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      <p>
        RedAwning, a B2B revenue management and guest experience tools provider, has acquired Awning, a startup that facilitates the purchase and management of short-term rentals. The financial terms of the acquisition remained undisclosed.
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        Following the acquisition, RedAwning plans to expand its platform to offer homeowners a remote full-service management option. It aims to leverage Awning's capabilities to complement its existing marketing and distribution solutions while expecting a smooth transition for all of Awning's current clients,
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        as they have also hired the Awning team.
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        Awning is a real estate investing company that supports property owners and investors in buying and managing short-term rentals through site selection, renovations and furnishings help, and ongoing management and guest services.&nbsp;
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  <p>
    <a href="https://www.phocuswire.com/redawning-acquires-str-property-management-startup-awning">
      PhocusWire
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Travel Tech

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 <p>RedAwning, a provider of guest experience and revenue management tools for businesses, has acquired a startup named Awning which specializes in facilitating the purchase and management of short-term rentals. The financial details regarding the acquisition have not been disclosed.</p>
 <p>Post acquisition, RedAwning intends to extend its platform functionality to offer homeowners an option for full-service management remotely. The company plans to utilize Awning's expertise to supplement its ongoing marketing and distribution services. The transition for Awning's existing clients is expected to be seamless as the Awning team has also been hired by RedAwning. </p>
 <p>Awning operates as a real estate investing firm that assists property owners and investors with the acquisition and management of short-term rentals. This includes supportive services like site selection, assistance with renovations and furnishing, and comprehensive management and guest services.&nbsp;</p>
 
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RedAwning acquires Awning to expand short-term rental management services

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 <p>Profitroom, a firm focused on aiding hotels to secure direct bookings, has recently sold a 65% majority stake to MCI Capital for EUR 67 million (USD 71 million). Despite the sale, the company's founders will retain leadership roles and hold onto the remaining 35% ownership.</p>
 <p>This sale comes as part of Profitroom's ongoing goal to secure the necessary funding to expand their operations across Africa, Asia, and Europe.</p>
 <p>Profitroom's main services encompass B2B revenue management tools for standalone and group hotels. These services include a channel manager, booking engine, as well as digital marketing aids. Additionally, Profitroom also extends a central reservation system (CRS) to hotel groups.</p>
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MCI Capital acquires majority stake in Profitroom for EUR 67 million

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 <p>Exoticca, a Spanish company offering multi-day tour packages, has secured a EUR 4 million (~USD 4.2 million) funding from BBVA Spark, a business entity of the global financial organization, BBVA.</p>
 <p>This financial backing will support Exoticca's expansion in Latin America. The company has marked plans for entering five more regional markets by 2024.</p>
 <p>Exoticca operates online and provides travel packages and tours to worldwide destinations. The company provides customer support via phone, web forms, and an application dedicated to travelers. This Traveler's App delivers real-time itinerary updates with 24/7 support.</p>

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Exoticca raises EUR 4 million for market expansion

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<p>Travel technology firm DerbySoft has procured PKFare, a China-based global B2B travel marketplace. The terms of the deal remain undisclosed. DerbySoft plans to integrate PKFare into its own platform to augment its travel commerce capacity. Despite this, both firms will continue to operate their businesses separately, although they will collaborate on certain corporate functions and technological resources.</p>

<p>Established in 2014, PKFare is an international travel trade marketplace that provides air tickets as well as hospitality and destination products. It boasts a global presence, including regions such as North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. The company offers access to inventory from over 600 airlines and 650,000 hotels across over 100 countries.</p>

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DerbySoft acquires B2B travel marketplace PKFare to accelerate travel commerce

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<p>An accommodation management software provider based in Israel, Guesty, recently secured funding of $130 million. The Series F funding round was led by KKR and had participation from Apax Funds, Inovia, BDT &amp; MSD Partners, and Sixth Street.</p>
<p>The newly raised capital will be used to expand the current platform of Guesty. The expansion plans include focusing more on the one-stop-shop concept, entering the medium-term rental space for individuals who require accommodations for longer durations, and looking for potential acquisition opportunities.</p>

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Guesty raises USD 130 million in Series F funding to fuel platform expansion and acquisitions

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

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<p>Mesh Payments has launched a new guest travel solution to simplify booking and reimbursement procedures for contractors, candidates, and guests. This solution includes several features. First, it enables users to plan their own travel details and eliminates the requirement for expense reimbursements. Secondly, it not only supports travel management companies preferred by customers but also accommodates regional preferences. Thirdly, it integrates corporate cards, implements travel policies automatically, and utilizes AI-powered expense management tools. </p>
<p>This new solution, according to Mesh Payments, will ultimately enhance the guest and organizer experiences by significantly reducing the need for extensive communication, expense reporting, and approvals. </p>
 
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Mesh Payments adds guest travel solution to T&E management platform

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 <p>Short-term rental operator, Sonder, has been unable to file its Q4 and full year 2023 financial results, leading to a deficiency notification from the Nasdaq. Rosen Law Firm has also launched a class-action investigation into the firm for possible misleading business information delivery.</p>
 <p>The Nasdaq issued a warning on April 2 noting a violation of its rule that requires Nasdaq-listed companies to timely file all their periodic reports with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Sonder has been given 60 days from the receipt of this notice to submit a plan to regain compliance.</p>
 <p>The company had previously reported an accounting error relating to the valuation and impairment of operating lease right-of-use assets for the fiscal years 2022 and 2023.</p>
 
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Sonder receives Nasdaq notice for delay in 2023 financial filings alongside third-party class-action investigation

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 <p>HomeToGo partners with Komoot, a route planning and navigation application, to enhance its experience service. This partnership gives HomeToGo travelers the ability to plan hiking and biking routes as part of their booking experience, thus enriching the overall service of the company.</p>
 <p>However, this feature is currently only available to German clients who book through HomeToGo, requiring them to download the company's application and redeem a voucher for access to related Komoot maps. Despite this, the possibility of expanding this feature to other markets and travelers is being considered for the future.</p>
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HomeToGo partners with Komoot to enhance outdoor experiences for vacation rental bookings

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 <p>Amsterdam-based travel planning platform, Stippl, raised EUR 575,000 (~USD 619,353) in a pre-seed investment round. The funding round was led by Australian firm, Marbruck Investments, and Volve Capital from the Netherlands.</p>
 <p>Stippl intends to use the funding to improve its platform with GenAI capabilities. In addition, the startup is contemplating the introduction of a subscription program.</p>
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Stippl raises EUR 575,000 to enhance platform through GenAI integration

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 <p>BlaBlaCar, a carpooling and bus ticketing firm, has secured a revolving credit facility worth EUR 100 million (~USD 108 million) from various leading banks in France, the UK, and the US. The company plans to utilize these funds for expansion, including future acquisitions. Specifically, BlaBlaCar aims to acquire smaller companies that have failed to secure their subsequent funding rounds.</p>
 <p>The firm, although privately owned, has announced consistent profitability since April 2022. It aided in booking carpooling or bus rides for 80 million passengers in 2023. Moreover, BlaBlaCar plans to broaden its services by incorporating train tickets in the coming year.</p>
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