Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.

RMS launches payments solution

RMS launched automated invoicing and its Advanced Payment Schedules feature, expanding RMS Pay with tools aimed at cash flow automation for hospitality operators.

Advanced Payment Schedules allow hotels, motels, holiday parks, and serviced apartments to set rules for deposits and balances by date, rate, and policy, then trigger automated collections through the booking journey, with dashboards for failed payments and reconciliation. Automated invoicing supports long-stay accounts and rental agreements with recurring billing. RMS said payments can be collected via credit card tokens, RMS PayByLink, or direct debit through a new GoCardless integration.

TFE Hotels, Like Magic

TFE Hotels partnered with Like Magic to roll out a guest journey management platform across its hotel portfolio.

The technology will streamline check-ins, guest communication, and service requests while reducing manual work for staff, the companies said. Guests will get contactless check-in options and real-time messaging with hotel teams throughout the stay. The platform automates operations such as journey tracking and task management.

Peakwork, Capital Holidays, Etihad Holidays

Peakwork said Capital Holidays and Etihad Holidays are the first tour operator brands to fully implement and deploy its nexTOs platform in Germany and the U.K.

The companies will use nexTOs for inventory and product management, distribution, booking, and fulfillment without third-party apps. Peakwork said the setup includes inventory management based on Cyberlogic technology, Sabre Vacations for retail distribution in Germany, and web frontends built by CFM Media. Rollouts in the UAE are planned.

Klook, Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau

Klook signed a memorandum of understanding with the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau. The two plan to collaborate on content development, online promotions, data sharing and analysis, and sustainable tourism efforts aimed at managing visitor flows across Osaka, Japan. The partners also plan to deploy digital tools to improve traveler convenience and support local stakeholders, including new content formats and audio guide capabilities.

Katanox Capital launch

Katanox has launched Katanox Capital, a settlement and liquidity infrastructure designed to streamline how hotels, travel agents, and corporate buyers move money. The company said the platform links payments to the booking lifecycle to deliver guaranteed settlement, faster payouts, improved liquidity, and lower costs.

Katanox said hospitality has long faced a timing mismatch, with hotels often paid late and buyers and agents forced to prefinance bookings. With Katanox Capital, a booking can trigger payment and commission guarantees, with daily advances and automated account-to-account settlement once financial milestones are reached.

Revenue Analytics' announcements

Revenue Analytics and Cloudbeds expanded their partnership, extending Climber RMS’ integration into the Cloudbeds property management system and aligning it with a newly refreshed, tiered product experience. The companies said the two-way connection pulls rate, reservation, and inventory data from Cloudbeds to generate AI-driven pricing and restriction recommendations that can be automated or applied manually in Climber.

Revenue Analytics also introduced three Climber stages: smart pricing, growth, and pro, aimed at hotels moving from spreadsheets to forecasting and advanced AI features such as group management.

Lufthansa adds turbulence tech

Lufthansa is rolling out the International Air Transport Association’s “Turbulence Aware,” a real-time data program that uses onboard sensors to collect anonymized turbulence readings from participating airlines and display them to pilots on cockpit navigation maps.

The Lufthansa Group said Swiss and Edelweiss Air are also joining. Color-coded indicators show location, altitude, time, and intensity, supplementing forecasts and supporting more precise flight planning. Lufthansa said the data can help crews adjust cabin service earlier and improve passenger comfort. Measurements from Lufthansa aircraft will also be sent to the German Weather Service to help calibrate long-term forecast models.

Navan, BoomPop

Navan is integrating BoomPop into its meetings and events product, adding artificial intelligence-driven venue sourcing, room block management, and planning tools to its travel and expense platform. In November, BoomPop was named [Travel Innovator of the Year](/content/acai-travel-boompop-win-launch-phocuswright-conference-2025 "Travel Innovator of the Year"/index.html) as part of Phocuswright's Launch: Innovation program.

The companies said planners will be able to chat with AI for date and destination ideas, source venues from a curated marketplace, negotiate requests for proposals and contracts, build event sites with RSVP and agendas, and see total event cost in real-time by combining venue spend with Navan travel and expense data. The new functionality is in U.S. beta.

Travel Guard CEO Jeffrey C. Rutledge retires

Zurich Cover-More has announced the early retirement of Jeffrey C. Rutledge, CEO of the Travel Guard companies, effective March 1, 2026. Rutledge led Travel Guard and AIG Travel for nearly 20 years, building the business into a leading global travel insurance and assistance provider.

Zurich acquired AIG’s Personal Travel Insurance business in December 2024, bringing Travel Guard into the Zurich Cover-More portfolio. Rutledge said it was an honor to work with the team and partners worldwide. CEO Chris Vink thanked him for ensuring a smooth transition and wished him well.