Kate Harden-England

📅 In July 2026, Mirai announced that its AI assistant, Sarai, now manages bookings for two or more rooms across multiple channels like webchat, WhatsApp, and Instagram without forms. These bookings represent 9.07% of volume but generate 18.44% of revenue. Multi-room inquiries made up 7.03% of Sarai's availability inquiries recently. For larger group bookings, Sarai creates qualified leads for hotels. Pablo Delgado highlights the importance of accommodating complex, detailed customer needs.

💳 Repayd and Nezasa announce a partnership to integrate payment capabilities into Nezasa's TripBuilder platform. This allows travel businesses to enhance payment management, offering features like "guaranteed-rate currency conversion," cross-border payment capabilities, and multi-currency pricing. Will Plummer, CEO of Repayd, emphasizes the partnership's role in simplifying payment infrastructure for global tour operators. Manuel Hilty, CEO of Nezasa, highlights the improved operational efficiency and booking experience. The partnership signifies a convergence of travel technology with payment solutions.

🌐 Spotnana has announced a multi-agent AI architecture for its travel platform. This system allows partners to develop AI agents and integrate them into existing systems. Each AI agent is mapped to specific Spotnana APIs, improving workflows. The rollout enhances servicing tasks, external bookings, and provides AI-driven insights. Sarah Kuberry Martino from Direct Travel highlights automation benefits, enabling advisors to focus on complex issues. More AI features will launch in the coming months.

💸 Mews unveiled three new features: Recurring Payments, Multicurrency expansion to the US and Canada, and Accounts Receivable. Recurring Payments, piloted by 100+ properties, generated over 16,000 plans globally, reducing errors and admin. Multicurrency, already in Europe, helps hotels retain currency fees, offsetting 2%-10% of Mews subscription costs. Accounts Receivable streamlines invoice management, available in EUR markets, with more currencies in 2027. It automates financial processes and accelerates cash collection.

📱 Pilot access to the Thailand Immigration Management app (THIM) is available before its full launch in August 2026. The app is optional and complements the existing Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) process. THIM enables passport information capture via photo, supports up to 10-group registrations in under 3 minutes, and offers English, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese languages, with plans for 15 more. It aims to enhance immigration services for various foreign nationals in Thailand. Available on iOS and Android.

🚄 Omio Group plans to acquire Rail Europe, a major rail distribution platform. The agreement aims to enhance rail distribution leadership as consumer travel priorities shift. The global rail market is projected to surpass $300 billion by 2032, driven by European government investments in rail infrastructure. Omio's Jean-Francois Bessiron highlights the transformative potential, while Rail Europe's Björn Bender emphasizes the strategic fit. The acquisition awaits CSE consultation.

📍 Travelodge, with over 47,000 rooms in 630+ hotels across the UK, Ireland, and Spain, partners with DerbySoft to enhance direct distribution. The partnership, announced in 2026, aims to improve Travelodge's reach to travel management companies (TMCs) and corporate booking channels. This collaboration streamlines booking, payment, and settlement processes, enhances content delivery, and strengthens Travelodge's position in corporate travel. The partnership emphasizes efficiency and modernizes hotel distribution.

🛵 Marti Technologies, a Turkish mobility app, has partnered with Tensor to deploy autonomous vehicles in 20 major cities, including Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. This plan aims to cover roughly 80% of Turkey's national GDP. Tensor's Level 4 autonomous vehicles will integrate with Marti's app, enhancing urban mobility. Marti boasts 7.8 million unique users and the project timeline depends on Turkey's local permits. Tensor achieved regulatory milestones in California in 2019 and 2020, paving the way for this initiative.