Fusion & Acquisition

📈 Holiday Pirates appoints Mila Genova as CMO, increasing female representation to 60% in its executive committee, above the tech sector's 32% average. RoomRaccoon and HiJiffy automate 90% of hotel communications. 15below acquires Airport AI, enhancing airport communication; 80+ airports use this AI. OUIGO extends OUIGOSWAP to all trains, enabling ticket resales with 80% value recovery. Sojern and HotelKey integrate real-time customer feedback in PMS. Duetto partners with The Hotels Network to optimize direct bookings using real-time data.

🚀 Indigo Ventures, the venture capital arm of Indigo Airlines, completed its first funding round with a $52 million investment in India-based Jeh Aerospace. The fund targets early-stage startups in aviation, aerospace, and space sectors. Indigo aims to support digital transformation in travel, with the leisure travel market projected to reach $15 trillion by 2040, driven by emerging markets like India, China, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam, surpassing traditional markets like the US and UK.

🚀 GeniusTravel raises €2 million to expand in Europe. In 2025, the AI-powered travel app aims to simplify booking travel packages. Anonymous investors funded the expansion to markets including the Netherlands. GeniusTravel's app integrates AI for easy package searches, leveraging Expedia's inventory. Available on iOS and Android, users can input preferences and budget for tailored recommendations. The app bridges online convenience with travel professionals' expertise, following three years of development.

✈ Air France-KLM plans to increase its stake in SAS from 19.9% to 60.5% by acquiring shares from Castlelake and Lind Invest. Expected completion: H2 2026, pending regulatory approvals. Denmark retains 26.4% stake. Transaction value depends on SAS’s EBITDA and net debt. SAS to join SkyTeam, enhancing code-sharing and interline agreements. Integration includes commercial, loyalty, operations, and governance aspects. Strategic move boosts Air France-KLM's footprint in Scandinavia.

🌟 Paris Society (Accor) announced the sale of its nightlife segment to founder Laurent de Gourcuff on July 8, 2022. This strategic move refocuses on high-end dining. Accor, which acquired Paris Society in 2022, found nightlife less aligned with its global hotel and gastronomy strategy due to lower returns. Laurent de Gourcuff now controls 70% of the nightlife group, partnering with Pernod Ricard. This sale reflects a portfolio rationalization amid economic uncertainty.

🚗 Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is expanding its autonomous vehicle testing to Philadelphia and New York in 2025, following deployments in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. This testing involves human drivers initially, to map and adapt vehicles to new environments. Key areas include complex sections of Philadelphia and Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Jersey City. Data collected will enhance AI models. Necessary permissions are required for testing in New York before full deployment.

🚀 SkyDrive, a Japanese eVTOL manufacturer, raised 8.3 billion yen (€48 million) in a pre-series D round led by MUFG Bank. Strategic investors include Suzuki Motor Corporation and JR East and JR Kyushu railway companies. By February 2025, they secured G-1 certification from Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau for their three-seat SD-05 model. The funds will enhance development teams, testing infrastructure, and certification processes. Over 380 pre-orders are made across seven countries, aiming to revolutionize urban mobility.

💸 ECG's acquisition of Alannia adds nearly 1,000 accommodation units and 1,600 sites to its portfolio, expanding to 13 European countries and over 450 destinations. Alannia, founded in 1997, grew significantly post-2018 with Corpfin Capital, quadrupling revenues. Alannia operates five resorts, including new Costa Dorada properties, known for award-winning outdoor hospitality. ECG executives Sébastien Manceau and Philippe de Trémiolles emphasize strengthening their Spanish market presence. The deal, advised by KPMG and Garrigues, also excites Alannia's CEO, Fernando Garijo.

🏖 European Camping Group (ECG) recently acquired Alannia, Spain's leading high-end camping-resort operator, expanding its portfolio with nearly 1,000 accommodation units and 1,600 additional pitches. Founded in 1997 in Alicante, Alannia includes five major resorts, with three on Costa Dorada, enhancing ECG's presence in 13 European countries. This acquisition strengthens ECG's strategic position in Spain, with plans for further resort development alongside Alannia's team.

💰 ATLAND's acquisition of Keys REIM boosts its assets under management to over €5 billion and adds more than 3,500 professional clients, each investing over €100,000 per product. With expanded presence in six European countries, including Luxembourg, ATLAND aims to enhance its pan-European investment strategies. The acquisition integrates Keys REIM's expertise in hospitality and evergreen funds, while nearly 20 Keys REIM employees join ATLAND to optimize fund management and support functions.