The Top Travel Tech Startups in New York City

Away manufactures high-end suitcases that come packed with features and are affordable. The company started out when Jen Rubio called fellow co-founder Steph Corey, and complained her suitcase had broken on a trip to Zurich. Rubio was frustrated there wasn’t a luggage brand that made high-quality products that weren’t expensive. The two entrepreneurs then went ahead and designed exactly that, and made it affordable by selling direct to consumers.

Rolling Globe lets you package your own vacation and sell it to others. When we go on vacation we’re all happy to tell our friends how amazing it was when we get back, but with this e-commerce platform, you can actually make a profit from convincing others to go, too. Founded in 2014, the company gives a commission to users whose holiday itineraries are booked through the site.

Visit.org is a platform for social impact travel experiences, that allows users to find do-good organizations to travel with. The company allows users to support and interact both virtually and in-person with organizations that are attempting to do good in the world. For those who want to go on vacation to an exotic destination but worry about the negative effects tourism is having on the place, this type of solution can put your mind at ease that you’re giving something back at the same time as enjoying yourself.

Skift provides, news, analysis, and more to the travel industry. The company acts as an intelligence source for industry professionals and travelers and also hosts events and conferences. Skift was founded in 2012, and was named after the Nordic word for shift or transformation. Co-founders Rafat Ali and Jason Clampet started the company out of their bedrooms and have managed to grow it to 44 people while avoiding venture capital investment.

Regal Wings, a Brooklyn-based company, caters to the high end of travel. The company sells bulk airfares to travel agents, big companies whose employees travel a lot, travel managers, and lifestyle/concierge companies. Regal Wings only deals in first or business class flights, however.

Alice is a platform for hotels to run more smoothly. The company helps hotels manage staff work and guest communications across departments in the hotel. Alice was created around five years ago and has raised $13.5 million in investments, including minority funding from Expedia. The system means that if a guest uses a text message to ask for clean bedding, the message is sent to the right worker who can help out. Guests in hotels are also able to request services through apps and other methods with the platform.