Some stories in this week’s edition are about surprises, others are about deep transformation: AI concierge services deliver birthday cakes to unknown destinations, entrepreneurs who build multi-million-dollar startups, Shopify doubles down on AI, embracing Esims to drive global connectivity, and more. Hope you like it!
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The most clicked link in the previous issue is getyourguide report About how comments affect conversion rates.
New deep dive. It’s about how accommodation builds a bridge between travel content and monetization and becomes the core infrastructure of the travel creator economy. They drive 3x to 10x revenue for travel participants, blogs, weather websites and now YouTube driving, and have smart, subtle and tools for conversion. Thanks so much to Andrew Lockhead and Rami Nuseir for giving me an insider to see how everything works and let me share this story. Hope you like it as much as I do in research and writing. Read Stay22 Deep Dive.
Fletcher Richman wrote an article about Lean startup is dead. He believes that using cursors such as cursors and substitutes for writing most code, he thinks it is faster and smarter to ship it first and verify it later.
He is right, AI is changing the speed of development. But I don’t think the core of a lean startup is just to save time or money. This is to reduce waste by making sure you solve the right problem. If you skip customer discovery, faster speeds don’t mean better builds. Understanding customer problems is still fundamental, no matter how quickly you can code solutions.
If anything, this new speed will only increase the stakes. As Fletcher points out, real estate code is no longer; it’s the user’s attention. As more products flood the market, distribution is more important than ever. Verifying the lean entrepreneurial principles that you establish and understand actual needs is still essential. The method may evolve, but the task remains the same.
At a recent travel technology Thursday event in Kuala Lumpur, industry leaders shared how AI can transform the guest experience. One story from Luxe Nomad is prominent. Their AI concierge Bella surprised everyone by sending birthday cakes to guests who were not mentioned at all. During the chat, the guest casually mentions a birthday, and Bella picks it up on it, triggers a ticket, and arranges delivery. Bella not only responded. She expects to demand, send personalized offers before the guest asks and adjust her approach based on past interactions. Her creator’s reply to her added a little delay to make her look more human. This pause makes the conversation with her look natural and considerate. Bella’s proactive approach shows how AI in hotels has shifted from responsiveness to intuitiveness. Read +.
Roaming has become a powerful growth engine for fintechs such as Revolut and Nubank. Digital SIM cards allow users to seamlessly access mobile data at the boundaries of no physical card, no surprise fees, just instant activation and easy top-up, all managed directly from the app. For fintech, this has become a new source of revenue that can deepen user engagement. Read + kintxo cortes
But it’s not just a big fintech drive trend. Players like it Corrett and Airalo Looking for a product market with a traveler-centric ESIM solution, reshaping how users stay in touch abroad.
exist How AI destroys technology investments, Tomas Pueyo explains how AI rewrites the rules for startups. Founders can now build and launch products on their own with the lowest upfront costs. This rise of entrepreneurs cuts venture capital from early stages of funding, as individuals or small teams can compete with well-known players. Competition is rising and demand for large rounds of capital is shrinking.
exist Internal memoShopify CEO Tobi Lütke announced that AI usage is now mandatory for all employees. Lütke called it the fastest change in his career in his way of working. Key points:
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Employees are expected to use AI as a core part of their workflow.
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Lütke believes that AI for high performers increases productivity by 10 to 100 times.
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All projects need to use AI prototypes to speed up learning.
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Mastering AI tools and skills is now part of evaluating metrics and performance evaluations.
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The team needs to prove that the AI cannot solve the problem before requesting other employees.
I have known Juanjo Rodriguez for nearly two decades and have the privilege to serve on the board of directors of the hotel network. Juanjo is one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs I have ever known. Visionary, rooted and ruthless execution. I remember when he first shared this idea with me in San Francisco, from that moment on, I knew he was going to build something extraordinary. But what he created was beyond that. He has built an outstanding company with a dynamic culture powered by a dynamic and enterprising team. I’m so happy to see Thn arrive in this new chapter and lighthouse. Their work that powers direct booking and personalized guest experiences has now become part of a larger platform, a testament to the team’s dedication and Juanjo’s leadership. Congratulations to Juanjo and the entire THN team!
Looking forward to seeing you next month at Phocuswright in Barcelona. I will be attending a meeting hosted by Chris Hemmeter of Thayer Investment Partners, with Gillian Tans, former CEO of Booking.com. The meeting will be held on Thursday, June 12 from 9:45 to 10:10 CET. If you plan to attend and haven’t received your tickets yet, you can use This personalized link To get a 10% discount on the current fare.
Scandinavian Airlines has a mysterious flight where passengers book tickets but don’t know where to go. Last year, the destination was Athens and this year they ended in Seville.
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Mauricio Prieto
