Every year millions of people visit New York City from all over the world. What many of them probably don't realize is that some of the most innovative travel tech companies in the world call New York home. Here are several tech companies that are going places:
Travel Companies in New York You Should Know
- Spotnana
- Navan
- Rocketrip
- Away
- Routehappy
- Skift
EPAM offers its IT strategy services to the travel and hospitality industry, co-creating digital experiences and platforms for businesses in the air travel, agency travel and hotel spaces. For Priceline, EPAM facilitated a digital transformation that addressed overwhelm on data centers and the issues faced by the industry in the wake of the pandemic.
Mint House offers a platform for booking furnished apartments as short-term rentals. With locations in major cities throughout the United States, Mint House gives guests the freedom and privacy of a rental with the amenities of a hotel, like cleaning services and high-end linens. Mint House has hosted more than 100,000 guests across its rental properties.
Spotnana’s platform powers travel experiences for corporate and leisure travelers. Through one simple interface, users can book travel, consult with live agents, redeem unused ticket credits and make self-service trip changes. Spotnana also includes carbon emission tracking and removal as well as traveler safety support, such as keeping travelers abreast of vaccination requirements and recommendations in the areas where they’re traveling.
Away thinks that every traveler should have access to affordable, high-end, luggage. The company makes state-of-the-art suitcases and keeps their costs down by selling directly to consumers. In a way, you can think of them like the Casper or Warby Parker of the $32 billion global luggage market.
Navan is innovating in the corporate travel arena, leveraging AI technology to create personalized recommendations and expense prediction to make bookings simpler. Navan' travel and expense platform has been adopted by industry leaders like Lyft, Pinterest, GameStop and Medium, and their technology allows companies to save on travel costs while still providing top-of-the-line experiences to their employees and clients.
Rocketrip is using technology in an interesting way to help corporations reduce travel costs. The company’s platform allows employees to keep half of the money they save on a business trip, thus motivating more responsible spending. After all, flying coach seems a lot more reasonable if you get to share the savings.
Founded way back in 2002, Fareportal has stuck to their roots as a technology company that helps people get a good travel deals. You can think of them kind of like a cross between an online travel agency and a traditional travel agency. Today, they’re operating in North America, Europe and Asia, and partner with over 450 airlines and more than 150,000 hotels.
Skift is like an intelligence agency for the travel industry. If you’re in the travel industry, they’ll arm you with all the information you need to make an informed decision. Want to know how millennials are using tech when they travel for business? They’ve got a report on it. Curious if Airbnb is going to ruin the hotel industry? They’ve got a report on it. Think of them kind of like the CIA — just without the shady stuff and solely focused on travel. So, really, nothing like the CIA, but you get my point.
Routehappy makes it easy for consumers to know which flight to book. The company puts out an unbiased ‘Flight Score’ for every flight in the world, which shows all the attributes of a flight, so you can pick the best one for the best price. Work sending you on a long flight to Beijing? Check on their site to find which route is serviced by the newest plane, with the biggest seats and the fastest wifi. Route Happy is a global company too. The company was born in Bangkok, designed in Boston and lives in New York City. A global corporate citizen.
Regal Wings lets you book high-end flights online. If you’re not really into flying with the peasants back in coach, don’t worry, they’ll get you on a private charter in no time. Tell them on their website where you’re going, the type of jet (or helicopter) you’d like to take you there, and they’ll send you back a quote. Sure, it’s not cheap, but living like royalty rarely is.
Visit.org is a marketplace for tourist activities that are put together by nonprofit organizations. If you want to wander through the wilderness in Bordeaux, they’ll put you in touch with the people at Jardin et Ecotourisme. Want to check out the graffiti scene in Buenos Aires? They know the people at Graffitimundo. Not only does this give tourists a more authentic experience than taking a Duck Tour, it also raises the profile of nonprofits that are doing really cool stuff.
VerbalizeIt makes it easy to get high-quality translations of documents quickly. Simply upload a document into their system and they’ll connect you with someone who speaks the language you need. They also make a point of making sure the translator you work with knows a thing or two about the industry your document pertains to. Get into some legal troubles on your trip to Seoul? They’ll be able to get your indictment translated from Korean into something you can understand.
