Tourvis Select, a luxury hotel platform operated by Korean travel tech company Tidesquare, has won the 2026 Virtuoso ‘Best Agency Culture Award.’ This marks the first time an agency from North & Southeast Asia has received this honor. The award shows the region’s growing influence in the global luxury travel market and highlights Tourvis Select’s commitment to supporting an inclusive and employee-centric workplace.
The award was presented at the Virtuoso Travel Week gala in Las Vegas, which gathered over 4,800 luxury travel professionals from 105 countries. It recognizes agencies that prioritize employee well-being and inclusive workplace cultures. The event also featured business meetings, regional conferences, and marketing programs, making it a key gathering for industry leaders.
AI-Driven Innovation at Tidesquare
Tidesquare was also the only Korean company invited to speak at the Travel Tech Summit. They presented their AI-driven work innovation case to over 700 industry attendees. This invitation reflects Tidesquare’s leadership in integrating cutting-edge technology into travel operations, setting a benchmark for innovation in the sector.
Their approach, dubbed “AI First, Human Final,” automates repetitive tasks, freeing up 200 hours per team monthly. Humans retain final decision-making for tasks requiring expertise, judgment, and empathy. This balance ensures efficiency without compromising the personal touch essential in luxury travel. Tidesquare’s Director of Global Business Development, Sunny Chang, emphasized that this model enhances productivity while maintaining high-quality customer service.
Tidesquare plans to expand its travel-specific AI applications, combining travel data with AI to deliver personalized experiences. This includes factors like a traveler’s purpose, schedule, and companions. By leveraging AI, Tidesquare aims to create tailored travel solutions that cater to individual preferences, further solidifying its position in the luxury travel market.
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eviivo and Dida’s New APAC Channel
eviivo, a property and booking management platform, has partnered with Dida, a leading APAC B2B travel distributor. This integration allows independent hotels to distribute live rates and availability to Dida’s network of 40,000 travel distributors. The partnership addresses the growing demand for streamlined distribution channels in the APAC region, where travel is experiencing rapid growth.
The partnership responds to growing APAC travel demand. Expedia Group research found that 65% of travel professionals expect regional demand to increase over the next two to three years. This integration not only simplifies distribution but also aligns with eviivo’s centralized Channel Manager, ensuring consistency across OTAs, GDS, and direct-booking sites.
Dida offers 2.2 million travel products and 110,000 directly contracted properties, giving eviivo customers access to key markets like China, Japan, and South Korea. B2B guests, known for booking earlier and staying longer, represent a lucrative segment for independent hotels. This partnership enables eviivo customers to tap into these high-value markets without additional operational complexity.
Executives from both companies emphasized the partnership’s value in diversifying demand without added operational burden. The integration is initially available to eligible eviivo customers in the UK and Europe, with North America to follow. Mechaal Saleh of The Chapter Hotels highlighted how this collaboration simplifies access to APAC markets, a region with significant growth potential.
Refund Protection on the Rise
Protect Group reports a 2X surge in refund protection uptake this summer, rising from 14% to 27%. The UK saw the strongest momentum, with a 56% increase in purchases. This trend reflects travelers’ increasing awareness of the need for financial security in an unpredictable travel environment.
This shift is attributed to travelers becoming more intentional about managing risk. Stephen Joyce of Protect Group predicts the trend will intensify due to growing travel complexity and global volatility. He noted that travelers are prioritizing protection for high-impact parts of their journey, such as flights and accommodations, rather than altering their plans entirely.
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Refund Protect offers a 100% refund of booking value and integrates directly into the checkout flow of OTAs, airlines, and hotels. It provides financial peace of mind while helping travel brands boost conversion rates and customer satisfaction. This seamless integration ensures that travelers can easily add protection to their bookings, enhancing their overall travel experience.
Spotnana Acquires TROOP
Spotnana, a travel infrastructure provider, has acquired TROOP, a meeting planning and group travel logistics platform. This acquisition addresses a critical gap in corporate travel management, where meetings and events constitute a significant portion of travel spend but lack centralized oversight.
Meetings and events spend can account for up to 40% of a company’s total travel costs, yet remains ad hoc and hard to track. A Business Travel Show Europe survey found that 60% of corporate travel professionals now oversee both travel and meetings. This consolidation reflects the industry’s shift toward integrated travel management solutions.
TROOP simplifies organizing in-person meetings through location selection, attendee travel booking, and budget tracking. Spotnana adds booking, policy management, and payments, offering a unified view of travel spend. Together, they provide a full solution that streamlines both transient travel and meetings, reducing administrative burden for corporations.
Steve Singh of Spotnana cited a growing trend toward consolidating travel under one program. Dennis Vilovic of TROOP called the merger a milestone toward a seamless, end-to-end travel solution. The acquisition aligns with Spotnana’s vision of creating a unified travel ecosystem that caters to all aspects of corporate travel.