Fusion & Acquisition

🚀 Waymo recalls 1,200 robotaxis after minor collisions from December 2022 to April 2024, affecting a fleet of 1,500 vehicles. United Airlines starts installing Starlink Wi-Fi on Embraer E175 jets, aiming for 250 Mbps speeds on regional aircraft by 2025. Hong Kong partners with Wego to attract MENA tourists. HBX Group acquires Civitfun, enhancing hotel operations for 3,500 clients. Bryan Batista becomes Skyscanner's CEO on June 1, 2025, succeeding John Mangelaars.

🎬 European leisure parks have transformed from day trip destinations to full-fledged tourist attractions. Giants like Disneyland Paris and Europa Park, now rebranded as resorts, have extended visitor stays beyond the traditional day visit. European households spend an average of €3,000 annually on leisure, ranking it fourth in expenses after rent and food, according to Eurostat data. These parks contribute significantly to the attractiveness and revenue of their regions.

🚀 Stratolaunch's Roc aircraft, a giant twin-fuselage hexa-engine, successfully launched and recovered the Talon-A2, a self-flying hypersonic glider rocket, on its second test flight, reaching speeds over Mach 5. The feat was achieved by the Mojave, California-based company, emphasizing Talon-A2's reusability after a successful attempt in December 2024. With an impressive wingspan of 117 meters, the Talon-A2 landed autonomously at Vandenberg Space Force Base after being released from Roc, signaling promising applications for hypersonic flight in defense and potentially commercial air transport. Stratolaunch CEO Zachary Krevor highlighted the company's progress: four Talon-A flights, twenty-four Roc flights, and two new supersonic and hypersonic aircraft flown within a year.

🏨 Room00, a European tourist accommodation network, secures €400 million from King Street Capital Management for European expansion, targeting Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Funds are earmarked for acquiring and renovating prime-location hotels in strategic micro-districts in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Porto, Milan, Rome, and Florence. Room00 operates over 2,500 rooms across 50 assets and aims to grow to 200 properties and 15,000 rooms in Southern Europe within four years, plus a London debut by end of 2025, adding 20 sites and 1,000 rooms.

💸 NextTrip, a Santa Fe-based tech travel company, secured a $3 million credit line (€2.66 million) from its president to fund growth projects and operations for the next two years. The funds will finance marketing for new products and aid in developing recent high-end travel market acquisitions, including total control of OTA Five Star Alliance in April and the JOURNY TV streaming service. CEO Bill Kerby appreciates the president's support, emphasizing strategic priorities and shareholder value protection.

💰 Ritesh Agarwal, owning 30% of an Indian hotel group, faces financial strain as SoftBank, holding 40%, blocks the company's 3rd IPO attempt, pushing the next possibility to 2026. Initial valuation in 2021 was nearly $12 billion, a target SoftBank still aims for. Agarwal, who borrowed $2.2 billion to maintain control, is backed by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son's personal guarantee for the loan, with a repayment due soon.

📢 DoorDash, an e-commerce specialist in the US, announced on May 6 two major acquisitions: Deliveroo for £2.9 billion (~€3.4 billion) at 180 pence per share, and SevenRooms for $1.2 billion (~€1.05 billion). Deliveroo operates in 9 countries, and its main competitors are Uber Eats and Just Eat TakeAway, the latter acquired by Prosus for €4.1 billion in February. The acquisitions will likely boost DoorDash's monthly user count to 50 million across 40 countries.

🏖️ Turkey achieved a record 9.5 billion dollars in tourism revenue with 8.844 million international visitors in Q1 2025. Announced by Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy in Istanbul, this marks a historic high for the quarter. In 2024, the country was the fourth most visited destination globally, receiving 62.2 million tourists against a target of 60 million. For 2025, the goal is 65 million visitors and 64 billion dollars in revenue. Key markets included Iran (733,000 visitors), Russia (601,000), Germany (572,000), Bulgaria (560,000), and the UK (304,000), with an average stay of 11 nights.

🏖 Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Al Zorah Development Company, a joint venture between Ajman government and Solidere International, are developing the Four Seasons Resort Ajman at Al Zorah, set to open in 2026. Located just 35 minutes from Dubai International Airport, the resort will feature 23 private villas, 74 rooms and suites with terraces offering sea views. Facilities include a luxury spa, fitness center, private beach, an 85-meter infinity pool, an adults-only pool with sea view, and activities like diving and mangrove excursions. Golf enthusiasts can enjoy the nearby Al Zorah Golf & Yacht Club, an 18-hole course designed by Jack Nicklaus.

💸 Sabre sold its lodging solution, Synxis, to private equity firm TPG for $1.1 billion, 20 years after acquiring it in 2005. This move aims to focus on Sabre's core business of airline and hotel distribution, expecting to net $960 million from the sale. Proceeds will primarily go towards debt repayment and financial statement improvement. Post-sale, Synxis will become an independent company again, with a technology platform used by 40% of major hotel accounts. Sabre's board approved the transaction, expected to finalize by the end of Q3 2025, pending standard closing conditions and regulatory approvals, without financing contingencies.