Aven Hospitality may be a new name, but CEO Teresa Mackintosh is already deep into the company’s next chapter.

Following its 2025 acquisition by TPG and separation from former owner Sabre, Mackintosh has spent the past six months preparing Aven to stand on its own. In this episode, she shares how the company is shifting from long-term strategic planning to rapid, three- to six-month execution cycles to keep pace with technological change.

Drawing on her background in accounting, SaaS and private equity, Mackintosh explains her “three-legged stool” approach to leadership, balancing the needs of hoteliers, employees and investors. She discusses Aven’s immediate investment priorities, including modernizing its platform for AI, strengthening its booking engine, and expanding payments and retailing capabilities to become the commerce hub for hotel partners.

Mackintosh also addresses the fragmentation of the hospitality tech ecosystem, the risks and opportunities of agentic AI, the future of SaaS, and who stands to win or lose in the evolving battle between direct and intermediary distribution.

Tune in for a candid conversation with PhocusWire’s Linda Fox on strategy, AI and the future of hotel technology.

Aven Hospitality may be a new name, but CEO Teresa Mackintosh is already deep into the company&rsquo;s next chapter.
Following its 2025 acquisition by TPG and separation from former owner Sabre, Mackintosh has spent the past six months preparing Aven to stand on its own. In this episode, she shares how the company is shifting from long-term strategic planning to rapid, three- to six-month execution cycles to keep pace with technological change.
Drawing on her background in accounting, SaaS and private equity, Mackintosh explains her &ldquo;three-legged stool&rdquo; approach to leadership, balancing the needs of hoteliers, employees and investors. She discusses Aven&rsquo;s immediate investment priorities, including modernizing its platform for AI, strengthening its booking engine, and expanding payments and retailing capabilities to become the commerce hub for hotel partners.
Mackintosh also addresses the fragmentation of the hospitality tech ecosystem, the risks and opportunities of agentic AI, the future of SaaS, and who stands to win or lose in the evolving battle between direct and intermediary distribution.
Tune in for a candid conversation with PhocusWire&rsquo;s Linda Fox on strategy, AI and the future of hotel technology.

A regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

A regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

In Phocus is a regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

In Phocus

Aven Hospitality CEO Teresa Mackintosh discusses leading the company’s post-Sabre separation, investing in AI and commerce capabilities, and navigating fragmentation and distribution shifts in hospitality technology.

CEO Spotlight: Teresa Mackintosh of Aven Hospitality

Travel selling is evolving fast and new players are redefining how trips are discovered and booked.

This episode features Jake Peters, co-founder and chief product and technology officer at Fora, and Maarten van Pijpen, chief growth officer at Unravel, in conversation with PhocusWire senior reporter Morgan Hines. The discussion explores how AI, social media and changing consumer behavior are reshaping distribution.

Fora represents a modern travel agency model, using technology and AI to empower a new generation of travel advisors. But while tech enhances efficiency and personalization, Peters emphasizes that humans remain essential. AI assists advisors, it does not replace them. Like a fitness app versus a personal coach, technology can guide, but human expertise and accountability elevate the experience.

Unravel takes a different approach. Often described as “TikTok meets Expedia,” the company delivers travel inspiration through a shoppable video feed, connecting discovery directly to booking. With younger travelers consuming hours of video daily and turning to platforms like TikTok for vacation ideas, Unravel aims to seamlessly link inspiration with transaction in a self-service environment.

Together, the executives share how AI supports their business models, how social platforms are becoming key distribution channels and what they’re building toward in 2026.

The takeaway: the future of travel selling is not just about AI. It’s about how companies blend technology, personalization and the right level of human touch.

Travel selling is evolving fast and new players are redefining how trips are discovered and booked.
This episode features Jake Peters, co-founder and chief product and technology officer at Fora, and Maarten van Pijpen, chief growth officer at Unravel, in conversation with PhocusWire senior reporter Morgan Hines. The discussion explores how AI, social media and changing consumer behavior are reshaping distribution.
Fora represents a modern travel agency model, using technology and AI to empower a new generation of travel advisors. But while tech enhances efficiency and personalization, Peters emphasizes that humans remain essential. AI assists advisors, it does not replace them. Like a fitness app versus a personal coach, technology can guide, but human expertise and accountability elevate the experience.
Unravel takes a different approach. Often described as &ldquo;TikTok meets Expedia,&rdquo; the company delivers travel inspiration through a shoppable video feed, connecting discovery directly to booking. With younger travelers consuming hours of video daily and turning to platforms like TikTok for vacation ideas, Unravel aims to seamlessly link inspiration with transaction in a self-service environment.
Together, the executives share how AI supports their business models, how social platforms are becoming key distribution channels and what they&rsquo;re building toward in 2026.
The takeaway: the future of travel selling is not just about AI. It&rsquo;s about how companies blend technology, personalization and the right level of human touch.

Leaders from Fora and Unravel discuss how AI, social media and shifting consumer behavior are reshaping travel selling, revealing two distinct paths forward: tech-enabled human advisors and video-driven, self-service booking.

A new age of travel selling: AI, personalization and human touch with Fora and Unravel

Gen AI is gaining real traction in corporate travel and this time, it’s more than experimentation. In this episode of In Phocus, Marilyn Markham, VP of AI and automation strategy at American Express Global Business Travel, and Mat Orrego, CEO and co-founder of Cornerstone Information Systems, explore how AI is reshaping the sector.

While early chatbots left many travelers frustrated and eager to “scream for a human,” today’s AI-powered assistants are changing expectations. The conversation examines whether corporate travel can combine modern generative AI with deep travel expertise to finally deliver the intelligent, intuitive chat experiences the industry once envisioned.

The discussion also dives into AI’s evolving role in the ecosystem, growing user comfort with AI agents, the shift from experimentation to real-world application, and the critical importance of data in powering what comes next.

As AI steps out from the wings and into daily operations, corporate travel may be entering a new era of intelligent assistance.

Gen AI is gaining real traction in corporate travel and this time, it&rsquo;s more than experimentation. In this episode of In Phocus, Marilyn Markham, VP of AI and automation strategy at American Express Global Business Travel, and Mat Orrego, CEO and co-founder of Cornerstone Information Systems, explore how AI is reshaping the sector.
While early chatbots left many travelers frustrated and eager to &ldquo;scream for a human,&rdquo; today&rsquo;s AI-powered assistants are changing expectations. The conversation examines whether corporate travel can combine modern generative AI with deep travel expertise to finally deliver the intelligent, intuitive chat experiences the industry once envisioned.
The discussion also dives into AI&rsquo;s evolving role in the ecosystem, growing user comfort with AI agents, the shift from experimentation to real-world application, and the critical importance of data in powering what comes next.
As AI steps out from the wings and into daily operations, corporate travel may be entering a new era of intelligent assistance.

Corporate travel is moving beyond AI experimentation as industry leaders explore how modern generative AI and data can revive smarter, more traveler-friendly chatbots and assistants.

Data and AI evolution in corporate travel

Skyscanner CEO Bryan Batista is nearly a year into the job, and he’s already uncovered a few surprises about what it really takes to lead one of travel’s biggest metasearch platforms.

Recorded live from the PhocusWire studio at The Phocuswright Conference, Batista joins PhocusWire’s Linda Fox to talk about Skyscanner’s traveler-first mindset, why the company sometimes turns down revenue opportunities, and where it still sees major room for growth in global markets.

Batista also dives into the opportunities and challenges of AI in travel, from the industry’s struggle with personalization to the complexity of building a connected trip. And as questions swirl about whether large language models could disrupt metasearch, Batista explains why Skyscanner believes it can be a key player in the emerging AI travel ecosystem.

Skyscanner CEO Bryan Batista is nearly a year into the job, and he&rsquo;s already uncovered a few surprises about what it really takes to lead one of travel&rsquo;s biggest metasearch platforms.
Recorded live from the PhocusWire studio at The Phocuswright Conference, Batista joins PhocusWire&rsquo;s Linda Fox to talk about Skyscanner&rsquo;s traveler-first mindset, why the company sometimes turns down revenue opportunities, and where it still sees major room for growth in global markets.
Batista also dives into the opportunities and challenges of AI in travel, from the industry&rsquo;s struggle with personalization to the complexity of building a connected trip. And as questions swirl about whether large language models could disrupt metasearch, Batista explains why Skyscanner believes it can be a key player in the emerging AI travel ecosystem.

Skyscanner CEO Bryan Batista is nearly a year into the job, and he’s already uncovered a few surprises about what it really takes to lead one of travel’s biggest metasearch platforms.

CEO Spotlight: Teresa Mackintosh of Aven Hospitality

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