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    PhocusWire’s weekly travel tech news briefs: TravelPerk, Amadeus, Ryanair and more…

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

    This roundup was created with the help of ChatGPT.

    TravelPerk recruits CPO

    TravelPerk has appointed Nikita Miller chief product officer to drive product strategy and support North America expansion. Miller previously led product at The Knot Worldwide and guided Trello through its Atlassian integration. TravelPerk also promoted Robin Smith to CTO to oversee global engineering, building on Smith’s more than 20 years in travel technology.

    Guesty names CFO

    Short-term rental management platform Guesty has appointed Gil Vassoly as CFO. Vassoly brings over 20 years of financial leadership from global enterprises and fast-growing tech companies, most recently serving at NiCE and previously at KLA.

    Vassoly will focus on supporting Guesty’s organic and inorganic growth while enhancing governance, reporting and operational discipline. The appointment is aimed at aligning financial rigor with operational excellence to prepare the company for global scale and investor confidence. 

    Amadeus, Perth Airport

    Perth Airport has partnered with Amadeus to launch a biometric system that the company said will help provide a seamless, contactless journey from check-in to boarding.

    Nearly 100 new self-service kiosks and 40 automated bag drop units will replace traditional counters, all powered by Amadeus’ open platform. Passengers with selected airlines can opt for biometric check-in, using facial recognition instead of passports or boarding passes at key touchpoints. The initiative builds on a long-term partnership since 2015, following successful biometric trials in 2022, and aims to support passenger growth with minimal physical expansion.

    Yotel’s CEO switch

    Yotel has appointed Phil Andreopoulos as CEO following majority shareholder Al-Bahar Group’s increasing its stake to more than 95%.

    The move marks a new growth phase, with plans to double Yoyel’s hotel portfolio to 15,000 rooms by 2030. Andreopoulos, a hospitality executive from Marriott International, brings operational and commercial expertise.


    His focus will be on expanding managed and franchise operations, enhancing direct business and strengthening brand loyalty.

    RateGain expands AI voice agent

    RateGain has expanded its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice agent, Uno Viva, a central reservation system (CRS)-integrated AI voice agent built for hotels. The expansion will bring Uno Viva to Europe after debuting in Asia.

    Built on the Uno hotel commerce platform, Uno Viva integrates with CRSs and property management systems to manage reservation calls in 30+ languages. The General Data Protection Regulation-compliant tool detects booking intent and guest preferences to boost conversions while reducing costs. RateGain says it can be deployed within a week.

    Revenue Analytics, Cloudbeds

    Revenue Analytics has partnered with Cloudbeds to integrate its AI-powered revenue management solution, N2Pricing, with the Cloudbeds PMS.

    The collaboration enables hotels of all types to adopt smart, automated pricing to boost revenue and reduce manual work. N2Pricing analyzes real-time data from Cloudbeds to generate optimized pricing recommendations, helping hotels respond quickly to market demand.

    This partnership supports Revenue Analytics’ global expansion, following the launch of its N2Pricing commercial suite and acquisition of Portugal-based revenue management system (RMS) provider Climber earlier this year.

    TravelX names head of data, AI

    TravelX has appointed Attila Prikler head of data and AI to strengthen its technology infrastructure and advance its RmX platform.

    Prikler previously served as head of IT, data and analytics at Wizz Air, where he built its digital strategy and proprietary RMS. He also held leadership roles at General Electric. With more than 20 years in digital transformation and AI, Prikler will drive TravelX’s push to redefine airline inventory and revenue management.

    JetBlue Ventures becomes SKY VC

    JetBlue Ventures has rebranded as SKY VC following its May 2025 acquisition by SKY Leasing. The move positions the firm as an independent investment platform with greater resources to support startups across travel and transportation, leveraging SKY’s global network and access to capital.

    SKY VC will maintain its existing leadership and team while keeping a strategic partnership with JetBlue. CEO Amy Burr said the firm aims to bridge the gap between disruptive startups and established players. Since launching in 2016, it has invested in more than 50 early-stage companies and recorded eight exits through acquisitions and public offerings.

    Yanolja’s AI adoption

    Korean travel tech company Yanolja has adopted OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise and GPT-5. The company said the move supports its goal of accelerating AI transformation across global travel, enhancing operations from demand forecasting and dynamic pricing to content localization and automation.

    Yanolja plans to integrate AI across its data enablement platform and industry-specific stack, while also exploring API projects, AI-powered traveler data platforms and sustainability initiatives.

    Ryanair, Skyscanner

    Ryanair has partnered with Skyscanner, giving travelers direct access to its flights. The deal allows users to book Ryanair’s low-fare flights with price transparency on both flights and ancillary products.

    Dara Brady, Ryanair’s CMO, said the agreement guarantees access to low fares while Skyscanner’s VP of commercial, Catriona King, said it will simplify trip planning and inspire travelers to explore more destinations.

    PKFare, Flybondi

    PKFare has partnered with Argentina’s ultra low-cost carrier Flybondi, giving travel sellers direct access to its content at exclusive rates via PKFare’s API. The deal extends Flybondi’s reach beyond Argentina to markets across Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America while PKFare’s global network benefits from competitive fares.

    Javier Soto, Flybondi’s commercial manager, said the partnership will help bring the airline’s low-cost model to more travelers.

    Flyadeal, HTS

    Saudi Arabia’s low-cost carrier Flyadeal has partnered with Hopper Technology Solutions (HTS) to launch “cancel for any reason” and premium disruption assistance on its direct channels.

    “Cancel for any reason” lets travelers cancel non-refundable fares up to 24 hours before departure for a partial or full refund. Premium disruption assistance provides immediate rebooking or refunds for delays or cancellations on the day of travel. 



     

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