AI and the travel C-suite / Airbnb extends Reserve Now, Pay Later / Ixigo acquires majority stake in Trenes

Today's news on travel tech and distribution. 

View online February 17, 2026

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Chief AI officer or CTO? Travel's evolving executive playbook Amex GBT, Kayak, Expedia Group and Airbnb have adjusted their leadership teams to account for AI evolution.

Read More  Morgan Hines

Latest News Airbnb's Reserve Now, Pay Later expanded globally The accommodation platform tested the payment option last summer before extending it to U.S. travelers in August 2025. Read More Ixigo eyes global expansion, acquires majority stake in Trenes Ixigo expects "meaningful synergies" from the investment by combining Trenes' customer base and integrations with the Indian OTA's product innovation and technological expertise. Read More Earnings roundup: Yatra, TUI Group, HomeToGo, Grab Check out highlights from the latest financial updates from companies across the global travel industry. Read More Expedia Group sees double-digit growth in revenue, gross bookings as AI push continues Revenue was up 11% year over year to $3.5 billion, while total gross bookings were up 11% to $27 billion in Q4 2025. Read More

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Trending Stories Airbnb confirms hotels expansion plans amid 'strong' early momentum Airbnb reported solid Q4 and full-year results and shared updates on its progress in the hotel vertical.  Read More Sabre, Mindtrip, PayPal partner to launch agentic AI assistant for travel The product is set to launch in the second quarter and will live on the Mindtrip platform.  Read More Schwab transitions to chairman role at Casago Casago president Joe Riley, who took up the role in September 2024, will take over as CEO in October.  Read More PhocusWire's weekly travel tech news briefs: Airbnb, Datalex, SITA and more... Keep up with all the latest people, partner and product news from around the global travel industry.  Read More Tripadvisor pleased with experiences revenue contribution, early AI MVP tests The experiences business reported revenue of $204 million in the quarter, up from $186 million during the same period in 2024. Full-year revenue rose 10% to $924 million.  Read More Travel tech at ITB Berlin 2026: Key tracks and voices shaping the future of travel New this year at ITB Berlin is the Travel Tech Track, connecting traditional travel distribution systems with modern technologies.  Read More

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Recent travel industry opinions New rules for 'good' listings: How guests, algorithms are raising the bar for STRs OpenClaw may be the 'Napster moment' for agentic e-commerce: What that means for travel 6 AI trends that will matter to hotels in 2026 Before, during, after: The acquisition diary of a travel tech CEO Managing rising fees in 2026: 7 steps for hospitality operators The rise of GEO: Why hotel marketers need to think beyond SEO How ready is your travel company for agentic AI? Why Google's UCP is not a game changer in travel

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