Travel Innovator Hipmunk Raises $15M from IVP and Existing Investors


San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) June 12, 2012

Hipmunk, the travel site taking the agony out of travel planning, today announced that the company has closed a $ 15 million Series B financing round led by Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). Todd Chaffee, General Partner at IVP, will join Hipmunks board of directors. Existing angel investors and the Series A lead, Ignition Partners, also participated in the round.

“IVP has a highly successful 31 year track record of investing in innovative technology and travel companies, said Adam Goldstein, CEO and co-founder of Hipmunk. “Were very excited to work with IVP, and Todd in particular. He brings tremendous experience, relationships and strategic sense to our crazy, competitive industry.

Todd had led venture capital investments in well known companies such as Twitter, HomeAway, Living Social, Netflix, Omniture, ComScore, Ariba, Verisign and Yahoo.

Hipmunk is widely popular with a highly enthusiastic base of users and has over one million mobile application downloads to date. The company is quickly establishing itself as an emerging leader in the competitive online travel world. The capital will be used to fund major product launches and scale the workforce to support new product initiatives.

“At IVP, we seek to invest in companies with superior technology and innovative products targeting large markets, said IVP’s Todd Chaffee. “Hipmunk is exactly that type of company. They have a brilliant, energetic management team that is developing fantastic new services for travelers around the world.

The Hipmunk site launched in August 2010 with advanced visual flight search technology. The company recently launched map-based hotel search and award-winning mobile applications for Android and iOS. Hipmunk also has calendar integration for hotel and flight search on both the desktop and mobile applications.

Founded in 1980, IVP is widely respected as one of the top performing venture capital firms in the world. The firm has more the $ 3 billion in capital under management.

Hipmunk is headquartered in San Francisco and will be doubling its employee base this year.

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About Hipmunk

Hipmunk is a travel site bringing the fun back to travel by taking the agony out of hotel and flight search. With its superior user experience, breadth of travel options and innovative Agony and Ecstasy sorts, Hipmunk allows travelers to select the best travel options at a glance. Flight results are displayed in a visual timeline and hotel results on a map with the ability to overlay unique, city-specific heatmaps.

Hipmunk is one of TIME Magazines 50 Coolest Websites, TIME Magazines 50 Best Smartphone Apps, Travel + Leisures Best Websites of 2011, Budget Travels Top 10 Most Useful Websites, and Inc.s Best Booking Website. Co-founders Adam Goldstein and Steve Huffman were named to Bloomberg BusinessWeeks Top Tech Entrepreneurs, Forbes 30 Under 30 and Inc.s 30 Under 30 lists. The company launched in 2010, is based in San Francisco, and has funding from Ignition Partners, Y Combinator, SV Angel, Webb Investment Network, Quest Hospitality Ventures, and several angel investors.

For more information, to book your next flight or hotel, and to download the iOS or Android application, please visit http://www.hipmunk.com

About Institutional Venture Partners (IVP)

With $ 3 billion of committed capital, Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) is one of the premier later-stage venture capital and growth equity firms in the United States. The partnership is currently investing IVP XIII, a $ 750 million later-stage fund focused on investments in rapidly growing technology and media companies. Founded in 1980, IVP has invested in over 300 companies, 90 of which have gone public. IVP is one of the top performing firms in the industry and has a 31 year IRR of 43.2%. IVP specializes in venture growth investments, industry rollups, founder liquidity transactions, and select public market investments. Since its inception, IVP investments include such notable companies as ArcSight, Aspect Communications, ComScore, Concur Technologies , Digital River, Dropbox, HomeAway, Juniper Networks, LegalZoom, LivingSocial, MySQL, Netflix, Polycom, Seagate, Shazam, Synchronoss, Tivo, Twitter, and Zynga. For more information, visit http://www.ivp.com or follow IVP on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ivp.

Media Contact

Jacqueline Tanzella, Director PR Hipmunk

Jacqueline(at)hipmunk(dot)com

415-794-1118







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Grand Velas Spas in Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit Named One of Worlds Best Spas by Travel + Leisure and 30 Hot Spas in North America by Spafinder


Riviera Maya, Mexico (PRWEB) October 07, 2012

Mexicos Beyond All Inclusive, Beyond All Compare Grand Velas Resorts in Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit were included in two prestigious industry awards this year. Discerning readers of Travel + Leisure voted Grand Velas Riviera Maya the #2 Hotel Spa in Mexico in its annual Worlds Best Spas Awards. It is the spas first time being named to the poll. Its sister resort, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit was included in the SpaFinder Wellness Around the World in 80 Spas series as one of the 30 Hot Spas in North America, a selection of top spas from hip city havens to high-end resorts. SpaFinder Wellness is the worlds largest digital publication for spa and wellness information.

The $ 15 million architecturally striking spa at Grand Velas Riviera Maya is the regions largest spa sanctuary. Inspired by the jungle and natural water pools of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexican architects Elias and Elias preserved the stone, plants and streams specific to the Riviera Maya landscape and incorporated them into its curved, organic design. The two-level, 89,000+ square foot spa also has a 40,000 square-foot Water Lounge. Specializing in signature treatments inspired by ancient cultures from around the world, the spa was named Best Spa” in the world by Virtuoso and earned a SpaFinder Readers Choice Award.

Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, a member of Leading Spas of the World is home to a 16,500 square feet spa sanctuary, featuring 20 treatment rooms, over 60 spa treatments, gym and exercise room, spa boutique and beauty salon. A place where health and well-being brings visitors to a sense of equilibrium, the spa offers luxurious European treatments and soothing Oriental therapies that invigorate the body and restore the spirit. Enjoy the special hydrotherapy area, spa reservation center, spa concierge and personalized service at the breathtaking oceanfront resort.

About Grand Velas Riviera Maya:

Featured in Forbes roundup of the 10 Coolest All-Inclusive Resorts, the AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Maya, an all-suites and spa resort located five minutes from Playa del Carmen, is the latest and most sophisticated iteration of the ultra-luxury, all-inclusive resort experience. This Leading Hotels of the World designated resort is the preeminent one of its class boasting 491 suites, each more than 1,000 square-feet, in three separate ambiances– premium ocean-front Grand Class Suites wit h terrace plunge pools for families with children 12 and up, family-friendly ocean-view Ambassador Suites and Zen Grand Suites embraced by the flora and fauna of the Yucatan Peninsulas jungle. The resort presents a gastronomic tour of the Yucatan, Europe and Asia offering seven restaurants with world-class chefs from France, Spain and Mexico; dedicated butler service for each guest, and the regions largest spa sanctuary at over 89,000 square-feet specializing in signature treatments inspired by ancient cultures from around the world. The spa was named Best Spa” in the world by Virtuoso and also earned a SpaFinder Readers Choice Award. The resort was designed by lauded Mexican architecture firm Elias and Elias and features the sleek and modish interiors that fuse the serenity of the Caribbean with the vibrancy of Yucatan cultures. Making its debut on Travel + Leisures Worlds Best Survey in 2012, Grand Velas Riviera Maya was ranked both 2nd amongst the Top 25 Best Hotels in Mexico and 38th amongst the Top 100 Best Hotels Overall.

About Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit:

Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, an all-suites and spa resort located just 15 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta on Banderas Bay, is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World and a recipient of the AAA Five-Diamond Award. The resort features 267 spacious ocean-view suites. The crown jewel of the resort and a member of Leading Spas of the World, the Spa at Grand Velas features 20 treatment rooms, over 60 spa treatments, gym and exercise room, spa boutique and beauty salon. The family-friendly resort also offers tiered three-temperature infinity pools, tennis court, 25,321 total sq feet of meeting space and a Kids Club. Nearby are championship golf courses, numerous options for soft adventure, and the charming town of Puerto Vallarta with its many shops, art galleries and nightlife. Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit has received numerous accolades within the industry, including one of Forbes 10 Coolest All-Inclusive Resorts.







EuropeTravel.net Debuts Innovative Service Promoting Local Businesses by Connecting Travelers via Interviews and Travel Stories


(PRWEB) July 09, 2012

The debut of the innovative European travel guide website, EuropeTravel.net, has been much anticipated as an exciting innovation that will help to promote local businesses by connecting them with travelers through personal interviews and travel stories. This groundbreaking site includes a blog and open travel social community that was designed to connect visitors and travel professionals, and help build an informative platform dedicated to all aspects of traveling throughout the 55 European nations. The main objective of EuropeTravel.net is to help create an informative network that will allow travel companies to reach out and connect with new customers, while offering something of value to everyone.

EuropeTravel.net offers travelers a way to easily create a customized account with as much, or as little, information as they desire. They can immediately begin uploading travel videos, sharing photos and even join in on discussions about European travel, news, and amazing European destinations in addition to engaging with others who share their passions, while exploring new travel opportunities and discovering great deals. Businesses receive a wealth of benefits that include the ability to upload videos that highlight the beauty of their location, amenities and more, and can easily create free classified listings on the site to promote their offers. This is a huge benefit with the site already having amassed 6,693 Twitter followers; businesses even have the advantage of being able to market directly to travelers, something that is not possible on other social networks or communities. Targeting offers directly to those most interested in their services allows a variety of travel businesses to engage with potential customers on an unprecedented scale.

One of the sites recent success stories involves business owner Ylenia Sambati and her Italian travel firm. YLTOUR was born in 1999, the result of an on-going search of the most charming aspects of Puglia, Italy, an area known for its bright seas, diverse art and architecture, mouth-watering cuisine and especially as the home to some of the kindest people in all of Italy. Ylenia was born and raised in Puglia, and with extensive experience in tourism and event planning she founded her company based on the regions wonderful history of culture, food, art, tradition, design and architecture, lifestyle, wine and the people.

Her company plans special tours and events based on the Puglia lifestyle, working closely with clients to fulfill their needs and desires, creating a specialized tour that offers an unforgettable experience for leisure, incentive and business travel, and a much more personal experience where the culture and traditions of southern Italy can truly be experienced.

Ylenia herself exemplifies the warmth and friendliness of the people of the region, with an obvious passion for what she does, and I had the pleasure of speaking with her via email recently to discuss her incredible venture.

Read more about this cutting-edge travel site at EuropeTravel.net, and discover more about YLETOUR by visiting their website at: http://www.yltourcongressi.com







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my Travel Assistant, the iOS App for Travelers Simplifies Expense Tracking During International Travel and More!


Budapest, Hungary (PRWEB) July 19, 2012

my Travel Assistant by Gamma Project is a professional app for global travelers that integrates into a single, convenient package a smart, multi-currency expense tracker with automatic currency conversion, a 156-currency monetary exchange rate converter and a 51-language translator.

Designed as an intelligent assistant for international travelers, the app stores all expenses in both the local and converted, home currencies. With a high-end, dark wood-grain GUI, the app includes no instructions for use; all operations are intuitive and trouble-free.

One-time set-up includes entering the user’s language, home currency, and the frequency of exchange rate updates.

The designers have paid great attention to human factors.

For example, English, Spanish, French, Italian and German appear in their respective places in the scrolling list that appears by touching “Your Language”, but the group of five most common languages also appears at the head of the list.

Similarly, the app defaults to the user’s local currency, with the main currencies – US dollar, yen, euro, swiss francs, british pounds and Canadian dollar – leading an alphabetical list of 156 different currencies.

Used currencies are added automatically to the top of the currency list, so next time you can quickly access them without having to scroll to the list again.

Set-up complete, the home page displays four buttons: Travel Expenses, Currency Converter, Translator, and Quick Add. A summary of the last expense is also shown on the main screen for convenience. The quick add function allows fast expense entry, and goes straight to the entry page of the last trip.

Travel Expenses is the heart of the app, and the Travel Expenses page contains an artfully designed scrolling list of all trips ordered by date by default. The order of trips and expense items can be customized.

The user may substitute any photo or graphic for the generic icon displayed with each travel expense listing, which includes the trip’s label (i.e. the country or city), the description of the expense (e.g. work, personal, etc.), the date and the total amount of all expenses, automatically converted to the user’s home currency.

Selecting any entry brings up an itemized listing of each individual expense for that particular trip. When entering an expense in the local currency the user may enter a description, and choose a predefined category. Included, with appropriate icons, are: Transportation (Flight), Cash Withdrawal, Taxi, Local Transportation, Hotel, Camping, Fuel, Road Tolls, Souvenirs, Food & Drink, Treatment (Hospital), Shopping, Entertainment, Additional Fees, and Other.

Sums are entered using the built-in, multi-function calculator.

Both the trips and the expenses scrolling list is fully editable, and displays individual expenses in both local and home currencies, plus the date and description.

The currency converter function features side-by-side odometer displays for going from any one of 156 currencies to another. The large entry keypad also includes a calculator function. Results are displayed in the dual odometer highlight window with the currency listing. For example, entering 1,555 displays “Japanese Yen – 1,555 JPY” on the left cylinder, and “US Dollars – 20.202 USD” on the right.

You can quickly change the direction of the conversion by tapping the arrow button situated in the center of the odometer display.

The translator function employs two text fields, each with a labeled flag beside it. The user selects his native language/flag and enters the word or phrase to be translated in the text field. The translator supports copy and paste functionality, allowing translation of eMails or web content. Selecting any of 51 languages displays the translation in red type in the second text field.

Feature Highlights:


Retina Display Ready – for both the iPhone and the new iPad

Universal app – get it once and run it at full resolution on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad

App Data Sharing – export your trips and expenses via eMail and import them to another iPhone, iPod touch or iPad running my Travel Assistant

Analytics view on the iPad version, showing on what types of services is the most money spent

Appealing, user friendly interface with Retina Display support (high resolution)

Easy-to-use expense management at home and abroad – no matter what foreign currencies have been used – even if multiple currencies have been used during the same travel

Organize expenses by topic for specific categories, trips or projects

Easily edit, reorder or delete trips and entries

Use custom photos as trip thumbnails (take photos or load images from your photos library)

Automatic conversion between the type of currency paid and the user’s native currency

Share expenses via in-app, eMail function as a nicely formatted table and as CSV attachment; The csv file can then be loaded into spreadsheet applications for further processing

Universal currency converter supporting 156 currencies

Translate words and phrases between 51 languages, with “copy and paste” support

Built-in Calculator

Auto-refresh of exchange rates (can be disabled in the Settings menu if you’d rather like to manually refresh the rates)

Works offline
Online connection is not required – the only exception being the built-in translator. In this case the app relies on previously fetched currency rates.

Expenses stored in both the local and converted, home currencies

The word and phrase translator supports the following 51 languages: English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Afrikaans, Albanian, Arabic, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, Galician, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Maltese, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Swahili, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Welsh and Yiddish.

my Travel Assistant’s currency converter and expense tracker supports 156 currencies and precious metals. Excerpt: US Dollars, Euro, UK Pounds, Australia Dollars, Canada Dollars, Japan Yen, Albania Lek, Algeria Dinars, Arab Emirates Dirhams, Argentina Pesos, Bahamas Dollars, Bahrain Dinars, Barbados Dollars,Belarus Rubles, Bermuda Dollars, Brazil Reals, Brunei Dollars, Bulgaria Leva, Chile Pesos, China Yuan Renminbi, Colombia Pesos, Croatia Kuna, Czech Koruna, Denmark Kroner, Egypt Pounds, Estonia Krooni, Fiji Dollars, Hong Kong Dollars, Hungarian Forint, Iceland Kronur, Indian Rupees, Indonesia Rupiahs, Iraq Dinars, Israel New Shekels, Kenya Shillings, South Korea Won, Kuwait Dinars, Malaysia Ringgits, Mauritius Rupees, Mexico Nuevo Pesos, Morocco Dirhams, New Zealand Dollars, Norway Kroner, Peru Nuevos Soles, Philippines Pesos, Poland Zlotych, Russia Rubles, Saudi Arabia Riyals, Singapore Dollars, South Africa Rands, Sri Lanka Rupees, Swedish Krona, Swiss Francs, Taiwan Dollars, Thailand Baht, Tunisia Dinars, Turkey Lira, Venezuela Bolivares Fuertes, Zambian Kwacha, and more (see http://www.leakka.com for the full listing).

Device Requirements:

iPhone, iPod touch or iPad – at native resolution

iOS 5.0 or later

12.7 MB

Languages: English, German, Hungarian

Pricing and Availability:

my Travel Assistant is $ 2.99 and available worldwide through the App Store in the Travel category. Review copies are available upon request.

About the Gamma Project

Based in Budapest, Hungary, the Gamma Project team is a small independent software company founded by Karoly Nyisztor. With their strong blend of design and development skills, Gamma’s passion is to craft quality 3D games and applications for the iPhone. Copyright (C) 2004-2012 Gamma Project. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod, and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.







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