Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="c8b0b893b7ee7d7019127a7ab7cfbc034863f51cf9fbe63f18ff89dba166" Subject: Travel Tech Essentialist #189: Built Different From: Mauricio | Travel Tech Essentialist To: Hidden Recipient Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2025 21:37:02 +0000 X-Hiring: We are hiring, reach out at header-hacker@emailshot.io X-EmailShot-Signature: AUILYmrQUV8mt2QguwC5hwdBkKad6w1zLuKvlebiMvvBbhcFFUhUTYLFQLDw42KS7J-xhH1ntZgriUTtfcibhw== --c8b0b893b7ee7d7019127a7ab7cfbc034863f51cf9fbe63f18ff89dba166 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable View this post on the web at https://traveltechessentialist.substack.com/p/= travel-tech-essentialist-189-built This week=E2=80=99s newsletter is about useful opposites, anti-trends, and = building things that go against the grain. From broken products that still = work to bubbles that actually help, from ditching everyday habits to buildi= ng brand values with human authenticity, progress often comes from thinking= differently and staying true while doing it. Special thanks to the Airobot [ https://substack.com/redirect/18ecea40-c6f3= -49d1-849a-504db4ce742f?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jC= fgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] for sponsoring this edition of the newsletter: Airobot [ https://substack.com/redirect/18ecea40-c6f3-49d1-849a-504db4ce742= f?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] use= s smart technology to simplify airline and airport ancillary sales and driv= e more ancillary revenue for online travel agencies, corporate travel selle= rs, flight consolidators, tour operators, and airlines. Founded in 2018, Ai= robot provides Automated Check-in, Seat Selection, Fast Track, and Lounge a= ccess, all via API or white-label. Meet us at the Phocuswright Conference i= n San Diego on November 18-20, and/or visit our website to schedule a demo = [ https://substack.com/redirect/18ecea40-c6f3-49d1-849a-504db4ce742f?j=3Dey= J1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. 1. Altman on travel bookings: they=E2=80=99ll do it, eventually At the Progress Conference last week, Sam Altman responded to a story from = the interviewer, who mentioned that during a recent trip, nearly every hote= l and restaurant he picked was discovered through GPT-5. None of those book= ings went through OpenAI, and the company earned nothing from it. Altman acknowledged the gap, but didn=E2=80=99t seem bothered. ChatGPT give= s recommendations without bias, he said, and that=E2=80=99s what builds tru= st. If it ever took money to promote a worse hotel over a better one, that = trust would evaporate. But if it recommends the best option and takes a fla= t commission without that influencing the result, that feels to him like a = sustainable model. He expects hotel and travel commissions to shrink. Once people ask their AI= to find the best hotel, the agent may complete the booking through the ser= vice that charges the lowest fee. According to Altman, this dynamic will ma= ke =E2=80=9Cmargins go dramatically down on most goods and services, includ= ing things hotel bookings=E2=80=9D OpenAI still plans to support bookings at some point, but Altman doesn=E2= =80=99t see it as a major business priority. It=E2=80=99s not where OpenAI = will make most of its money, and it=E2=80=99s not the point of the company.= His primary focus is on breakthroughs such as curing diseases, unlocking n= ew scientific discoveries, or building abundant clean energy. In that view,= travel is just one of many real-world use cases they=E2=80=99ll likely end= up supporting simply because it makes ChatGPT more useful in everyday life= =2E Podcast - Sam Altman on Trust, Pers= uasion and the Future of AI [ https://= substack.com/redirect/1558dc36-8532-4fba-bb7e-227e8259aa90?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dm= eXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] =E2=80=9CThe way to monetize the world=E2=80=99s smartest model is certainl= y not hotel booking... I want to discover new science and figure out a way = to monetize that=E2=80=9D - Sam Altman 2. Useful opposites These less common words work as counterweights to the more popular ones, an= d often make more sense. A way to think more positively about work, stress,= success, and other people. Pronoia: Opposite of paranoia. When you believe the world is conspiring in = your favor JOMO: Opposite of FOMO. The joy of missing out Eustress: Opposite of distress. Helpful stress that sharpens and motivates Mitfreude: Opposite of schadenfreude. Taking joy in someone else=E2=80=99s = joy (German) Fl=C3=A2neur: Opposite of grinding. French term for someone who strolls and= observes, creatively present Kintsugi: Opposite of perfectionism. Japanese art of repairing broken potte= ry with gold, making the flaw part of the story Lagom: Opposite of excess. Swedish idea of =E2=80=9Cjust enough,=E2=80=9D n= ot too little or too much Ubuntu: Opposite of individualism. African philosophy meaning =E2=80=9CI am= because we are=E2=80=9D Ikigai: Opposite of productivity for productivity=E2=80=99s sake. Japanese = concept of purpose, or reason for being 3. Broken, but useful Some things still work even when they stop working. An escalator that=E2=80=99s out of order still works as stairs. A powered t= oothbrush is still a toothbrush. An electric bicycle with a dead battery is= still a bike. They fail in a way that leaves their core function intact. This is a useful lens in product design: not just =E2=80=9Cwhat happens whe= n it works,=E2=80=9D but =E2=80=9Cwhat happens when it doesn=E2=80=99t.=E2= =80=9D What parts still work? What do people reach for anyway? What fallbac= k becomes the default? You see it in travel too. A maps app with offline mode still shows your cac= hed route when you lose signal. A hotel key card with the room number print= ed on it helps when you forget which room is yours. An itinerary in your em= ail still loads offline. It also shows up in customer service. When flights get cancelled, or a part= ner goes bust, or a traveler is stranded and stressed=E2=80=94those are the= moments that matter. At eDreams, some of our most loyal customers came fro= m travel nightmares, simply because we showed up and had their back. Designing for failure earns trust. When your product still works in the wor= st moments (dead battery, no signal, unfamiliar city, high stress=E2=80=A6)= , people remember. That resilience builds more loyalty than a hundred perfe= ct-condition experiences. 4. The Benefits of bubbles=20 Everyone=E2=80=99s calling it a bubble. And they=E2=80=99re probably right.= The hype around AI is overblown in places, money is flowing too fast in ot= hers, and a lot of ventures chasing it will fail. Ben Thompson=E2=80=99s Th= e Benefits of Bubbles offers a timely and thoughtful counterpoint to the AI= -bubble cynicism that=E2=80=99s in vogue right now. Thompson makes the case= that bubbles, when they=E2=80=99re about transformative technologies, can = be deeply productive. They overbuild capacity, fuel invention, install the = physical and cognitive infrastructure and create the mechanisms that help a= n entire ecosystem grow. You saw it with railroads, fiber optic cables, and= the early internet. Most of those bets didn=E2=80=99t pay off for the inve= stors, but they did for society. And let=E2=80=99s be honest=E2=80=A6most o= f the people yelling =E2=80=9Cbubble!=E2=80=9D aren=E2=80=99t the ones risk= ing their own money. They (we) are the ones who=E2=80=99ll end up reaping t= he benefits: faster tools, cheaper compute, better infrastructure, and a fr= ont-row seat to the fireworks, all without putting a cent on the line. Thompson builds on Carlota Perez=E2=80=99s idea (Technological Revolutions = and Financial Capital [ https://substack.com/redirect/14bfe11d-aafd-496a-98= fe-aea5666a7b64?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rb= AsF0l24U ]) of the =E2=80=9Cinstallation phase=E2=80=9D of a technology, wh= en money-losing investments are necessary to lay the groundwork for a more = productive future. He also draws from =E2=80=9CBoom=E2=80=9D by Byrne Hobar= t and Tobias Huber, who refer to these as =E2=80=9Cinflection bubbles=E2=80= =9D: the kind that spur foundational change across entire industries. This AI cycle may follow a similar arc. Even if some investments fail, they= =E2=80=99re helping to build capacity in chips, energy, talent, and ambitio= n. They=E2=80=99re also unlocking hard-to-justify projects that might not h= appen without the FOMO and froth of a bubble. That includes deep infrastruc= ture like fabs (the places where the chips are made) and power generation, = as well as totally new chip architectures and AI-native startups pushing in= every direction. As Thompson writes, =E2=80=9COptimism can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.=E2= =80=9D You don=E2=80=99t get enduring change without some speculative fever= along the way. Read + Ben Thompson [ https://substack.com/redirect/cd192bb= 0-233c-46f6-b43b-0502671af8fd?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jn= N48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]=20 5. The anti-trend moat The bigger the trend, the more leverage in going the other way. Taking the = other end of a dominant shift can open up space others have stopped paying = attention to, often with less competition and more loyalty. In the constant= stream of AI tools, virtual products, and automation hacks, Jonathan Court= ney and Greg Isenberg [ https://substack.com/redirect/226e2dde-33c4-4a60-a= 287-aa92d94a324d?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0r= bAsF0l24U ](on the Startup Ideas podcast) talk about how in-person experien= ces are becoming a real advantage again. They don=E2=80=99t scale easily, a= nd they take more effort. That=E2=80=99s exactly what makes them stand out.= People remember them, trust them, and talk about them later. Jonathan shares examples from his own business, such as launching a $ 15,00= 0 in-person certification, renting out an Italian village for a retreat, an= d running high-ticket summer camps with no recordings, no livestream, and n= o virtual pass. Just real people in a room. He explains how that constraint= became the hook, offering a clear, hard-to-copy offer in a format that peo= ple miss. In travel/hospitality, layering real-world presence into the offer, even if= the core product is online, could lead to good surprises.=20 6. The impact of Google AI Overviews New data from Seer Interactive [ https://substack.com/redirect/65f445dd-2ed= 3-4ae6-b5ae-b0fd6650999f?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_j= CfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] shows sharp declines in both organic and paid click-thr= ough rates (CTR) on queries that trigger an AI Overview (AIO). Organic CTRs= are down 61%, and paid CTRs are down 68% compared to a year ago. Even quer= ies without AI Overviews have CTRs dropping between 25% and 41%. Fewer people are clicking, and there is also a shift in how people search. = More are getting answers directly from the AI box or skipping Google altoge= ther for ChatGPT, Reddit, or trusted brands. What=E2=80=99s working now is being cited in the AI Overview itself. Brands= that were cited saw 91% higher paid CTRs and 35% higher organic CTRs than = those that weren=E2=80=99t. The new moat is being cited, not just ranked. (Methodology: 25 million organic impressions, 1 million paid, across 15 mon= ths and 42 companies.) 7. How to live a miserable life Most life advice tries to tell you what to do. This flips it. Sam Parr (fro= m My First Million) lays out 5 ways to live a miserable life, and what happ= ens when you do the opposite Parr=E2=80=99s framing is clever: don=E2=80=99t chase happiness. Just stop = doing the things that make you miserable. 8. What airports might feel like by 2040 Airports have barely changed in decades; McKinsey=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9CNext N= ormal=E2=80=9D report [ https://substack.com/redirect/a45b842d-b90b-4871-81= 2a-749a88ac853a?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rb= AsF0l24U ] imagines what airports could look like by 2040. Some takeaways: Facial recognition replaces IDs and boarding passes. Walk through check-in = and security Personalized signage point you to your gate, in your language, with real-ti= me updates. Flying taxis. First-mile transportation might be a drone ride from your bac= kyard straight to the runway. Robots handling luggage, refueling, and runway ops behind the scenes, helpi= ng planes take off on time. The airport of the future is going to be a place where people want to meet,= even if they=E2=80=99re not flying =E2=80=94 Vik Krishnan 9. Brand building starts with a human voice Avi Meir, founder and CEO of Perk (formerly TravelPerk), was one of the mos= t followed (and the most engaging) travel tech voices on LinkedIn, accordin= g to my analysis in my previous newsletter [ https://substack.com/redirect/= 24257cb7-c40a-4f76-8f5f-876fa834d0ed?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP= 822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. His latest post is a perfect example of why: it sounds unmistakably like a = human. Not a press release, not an LLM, no posturing, no performative virtu= e. Just Avi=E2=80=A6clear, direct, and human. That=E2=80=99s what makes him= so effective. Personal authenticity also reinforces the values of the comp= any he leads. When a founder/executive shows up as a real person, it streng= thens the corporate brand too. People follow people. And they remember how = you made them feel. 10. US startups are pulling ahead This chart from a16z (via Stripe data) shows just how much faster US startu= ps are growing than their European and UK counterparts; nearly 1400% since = 2020, compared to ~600% for the EU and ~500% for the UK. Even when you exc= lude AI startups, US companies still lead by a wide margin. Around 2024, th= e AI-led growth accelerated. Stripe=E2=80=99s Patrick Collison attributes this gap to faster tech adopti= on in the US, less regulation, a larger domestic market, and a stronger con= sumer appetite for new technology. Whatever the mix, it=E2=80=99s deliverin= g results. US startups are building faster, scaling harder, and taking bigg= er swings. Read + a16z [ https://substack.com/redirect/0dfa6b0e-749a-497f-b= 328-1844b5d8edb6?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0r= bAsF0l24U ] Travel Tech Essentialist Job Board=20 =E2=86=92 Explore all 1479 open roles [ https://substack.com/redirect/12a73= d23-30b7-4e2b-90f8-ff7223a82314?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-= jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] on the Travel Tech Essentialist Job Board now.= =20 Viator [ https://substack.com/redirect/2be10196-366c-498e-9315-a4790a3c69fa= ?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] | Vi= ce President of Distribution Partnerships [ https://substack.com/redirect/= 52e0b4f7-1db2-488f-aa58-bc16d3ee3e3d?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP= 822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]| Multiple Locations Acai Travel [ https://substack.com/redirect/701f3fa1-ef87-4eb7-96e0-8807b8e= 38d26?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]= | Founding Marketing Lead [ https://substack.com/redirect/23a2214f-6cdd-43= 40-b139-2f261d7368e2?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM= 3m0rbAsF0l24U ] | New York City Expedia [ https://substack.com/redirect/3ba27f4b-02d6-4025-acdb-6cf84cb6d59= 4?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] | D= ata Scientist II - Revenue Optimization Strategy [ https://substack.com/red= irect/ee906ff1-dff8-4d7b-a15c-03e231aa2a89?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFOb= qArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] | Madrid =F0=9F=93=A9 For monthly updates on the latest roles, subscribe to the Trav= el Tech Jobs newsletter [ https://substack.com/redirect/a334c028-a354-4ab8-= b6b3-ca4a44d592f7?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0= rbAsF0l24U ] Raising a round? If you are a startup looking to raise a round (from pre-seed to Series D), = I can help (for free). Travel Investor Network [ https://substack.com/redir= ect/18640003-cf64-4fee-be4d-bad1591c45bb?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqA= rDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] is a private platform where I recommend= innovative travel startups to investors and innovators. If you=E2=80=99re = interested, please start by completing this form [ https://substack.com/red= irect/25606b69-e2a9-4d62-aa69-e8cad269e055?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFOb= qArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. If you like Travel Tech Essentialist, please consider sharing it with your = friends or colleagues. If you=E2=80=99re not yet subscribed, join us here: And, as always, thanks for trusting me with your inbox. Mauricio Prieto Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly90cmF2ZWx0ZWN= oZXNzZW50aWFsaXN0LnN1YnN0YWNrLmNvbS9hY3Rpb24vZGlzYWJsZV9lbWFpbD90b2tlbj1leU= oxYzJWeVgybGtJam95TURrd01UYzBNallzSW5CdmMzUmZhV1FpT2pFM09ERXpOemMwTkN3aWFXR= jBJam94TnpZeU9UZ3pORE0yTENKbGVIQWlPakUzT1RRMU1UazBNellzSW1semN5STZJbkIxWWkw= Mk1qTXhNU0lzSW5OMVlpSTZJbVJwYzJGaWJHVmZaVzFoYVd3aWZRLjJQNC1TWVJZOTZ3MS03RjF= 5akRtWFJOTDQ2Q3p5TjM5RTNFdl8tR242Zm8iLCJwIjoxNzgxMzc3NDQsInMiOjYyMzExLCJmIj= p0cnVlLCJ1IjoyMDkwMTc0MjYsImlhdCI6MTc2Mjk4MzQzNiwiZXhwIjoyMDc4NTU5NDM2LCJpc= 3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ._VOhyraQicvafjBUWfvCAGZ5EpsmE= cFz2150B3NTkMU? --c8b0b893b7ee7d7019127a7ab7cfbc034863f51cf9fbe63f18ff89dba166 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Travel Tech Essentialist= #189: Built Different3D""
This week’s newsletter is about useful opposites, anti-trends, = and building things that go against the grain. From broken products that st= ill work to bubbles that actually help, from ditching everyday habits to bu= ilding brand values with human authenticity, progress often comes from thin= king differently and staying true while doing it.
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Forwarded t= his email? Subscribe here for more
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Travel Tech Essentialist #189: Built Different

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READ IN APP3D""
 

This weekR= 17;s newsletter is about useful opposites, anti-trends, and building things= that go against the grain. From broken products that still work to bubbles= that actually help, from ditching everyday habits to building brand values= with human authenticity, progress often comes from thinking differently an= d staying true while doing it.

Special thanks to the <= a href=3D"https://substack.com/redirect/18ecea40-c6f3-49d1-849a-504db4ce742= f?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U" rel= =3D"" style=3D"color: #ff4500;text-decoration: none;">Airobot for= sponsoring this edition of the newsletter:

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Airobot us= es smart technology to simplify airline and airport ancillary sales and dri= ve more ancillary revenue for online travel agencies, corporate travel sell= ers, flight consolidators, tour operators, and airlines. Founded in 2018, A= irobot provides Automated Check-in, Seat Selection, Fast Track, and Lounge = access, all via API or white-label. Meet us at the Phocuswright Conference = in San Diego on November 18-20, and/or visit our website to schedule a demo.

1. Altman on travel bookings: theyR= 17;ll do it, eventually

At the Progress Conferenc= e last week, Sam Altman responded to a story from the interviewer, who ment= ioned that during a recent trip, nearly every hotel and restaurant he picke= d was discovered through GPT-5. None of those bookings went through OpenAI,= and the company earned nothing from it.

Altman acknowledge= d the gap, but didn’t seem bothered. ChatGPT gives recommendations wi= thout bias, he said, and that’s what builds trust. If it ever took mo= ney to promote a worse hotel over a better one, that trust would evaporate.= But if it recommends the best option and takes a flat commission without t= hat influencing the result, that feels to him like a sustainable model.

=

He expects hotel and travel commissions to shrink. Once = people ask their AI to find the best hotel, the agent may complete the book= ing through the service that charges the lowest fee. According to Altman, t= his dynamic will make “margins go dramatically down on mos= t goods and services, including things hotel bookings”

OpenAI still plans to support bookings at some po= int, but Altman doesn’t see it as a major business priority. It’= ;s not where OpenAI will make most of its money, and it’s not the poi= nt of the company. His primary focus is on breakthroughs such as curing dis= eases, unlocking new scientific discoveries, or building abundant clean ene= rgy. In that view, travel is just one of many real-world use cases theyR= 17;ll likely end up supporting simply because it makes ChatGPT more useful = in everyday life. Podcast - Sam Altman on Trust, Persuasion and the Future of AI

<= blockquote style=3D"border-left: 4px solid #ff4500;margin: 20px 0;padding: = 0;">

“The way to monetize the world= ’s smartest model is certainly not hotel booking... I want to discove= r new science and figure out a way to monetize that” - Sam= Altman

2. Useful opposites

These less common words work as counterweights to = the more popular ones, and often make more sense. A way to think more posit= ively about work, stress, success, and other people.

  • = Pronoia: Opposite of paranoia. When you believe the world is con= spiring in your favor

  • JOMO: Opposite of FOMO. The joy of missing out

  • Eustres= s: Opposite of distress. Helpful stress that sharpens and motiva= tes

  • Mi= tfreude: Opposite of schadenfreude. Taking joy in someone else&#= 8217;s joy (German)

  • Flâneur: Opposite of grinding. French term fo= r someone who strolls and observes, creatively present

  • Kintsugi: Oppos= ite of perfectionism. Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, m= aking the flaw part of the story

  • Lagom: Opposite of excess. Swedish id= ea of “just enough,” not too little or too much

    • =

  • Ubuntu: Op= posite of individualism. African philosophy meaning “I am because we = are”

  • Ikigai: Opposite of productivity for productivity’s s= ake. Japanese concept of purpose, or reason for being

<= h4 class=3D"header-anchor-post" style=3D"position: relative;font-family: 'S= F Pro Display',-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSyste= mFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji','Seg= oe UI Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';font-weight: bold;-webkit-font-smoothing: an= tialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing: antialiased;-webkit-appearance: optimize= legibility;-moz-appearance: optimizelegibility;appearance: optimizelegibili= ty;margin: 1em 0 0.625em 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 1.16em;font-si= ze: 1.125em;">3. Broken, but useful

Some = things still work even when they stop working.

An escalator= that’s out of order still works as stairs. A powered toothbrush is s= till a toothbrush. An electric bicycle with a dead battery is still a bike.= They fail in a way that leaves their core function intact.

This is a useful lens in product design: not just “what happens when= it works,” but “what happens when it doesn’t.” Wha= t parts still work? What do people reach for anyway? What fallback becomes = the default?

You see it in travel too. A maps app with offl= ine mode still shows your cached route when you lose signal. A hotel key ca= rd with the room number printed on it helps when you forget which room is y= ours. An itinerary in your email still loads offline.

It al= so shows up in customer service. When flights get cancelled, or a partner g= oes bust, or a traveler is stranded and stressed—those are the moment= s that matter. At eDreams, some of our most loyal customers came from trave= l nightmares, simply because we showed up and had their back.

Designing for failure earns trust. When your product still works in th= e worst moments (dead battery, no signal, unfamiliar city, high stress̷= 0;), people remember. That resilience builds more loyalty than a hundred pe= rfect-condition experiences.

3D"The
<= figcaption class=3D"image-caption" style=3D"box-sizing: content-box;color: = #777777;font-size: 14px;line-height: 20px;font-weight: 400;letter-spacing: = -.15px;margin-top: 8px;width: 70%;padding-left: 15%;padding-right: 15%;text= -align: center;">One of only two escalators in all of Wyoming. And even whe= n it’s broken, it still works :)

4. The Benefits of bubbles

Everyone’s calling it a bubble. And they’re probabl= y right. The hype around AI is overblown in places, money is flowing too fa= st in others, and a lot of ventures chasing it will fail. Ben Thompson̵= 7;s The Benefits of Bubbles offers a timely and thoug= htful counterpoint to the AI-bubble cynicism that’s in vogue right no= w. Thompson makes the case that bubbles, when they’re about transform= ative technologies, can be deeply productive. They overbuild capacity, fuel= invention, install the physical and cognitive infrastructure and create th= e mechanisms that help an entire ecosystem grow. You saw it with railroads,= fiber optic cables, and the early internet. Most of those bets didn’= t pay off for the investors, but they did for society. And let’s be h= onest…most of the people yelling “bubble!” aren’t t= he ones risking their own money. They (we) are the ones who’ll end up= reaping the benefits: faster tools, cheaper compute, better infrastructure= , and a front-row seat to the fireworks, all without putting a cent on the = line.

Thompson builds on Carlota Perez’s= idea (Tec= hnological Revolutions and Financial Capital) of the “= installation phase” of a technology, when money-losing investments ar= e necessary to lay the groundwork for a more productive future. He also dra= ws from “Boom” by Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber, who= refer to these as “inflection bubbles”: the kind th= at spur foundational change across entire industries.

As Thompson writes, “Optimism c= an be a self-fulfilling prophecy.” You don’t get enduring chang= e without some speculative fever along the way. Read + Ben Thompson

=

5. The anti-trend moat

The bigger the trend, the more leverage in going the other way. Taking t= he other end of a dominant shift can open up space others have stopped payi= ng attention to, often with less competition and more loyalty. In the const= ant stream of AI tools, virtual products, and automation hacks, Jonathan Courtney and Gre= g Isenberg (on the Startup Ideas podcast) t= alk about how in-person experiences are becoming a real advantage again. Th= ey don’t scale easily, and they take more effort. That’s exactl= y what makes them stand out. People remember them, trust them, and talk abo= ut them later.

Jonathan shares examples from his own= business, such as launching a $ 15,000 in-person certification, renting ou= t an Italian village for a retreat, and running high-ticket summer camps wi= th no recordings, no livestream, and no virtual pass. Just real people in a= room. He explains how that constraint became the hook, offering a clear, h= ard-to-copy offer in a format that people miss.

In travel/h= ospitality, layering real-world presence into the offer, even if the core p= roduct is online, could lead to good surprises.

= 6. The impact of Google AI Overviews

New data from Seer Interactive shows sharp declines in both organic and paid click-through rates = (CTR) on queries that trigger an AI Overview (AIO). Organic CTRs are down 6= 1%, and paid CTRs are down 68% compared to a year ago. Even queries without= AI Overviews have CTRs dropping between 25% and 41%.

What’s= working now is being cited in the AI Overview itself. Brands that were cit= ed saw 91% higher paid CTRs and 35% higher organic CTRs than those that wer= en’t. The new moat is being cited, not just ranked.

(= Methodology: 25 million organic impressions, 1 million paid, across 15 mont= hs and 42 companies.)

7. How to live a miserable = life

Most life advice tries to tell you wha= t to do. This flips it. Sam Parr (from My = First Million) lays out 5 ways to live a miserable life, and what happens when you do the opposite

Parr’s fra= ming is clever: don’t chase happiness. Just stop doing the things tha= t make you miserable.

8. What airports might feel= like by 2040

Airports have barely changed = in decades; Mc= Kinsey’s “Next Normal” report imagines what air= ports could look like by 2040. Some takeaways:

  • Fac= ial recognition replaces IDs and boarding passes. Walk through check-in and= security

  • Persona= lized signage point you to your gate, in your language, with real-time upda= tes.

  • Flying taxis= =2E First-mile transportation might be=20= a drone ride from your backyard straig= ht to the runway.

  • Robots handling luggage, refueling, and runway ops behind the scenes, help= ing planes take off on time.

The airport of the future is going to be a place where people want t= o meet, even if they’re not flying — Vik Krishnan

9. Brand building starts with a= human voice

Avi Meir, founder and CEO of P= erk (formerly TravelPerk), was one of the most followed (and the most engag= ing) travel tech voices on LinkedIn, according to my analysis in my = previous newsletter.

His latest post is a perfect example of wh= y: it sounds unmistakably like a human. Not a press release, not an LLM, no= posturing, no performative virtue. Just Avi…clear, direct, and human= =2E That’s what makes him so effe= ctive. Personal authenticity also rein= forces the values of the company he leads. When a founder/executive shows u= p as a real person, it strengthens the corporate brand too. People follow p= eople. And they remember how you made them feel.

3D""
Source: LinkedIn / Avi Meir
10. US startups are pulling ahead

This chart from a16z (via Stripe data) shows just how much faster US s= tartups are growing than their European and UK counterparts; nearly 1400% s= ince 2020, compared to ~600% for the EU and ~500% for the UK. Even when yo= u exclude AI startups, US companies still lead by a wide margin. Around 202= 4, the AI-led growth accelerated.

Stripe’s Patr= ick Collison attributes this gap to faster tech adoption in the US, less re= gulation, a larger domestic market, and a stronger consumer appetite for ne= w technology. Whatever the mix, it’s delivering results. US startups = are building faster, scaling harder, and taking bigger swings. Read + a16z

Source: a16z

Travel Tech Essentialist Job Board

→ = Explore all 14= 79 open roles on the Travel Tech Essentialist Job Board now.

📩 For m= onthly updates on the latest roles, subscribe to the Travel Tech Jobs newsletter

<= div style=3D"font-size: 16px;line-height: 26px;">

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If you are a= startup looking to raise a round (from pre-seed to Series D), I can help (= for free). Tra= vel Investor Network is a private platform where I recommend inno= vative travel startups to investors and innovators. If you’re interes= ted, please start by completing this form.

= If you like Travel Tech Essentialist, please consider sharing it with your = friends or colleagues. If you’re not yet subscribed, join us here:

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And, as always, thanks for trusting me with your inbox.

=

Mauricio Prieto

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