Travelers increasingly expect the same payment flexibility when booking a trip as they do when shopping online, whether that’s paying in installments, using local payment methods, or combining loyalty points with cash. In fact, 60% of travelers are likely to abandon a booking if their preferred payment method isn’t available. Yet many travel payment systems weren’t built for that level of complexity. This is what John Lunn, CEO of Gr4vy and former PayPal executive, explores in his latest piece on why traditional payment service providers are struggling to keep up with modern travel commerce.

As the school summer holidays approach, new research from Park Christmas Savings shows families across the UK are bracing for six weeks of financial strain — with food costs, days out and childcare all piling pressure onto already-stretched household budgets. With the school gates set to close for summer in the coming weeks, a major new survey of UK by Park Christmas Savings has laid bare the financial reality facing families this year.

Otherwander Soho, the newly opened 566-pod hotel in central London, has selected Apaleo, the API-first property management platform, to power its fully digitised guest journey and highly streamlined operating model. Opened on 1 June 2026 at 92 Dean Street in the heart of Soho, Otherwander Soho has built its technology ecosystem around interoperability, automation and real-time data flow. Rather than placing the property management system (PMS) at the centre of operations, the hotel has adopted a middleware-led architecture in which systems connect through open APIs and data moves across the business in real time.

IDeaS, a SAS company and the world’s leading provider of AI-powered hospitality revenue management software, today announced significant momentum in the adoption of its broader commercial strategy solutions, highlighting a growing industry shift toward connected decision-making that extends well beyond traditional revenue management. The announcement comes as hotel organizations face increasing pressure to navigate market volatility, staffing constraints, evolving traveler demand patterns, and growing expectations for data-driven decision-making across commercial functions. As teams are increasingly tasked with connecting revenue, marketing, sales and operational strategies, hoteliers are investing in technologies that provide a more unified view of business performance and market opportunities.

At a time when rising costs and the demand for flexibility are reshaping how South Africans travel, City Lodge Hotels, Avis, and Budget have responded with a new partnership deal. Guests checking into easy online at www.citylodgehotels.com can now also enjoy 15% off Avis car rental and 10% off Budget car rental. From quick business trips to family getaways, travel plans just became even more affordable. Together, these brands are committed to simplifying the travel journey from end to end and delivering meaningful value to both business and leisure travellers. (Terms and conditions apply.)

Two of Sub-Saharan Africa’s strongest unserved routes still have no direct flight: Johannesburg to Mumbai, and Brussels to Cape Town. Both appear in the Airbus Exploring the Horizons study among high-demand corridors where passengers continue to route through a third city because no carrier has yet launched a service. Some of the continent’s connectivity gaps have narrowed over the past year. Qantas added Perth to Johannesburg, Edelweiss introduced its A350 service to Windhoek, Air Congo announced a Brussels link to Kinshasa, and Ethiopian secured approval to serve Mauritius. If those routes can move from proposal to operation, why do others with similarly strong demand remain unserved? That question sat at the centre of a discussion at AviaDev Africa 2026 in Gaborone, the continent’s main route development forum, where airlines, airports and tourism bodies meet to build new air links. It was chaired by Natalia Rosa, Project Lead at the Southern Africa Tourism Alliance (SATA).