Jack Rifkin, Author at Travel Tech Association

March 6, 2026 — The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) recently sponsored Travel Massive SF’s community event, bringing together travel startup founders, operators, creators, and investors for Innovation Night: Building the Future of Travel. The event took place on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Hotel Emblem in San Francisco, and featured a live panel moderated by Travel Tech President & CEO Laura Chadwick.

The discussion focused on the barriers to innovation that the travel tech innovators and broader travel industry face, especially during this new AI era. The group discussed launching early products, landing the first 100 customers, testing new tools, and navigating growth in a complex global market. Panelists shared candid insights on what makes travel tech startups succeed, from integrating systems efficiently to prioritizing solutions that address real industry challenges.

The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) empowers traveler choice by advocating for public policy that promotes transparency, competition and innovation. Travel Tech represents travel technology innovators ranging from dynamic startups, small, and midsize businesses to leading online travel agencies, metasearch engines, short-term rental platforms, global distribution systems, and travel management companies.

Industry group warns proposals could restrict discounts, increase prices, and create a patchwork of state pricing rules

March 4, 2026 — The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) sent letters this week to lawmakers in Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio, and Tennessee ahead of upcoming public hearings on state “price surveillance” bills that would impose new restrictions on algorithmic pricing used in online markets, including the travel industry.

The proposals are part of a growing wave of legislation introduced across the country this year seeking to regulate the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence in pricing.

“Price surveillance bills continue to mount across the country, and many would fundamentally restrict how travel companies use dynamic pricing to manage perishable inventory like hotel rooms, rental cars, and experiences,” said Laura Chadwick, President and CEO of the Travel Technology Association. “If enacted, these proposals would increase operational costs, create conflicting compliance obligations across states, and make it harder for travel companies to align prices with real-time market conditions.”

Travel Tech warned that several of the proposals could unintentionally restrict common consumer benefits, including discounts, loyalty programs, and promotional pricing.

“Instead of helping the market work better, many of these bills risk locking inefficiencies into the system and pushing companies toward blunt, one-size-fits-all pricing,” Chadwick said.

The bill would require companies to disclose when an algorithm uses personal data to determine pricing, mandating a statement reading: “THIS PRICE WAS SET BY AN ALGORITHM USING YOUR PERSONAL DATA.”

Travel Tech warned the measure could capture common discount programs that are not materially personalized and create legal uncertainty for companies operating nationwide.

The proposal would prohibit merchants from using “personalized algorithmic pricing” unless a specified disclosure accompanies the price shown to consumers.

Travel Tech cautioned that the bill could disrupt established pricing practices and introduce compliance challenges across interstate digital markets.

The legislation would ban the use or distribution of pricing algorithms trained on nonpublic competitor data and require businesses to disclose whether algorithms influence pricing decisions.

Travel Tech said the proposal could create “a presumption of conspiracy based on shared technology” and impose liability on neutral software providers.

One proposal would prohibit certain forms of personalized algorithmic pricing, while another would establish a state-specific labeling regime for lodging price disclosures.

Travel Tech warned the measures could increase costs for consumers and create new inconsistencies in interstate travel pricing rules.

Travel Tech said it is working with lawmakers across the country to ensure consumer protection proposals are carefully tailored and do not unintentionally restrict competition or eliminate consumer discounts.

The association proposed amendments to narrow overly broad definitions, clarify how the bills apply to travel intermediaries, and ensure enforcement provisions remain proportionate.

“Transparency and consumer protection are important goals,” Chadwick said. “But policies should reflect how modern digital markets actually work so they don’t reduce discounts, fragment interstate commerce, or make travel more expensive for consumers.”

Washington, D.C. — The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) today marked the 30th anniversary of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, signed into law in February 1996, a foundational law that helped enable the online consumer review systems now central to travel planning and booking.

For travelers, reviews have become a core decision-making tool — shaping how trips are researched, compared, and ultimately booked. Section 230 allows travel platforms and suppliers to host user-generated reviews while moderating content in good faith, supporting both consumer transparency and efforts to combat fraud and abuse.

“Online reviews are a core part of the infrastructure of travel commerce,” said Laura Chadwick, President & CEO of Travel Tech. “Section 230 helped create the framework that allows platforms and suppliers to host community-driven feedback while investing in moderation and trust tools that travelers depend on.”

Travel Tech members helped pioneer the use of user-generated content in the early 2000s, revolutionizing how travelers plan trips and explore the world. The ability to offer trusted, community-driven insights without legal exposure has allowed the travel industry to grow, innovate, and deliver better experiences to consumers.

Today, industry research shows how powerful that influence has become: Expedia Group’s 2025 Traveler Value Index found that about three-quarters of travelers say they are willing to pay more for lodging with better reviews, rising to roughly 80% among travelers under 40.

As review volume has grown, travel platforms have expanded investments in trust and safety to protect review integrity. Tripadvisor, for example, has reported publishing more than one billion reviews and continues to use a combination of technology and human moderation to identify fraudulent content.

Across the travel industry, consumer reviews enabled by Section 230 help travelers:

“The travel industry works best when travelers trust the information they see,” Chadwick said. “Thirty years on, Section 230 remains an important part of the framework supporting transparency, consumer confidence, and healthy digital marketplaces.”

Wednesday, Feb 18, 2026 – Last week, the Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) hosted its third Quarterly Start Up & Investor Connect Webinar, where four early-stage founders pitched to a panel of angel and seed stage investors. Across the hourlong session, one theme emerged unmistakably: travel tech innovation is shifting decisively toward AI-powered operational infrastructure, not incremental consumer features.

Start-ups Chirrup, HousMthr, Lake.com, and Vibe Adventures pitched their solutions, fielded live investor questions, and received candid feedback on market fit, scalability, and differentiation. 

This quarter’s pitches reflected a broader trend across travel tech: founders are moving beyond incremental features to tackle foundational industry pain points—particularly around payments, operational efficiency, and modern infrastructure for suppliers and platforms.

Throughout the session, investors asked questions on scalability, integration capabilities, and defensible go-to-market strategies. Their questions reflected a broader trend in early-stage travel investment: solutions that modernize core infrastructure – rather than incremental consumer features – are attracting the most attention.

“What stood out in this session wasn’t just the high quality of the pitches, but the consistency of the problems founders are trying to solve,” said Laura Chadwick, President and CEO of Travel Tech. “Investors are clearly responding to start-ups that address real operational gaps in travel—whether that’s payments, infrastructure, or smarter use of technology—rather than point solutions in search of a problem. These founders are building for where travel is going, not where it’s been.” 

Chirrup introduced its AI-enabled communications platform built specifically for tour and activity operators. The system consolidates calls, texts, and booking data into a single inbox, supported by AI chat and voice bots and smart routing. The company currently serves 23 customers and processes approximately 80,000 messages per month, with integrations completed in as little as one week. Enabled communications platform built specifically for tour and activity operators. The system consolidates calls, texts, and booking data into a single inbox, supported by AI chat and voice bots and smart routing. The company currently serves 23 customers and processes approximately 80,000 messages per month, with integrations completed in as little as one week.

Lake.com presented its dedicated platform for waterfront vacation rentals and outdoor experiences, offering 40,000 properties across North America and Europe and attracting 100,000 monthly active users. With a 10% commission model, the company positions itself as a family-focused, lower fee alternative to major OTAs and is raising a $3 million seed round to scale bookings and supply.

HousMthr presented its mobile platform built for real-time group trip coordination. The app includes structured tools for room assignments, shared expenses, trip scoping, and AI-powered agents that adapt dynamically to group preferences and on-trip behavior. After a year-long pilot within seasonal rental communities, HousMthr achieved 100% user renewal and 32% growth. Users remained actively engaged for up to nine months per year, demonstrating sustained value beyond traditional pre-trip booking tools.

Vibe Adventures introduced its dynamic packaging engine, combining 20,000+ curated multi-day tours across 160+ countries with global flight inventory. With its bootstrapped, profitable legacy travel business, the company has served 12,000+ customers, generated $2.5+ million in revenue, and is raising a seed round to launch and scale its B2C dynamic packaging platform and launch a white-label B2B2C solution in 2027.

That shift was underscored by attendee voting at the close of the session. A vote was cast and Chirrup was recognized for the most innovative solution to a real challenge and the strongest market potential and scalability, highlighting growing investor interest in solutions addressing friction in travel bookings and operations. Lake.com was also recognized for delivering the most compelling founder story and vision.  

The Start-Up & Investor Connect Webinar is part of Travel Tech’s broader effort to support early-stage companies by connecting them directly with travel-savvy investors, industry expertise, and peer founders. Since launching the program, Travel Tech has seen over a dozen start-ups participate and a steady rise in investor engagement across sessions. 

Founders interested in pitching in future Start-Up & Investor Connect Webinars can learn more by joining Travel Tech’s Start-Up Membership Program, which also includes access to quarterly pitch opportunities, free enrollment in Matt Zito’s four-week travel tech accelerator, policy and regulatory insights, and year-round networking. 

Click here to learn more about Travel Tech’s Start-Up Membership program and upcoming opportunities. 

Travel Tech and Travel Massive SF Host “Innovation Night: Building the Future of Travel”

March 06, 2026

March 6, 2026 — The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) recently sponsored Travel Massive SF’s community event, bringing together travel startup founders, operators, creators, and investors for Innovation Night: Building the Future of Travel. The event took place on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Hotel Emblem in San Francisco, and featured a live panel […]