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

Travelport, Costco Travel

Travelport and Costco Travel have entered a long-term technology partnership to enhance travel retailing experiences for Costco members.

Travelport will provide Costco Travel with normalized multi-source content, offering a wide range of flight options via a single connection. The integration also aims to deliver artificial intelligence-driven, fast and intuitive search capabilities for smarter trip planning. Additionally, the partnership includes access to the Travelport Insights data solution which provides market demand insights to help Costco Travel optimize offerings.

Sabre, Iberojet

Iberojet has renewed its seven-year partnership with Sabre’s Radixx Passenger Service System. 

The airline will continue to use Radixx solutions including reservations, departure control, e-commerce and reporting systems. Sabre’s Radixx platform supports Iberojet’s customer service goals and strengthens its position in Spain’s  travel market.

“Our continued partnership with Sabre and its Radixx platform is crucial for delivering exceptional travel experiences to our customers,” said José Ignacio Lugo, CEO of Iberojet. 

Hivr.ai’s phone agent

Hivr.ai has launched “Mandy,” an AI-powered phone agent designed to streamline meetings and group sales in hospitality. Integrated with a hotel’s CRS, Mandy handles inbound and outbound calls 24/7, qualifying leads, capturing event details, and providing customer support in over 50 languages. Radisson Hotel Group has already signed agreements to implement the technology. Mandy helps hotels reduce administrative tasks, improve efficiency, and enhance customer engagement. The company also offers other AI solutions like “Alex,” which automates email management, further optimizing the hotel meeting sales process. Founded in 2020, hivr.ai recently secured strategic investment from Amadeus.

HBX Group, Minor Hotels

HBX Group and Minor Hotels have expanded their preferred distribution partnership.

The global collaboration builds on existing partnerships in Europe and the Americas, adding 181 properties across Asia, Australasia, Africa and the Middle East. Minor Hotels, with brands like Anantara, Tivoli and NH, will now have streamlined distribution through HBX Group’s vast network of 60,000 travel distributors. The deal will help optimize costs and improve rate and inventory control. Minor Hotels plans to add nearly 300 more properties in the next three years, further strengthening the partnership.

Cellpoint Digital payment platform

CellPoint Digital has launched a payment orchestration platform tailored for the travel industry, designed to simplify complex payment systems and support the industry’s shift to modern retailing practices.

The platform aims to enhance operational efficiency, customer experience and financial performance by managing high transaction volumes, multi-currency payments, and dynamic offer systems. The platform supports airline offer, order, settlement and delivery frameworks, optimizing payment operations and helping airlines capture more revenue through dynamic pricing and tailored offers. 

“The travel industry faces a once-in-a-generation transformation creating a unique set of payment challenges that generic payment solutions simply cannot address,” said Kristian Gjerding, CEO of CellPoint Digital. “Our new platform is the culmination of our deep expertise in travel payments, built from the ground up to handle the intricate payment flows, multiple currencies and complex routing requirements unique to travel commerce. As airlines specifically move toward modern retail practices, our new platform provides the foundation for this transformation.”

Serko recruits VP of engineering

Serko has named Tarun Phaugat its vice president of engineering. Phaugat most recently was engineering lead for Uber for Business and also spent time in senior roles at Apple, Microsoft and Airbnb.

In the role, he will lead innovation and modernization of Serko’s platform while serving as a leader in the growth of Serko’s Bengaluru development hub. He will also join the leadership team of Serko’s Booking.com for Business which runs on Zeno, a Serko technology.

“At Serko, we are focused on building the most innovative technology platform, both for today’s business travel industry and for the challenges that lie ahead,” said Simon Young, chief technology officer of Serko. “Tarun’s experience in delivering groundbreaking technology solutions is ideal, and we know that he will be a driving force to scale our ongoing innovation efforts, including our Indian Development Hub.”

Lodgify names new CEO

Vacation rental management platform Lodgify has named Shaun Shirazian as its new CEO. Shirazian will succeed co-founder and former CEO Dennis Klett, who will become a non-executive board member. 

“Lodgify has made it possible for small and mid-sized vacation rental hosts to access powerful tools that were once only available to large property management companies,” Shirazian said. “As the short-term rental industry evolves with changing traveler preferences, new regulations, and the advancement of AI, it’s more important than ever for these hosts to have the right tools at their fingertips. I’m honored to join such a talented team to build on Lodgify’s success and continue delivering the best PMS platform for hosts worldwide.”

Shirazian most recently served as chief product officer at Pipedrive, and had senior leadership roles at Intuit and Procter & Gamble. 

Direct Travel appoints CMO

Corporate travel management platform Direct Travel, Inc. has named Allison Breeding as its chief marketing officer.

“Over the past year, we have intentionally strengthened our executive team to accelerate Direct Travel’s next phase of innovation and market leadership. Adding Allison as chief marketing officer marks a pivotal step in this journey,” said Christal Bemont, CEO of Direct Travel. “Allison’s extensive experience and proven ability to increase adoption and deliver measurable business impact will be instrumental in propelling our growth. Additionally, she will help enhance our strategic partnerships and supplier alliances, further strengthening our competitive position.”

Breeding has experience as a former executive of Apptio, Docker and Red Hat. 

NaviSavi hires head of growth and product

B2B platform NaviSavi, which is dedicated to travel-focused short form, vertical, user-generated videos, has named Sam Lindner its head of growth and product as it seeks to improve monetization strategies and expand its content as a B2B2C marketplace.

“Having Sam join our team brings a level of expertise in the travel industry that is essential for accelerating our growth strategy and scaling our offerings,” said Sally Bunnell, founder and CEO of NaviSavi. “We’re incredibly excited about what’s ahead in 2025 as we expand our services and partnerships, leveraging content that not only inspires but converts.”

Lindner’s background includes senior roles in travel metasearch, trip planning and social travel apps, international hotel groups, global retail travel brands, as well as strategic leisure property projects. 

*Some of these news briefs were created with the help of ChatGPT.