In a strategic leap forward, innovative travel startup Layla—backed by Booking.com co-founder Andy Phillips, M13, and Paris Hilton—recently acquired Roam Around, the AI-powered itinerary building robot.
Roam Around, spearheaded by former Google employee Shie Gabbai, quickly made waves since its inception last year. Backed by $1 million in investments and a talented team, Roam Around has carved a niche, serving up a staggering 10 million itineraries to half a million monthly visitors. Now, as part of Layla, their expertise and insights promise to elevate Layla’s already impressive offerings.
Layla entered the travel scene last year, wowing users with its AI-powered trip-planning bot, which taps into a wealth of resources from industry giants like Booking.com and Skyscanner. Co-founded by Jeremy Jauncey, of Beautiful Destinations fame, Layla’s unique approach incorporates content from travel creators, giving users a personalized and enriching experience.
Saad Saeed, co-founder of Layla, expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition, highlighting how Roam Around’s strengths in itinerary building and partnerships perfectly complement Layla’s existing capabilities. Layla’s focus on flight predictions, hotels, and strategic partnerships, now paired with Roam Around’s itinerary prowess and partnerships with TripAdvisor, Kayak, Viator, and GetYourGuide, poises the startup to become even more indispensable to travelers worldwide.
The integration process has already begun, with Layla incorporating Roam Around’s features to enhance its itinerary data. Likewise, Layla’s bot will now be featured on Roam Around’s platform, streamlining the user experience across the board.
Looking ahead, Layla plans to gradually phase out the Roam Around brand, fully integrating its capabilities into the Layla ecosystem. This consolidation promises to streamline operations and offer users a seamless and comprehensive travel planning experience.
Image credit: Layla
