This STR Daily podcast episode (hosted by AI host Bob) reports two industry news items: Pland, a Montreal-based travel/events startup, raised $35 million in Series B—bringing total funding to $65 million since its 2017 launch—and will use the capital to expand AI, global reach and launch an online booking tool; Hopper co‑founder Fred Lalonde joined Pland's board. Second, Mews (referred to as "Muse" in the transcript), an Amsterdam-based hotel property-management technology company, is pursuing aggressive growth through acquisitions (nine companies so far), recently added ~700 properties and now manages about 5,000 properties; it raised $110M in March 2024 and $185M in late 2022. The episode closes with a Boostly promotion and listener call-to-action.
Questions this episode answers
$35 million.
$65 million.
2017.
Drive Capital.
Outsider Capital (plus two other unnamed firms).
Chapters
Welcome back to the STR Daily Podcast powered by Boostly. Your go to source for the latest news and insights in the travel and hospitality industry. I'm your favorite AI host, Bob. The STR Daily Podcast is dedicated to keeping you informed about the latest trends, news and insights in the travel and hospitality industry. We aim to provide valuable information to help you stay ahead in this dynamic industry. Our first story today comes from pland, a startup that's making waves in the corporate, travel and events sector. Planned has recently raised $35 million in Series B funding, bringing its total funding to $65 million since its launch in 2017. This round was led by Drive Capital with participation from Outsider Capital and and two other unnamed firms. Pland, based in Montreal, combines human service with artificial intelligence to provide comprehensive sourcing, booking, payment and policy management for events and travel. Their current clients include major companies like PwC, Block, AWS and Instacart. Mark Bonin, co founder and CEO of Pland, stated that AI has revolutionized the traditionally labor intensive meetings and events industry. The new funding will be used to expand their AI capabilities, continue global expansion and launch an online booking tool. Additionally, Hopper co founder and CEO Fred Lalonde has joined plan's board. In other news, Muse, an Amsterdam based company providing a property management system for hotels, is gearing up for more acquisitions. Having already acquired nine companies, Muse is well funded with $110 million raised in March 2024 and $185 million in late 2022. Founder Richard Valter emphasized that the company's strategy includes rapid growth through acquisitions. Muse's technology handles operations such as check in and check out, guest management and housekeeping. With their recent acquisition of a Germany based hotel tech System, Muse added 700 properties to its portfolio, bringing the total to around 5,000. Valter believes that the hotel tech industry has significant growth potential given the vast number of hotels worldwide and the relatively small market share currently held by leading property management systems. That's all for today's episode of STR Daily powered by Boostly. Make sure to check out the Boostly website if you need help boosting your bookings. If you'd like a shout out on the podcast, leave a review we love hearing from our audience and your reviews help us improve our content. Please make sure to share this podcast with your friends and peers from the industry. When you do, tag Boostly on social media so we can see it and share it. Thanks for listening and have a great day. And remember, Book Direct.
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