Tech vs bed bugs. Rail Europe expansion on track. Plain sailing with SITA. More

Tech takes on bed bugs

Helsinki-based Valpas, which claims to be the only travel platform for bed bug safe and non-toxic stays, is tackling an itchy problem for hotels and their guests.

The company has unveiled plans to grow the number of beds in hotels using the Valpas ‘hospitality standard’ bed bug blaster to reach two million beds by the end of 2030.

Currently,  Valpas technology debugs 40,000 beds in more than 40 destinations, and is installed in premium hotel brands, including Accor Hotels, The Luxury Collection and Design Hotels.

Valpas has secured €4m in a seed funding round which will be used to double the number of beds in properties through the production and installation of the Valpas tech on site during 2025.

Valpas says bed bugs are a problem that currently costs the hospitality industry €15bn a year in lost revenues and environmentally damaging pesticide cleaning fees,” plus incalculable reputational damage”.

Martim Gois, CEO and co-founder of Valpas said, “Historically, bed bugs have been a touchy topic, but guaranteed safe hotels are what the traveller wants.”

Valpas’ solution centres around a guest promise of a bed bug safe and non-toxic stay, visible to travellers via the Valpas certificate that integrates with hotel websites, booking platforms and OTAs.

The guest promise is guaranteed thanks to in-room technology of smart anti-bed bug bed legs that interrupts the transmission of bed bugs at first contact in every room permanently and connects to an app for a digital certificate 24/7.

Rail Europe makes new connections

Rail Europe has increased coverage of rail travel in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Hungary and Denmark, in its partners’ solutions – RailAPI, RailFlash and RailPortal.

The expansion will allow travel agencies and partners seamless access to the domestic Belgian rail services and international routes to and from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, in addition to new routes within Hungary, Denmark and the Czech Republic.

New cross border routes also include connections such as Maastricht to Brussels and Bruges to Amsterdam.

The Benelux region is a key hub for train travel in Europe due to its central location, excellent rail connectivity.

It also serves as a crossroads for major European high-speed train operators like Eurostar, Deutsche Bahn and SNCF.

Amsterdam and Brussels enjoy direct links to London, Paris, and Cologne, while Brussels and Luxembourg benefit from fast TGVs to the south of France. Amsterdam will also introduce a new direct daytime link with Munich from mid-December.

Travelport, Emirates spread NDC wings

Emirates’ NDC content is now available on Travelport+ in more than 20 countries, including the United States, India, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, and Saudi Arabia.

Travelport, in June this year, was the first GDS to launch Emirates’ NDC content and servicing capabilities for agencies.

Travelport’s complete NDC solution for Emirates also provides agents the ability to service NDC bookings, which includes modifications and cancellations.  The global rollout of Emirates’ NDC content is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

Singapore ferries set sail with SITA

Passengers departing from Singapore Cruise Centre’s (SCC) Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal (TMFT) and HarbourFront Ferry Terminal (HFFT) can now enjoy a seamless journey thanks to the installation of advanced technology.

SITA’s Smart Path technology, including biometric-ready kiosks, self-bag drop, and gates, is modernising the passenger experience at TMFT and HFFT.

Julian Panter, CEO of SmartSea, a SITA company, said, “We’re embarking on a journey to bring the same technological innovation that revolutionised air travel to the maritime world.”

SCC is also adopting SITA’s Flex as a Service across all passenger processing touchpoints, which enables responsive passenger processing, and creates a platform for SCC to build custom passenger-facing applications.

The upgraded ferry terminals, which serve as Singapore’s gateway to the Riau Islands and south-eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, are expected to handle about seven million plus passengers annually.

Sumesh Patel, president of Asia Pacific at SITA, said: “Seamless travel, by air, sea, or land will be one of the drivers of growth for the travel and transport industry, with transport hubs seeing a need to quickly digitalize their infrastructure to remain ahead of the curve.”

The project involves the installation of 45 SITA Smart Path Kiosks across both terminals and provides a platform for biometric authentication implementation in the future as part of OneID initiative.

10 SITA Smart Path Bag Drop solutions will streamline the bag

check-in process, while 13 new SITA Smart Path Gates will be used for efficient boarding procedures.

Cruisebound soars with younger cruisers

New York-based Cruisebound has landed US$13 million in funding, adding to the US$10 million raised at its launch.

The company is now ready to expand its cruise booking platform, designed for the mobile-first generation. The investment was led by Thayer Ventures and joined by other big industry names.

With features like AI assistance and flexible booking options, Cruisebound says it is winning over younger cruisers, who now make up its core audience.