced a partnership termination with Marriott in November 2025. TravelAI, profitable since its 2021 relaunch, expands its travel brand family, including Casai and Smartours, under its AI platform for tailored traveler experiences. The closing date of the transaction remains unannounced.

💻 TripStax and ALTOUR have launched a global trading model, unifying ALTOUR and its independent travel agencies into a single global travel management organization. This innovative model addresses connectivity challenges in the travel industry, using TripStax QC and Core for unified data management. Unlike traditional consortia, the model allows for seamless global collaboration, positioning ALTOUR to compete with major travel management companies. This development marks a significant step forward in industry collaboration and global service delivery.

🗺 AI-powered platform Mindtrip launched in Europe this week, signing its first contracts with Madeira Promotion Bureau and Norwegian Travel Cluster. Mindtrip partners with Sabre and PayPal for its Flights offering, enhancing AI-driven travel booking. The platform supports destinations in an evolving AI-influenced market, promoting authentic local experiences. CEO Andy Moss highlights its role in addressing modern travelers' needs by integrating discovery, booking, and payments in a single interface, facilitating seamless travel planning.

🏖 Gurugram-based start-up 30 Sundays, launched in June 2024 by Kshitij Chaudhary, Sumit Mishra, and Anuj Punjani, focuses on bespoke romantic travel. It raised over £5 million, doubling sales team productivity with AI. The latest funding, led by Bessemer Venture Partners and previous support from Info Edge Ventures and Eximius, will enhance offerings and marketing. With $24 million annual gross bookings, it operates in Bali, Vietnam, the Maldives, Thailand, New Zealand, and Mauritius, with plans for further expansion.