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Calls for Houston hosts to support Hurricane Beryl relief workers
Reading Time: 3 minutesUS: Workbnb, a lodging platform specialising in workforce rental homes for construction workers and other workforce travellers within the skilled trades, has called on the short-term rental sector to support emergency workers operating in Houston in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.
Expedia Group to launch two co-branded One Key credit cards
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Expedia Group has announced a multi-year agreement with Wells Fargo and Mastercard to launch two new co-branded credit cards in the United States, which will complement the group’s recently launched One Key loyalty programme.
AutoCamp hires Terzi as new CMO
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Alternative lodging and outdoor hospitality brand, AutoCamp, has appointed Bryan Terzi as its new chief marketing officer.
Whimstay announces Expedia Group partnership
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUS: Last-minute vacation rental booking site Whimstay has announced a partnership with Expedia Group in a bid to offer more choice and better rates to spontaneous travellers.
Snaptrip Group acquires The Hotel Guru
Reading Time: 2 minutesUK: Snaptrip Group, a collection of accommodation marketplaces [including LateRooms, Snaptrip and Dog Friendly Cottages], has acquired international hotel website The Hotel Guru for a seven-figure sum.
reAlpha completes $1.14m AiChat acquisition
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS / Singapore: AI-powered real estate technology and investment company, reAlpha, has acquired 85 per cent of the outstanding equity of Singapore-based, AI-powered conversational customer experience solutions provider AiChat.
Boom launches “first 24-hour AI sales agent for STRs”
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Boom, an artificial intelligence [AI] platform for the short-term rental sector, has launched what it claims to be “the world’s first AI sales agent” as it continues to transform operational efficiency in short-term rentals.
Former Airbnb employees launch local discovery app Bigfoot
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Bigfoot, a new AI-powered tech startup, created by Airbnb alumni, has launched to transform how we discover new experiences in cities.
STRz spotlight: Alertify co-founder Gareth Rhodes Q&A
Reading Time: 5 minutesUS / South Africa: Gareth Rhodes, co-founder of Alertify, speaks to STRz about the company’s new WelcomeLink product, streamlining compliance with state regulations, and his reaction to Airbnb’s pledges to verify more listings worldwide and its global ban on the use of indoor security cameras at its listings.
Airbnb hires former Radisson CEO for residential development role
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Airbnb has hired Jim Alderman, the former CEO of Radisson Hotel Group Americas and chief development officer at Extended Stay America and Kimpton Hotels, as its head of residential development on its real estate team.