Fusion & Acquisition

💰 Plusgrade acquired upsell software Oaky, announced in October 2025, aiming to unify upsell and cross-sell for a seamless traveler experience. Plusgrade, a global ancillary revenue leader, plans to integrate Oaky's top-rated upsell features, benefiting hotels worldwide. Ken Harris, Plusgrade CEO, emphasizes combining products, clientele, and teams. Montreal-based Plusgrade, with over 275 partners in hospitality and aviation, intends to enhance innovation and revenue, consolidating a leading hotel and resort partner portfolio.

🏢 Hachette Livre acquired the brand and universe of Le Routard on October 1, 2025. Originally co-created in 1973 by Philippe Gloaguen, the acquisition aims to ensure the continuity and sustainable presence of Le Routard.

🚀 RateGain acquires Sojern for $250 million to boost AI solutions in travel. The acquisition, announced in October 2025, strengthens RateGain's global presence in hospitality and travel technology. Sojern, founded in 2007 in the U.S., serves over 13,000 clients globally and earned $172.2 million in 2024. RateGain's 2023 growth included acquiring Adara and raising $72 million. CEO Bhanu Chopra emphasizes AI integration and strategic expansion to enhance customer experiences in the travel sector.

✈ Electra.aero expands in Manassas, Virginia, and Bleienbach, Switzerland, increasing facilities by 21,000 square feet to support the EL9 hybrid-electric plane, expected by 2029 with 2,200 provisional orders. British Airways Holidays partners with Thoughtworks for a digital transformation project. HBX Group and Ayesa's AI voice channel launched globally in September 2025. MicroTau seeks Series A funding to enhance sharkskin coatings with major airlines. Booking.com adds 150,000 attractions, partnering with FareHarbor in over 5,000 cities across 115 countries.

📈 Octobre 2025, des spécialistes du SEO local signalent une hausse des suspensions de profils Google My Business. Syed Amir et Kurt Steinbrueck rapportent des suspensions fréquentes, parfois après des modifications, mais les rétablissements sont possibles avec documentation. Un participant mentionne cinq PME affectées, deux rétablies, trois en attente. Le Professeur M observe une augmentation des suspensions, suggérant des changements dans l'algorithme de lutte contre le spam. Limitez les modifications pour éviter les suspensions.

📈 En novembre 2024, Gilles Clavié, CEO d’Essendi, présente les résultats du groupe avec une hausse de 4% du chiffre d'affaires et de 8% de l'EBITDA, surpassant les marges de 2019. 25,000 collaborateurs ont participé à cette transformation sur 4 ans. En 2023, une souscription exceptionnelle des emprunts obligataires a été observée. Le budget annuel pour les investissements varie entre 200 et 250 millions d'euros. Prochain rendez-vous le 25 novembre pour discuter de l'avenir des 568 actifs du groupe.

🚀 OXCCU, a UK start-up, raised $28 million in Series B funding to enhance production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from carbon waste. Established in 2021 from University of Oxford research, it has secured over $48 million total funding. Utilizing diverse carbon waste and green hydrogen, its OX1 technology aims to meet aviation's carbon neutrality goal by 2050 amid SAF's current 0.7% market share. The SAF market is expected to reach $15.85 billion by 2030.

🏨 Sandaya, a leading European outdoor hospitality group, has acquired a majority stake in Business Village, a seminar and events site near Louan-Villegruis-Fontaine, 2 hours from Paris. This strategic move diversifies Sandaya's leisure tourism focus. Plans include adding 200 cottages to host 400 participants, installing a giant LED screen, a high-performance sound system, flexible meeting rooms, and revamped dining areas. Business Village offers a unique natural setting in Île-de-France for large seminars.

🏢 Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer held its General Assembly on 19 September. For 2024-2025, they reported €768 million in revenue, a 9% increase, and a record operating profit of €74.5 million. Net income rose to €110.1 million. These results reflect a focus on operational performance under Stéphane Valeri. The first quarter of 2025-2026 already shows strong momentum with €244 million in revenue from April to June 2025.