RateHawk marks 10 years with AI expansion push, API growth strategy

RateHawk, an online B2B platform for booking hotels, air tickets, and transfers, is celebrating its 10th year of operations.

Over the past decade, the service has grown into an influential B2B travel tech company with an AI-driven backbone.

In its second decade, the company aims to leverage its consolidation power and expand as an API supplier for major travel players, while continuing to support travel professionals by launching new products that help grow their businesses, according to a press release.

RateHawk provides access to 3.2 million accommodation options sourced from over 250,000 directly contracted hotels and 350 global suppliers, along with flights from 400+ airlines, transfers in more than 150 countries, railway tickets and car rentals.

In 2025, the company’s annual net booking value increased by 40 per cent compared to 2024, while the number of bookings saw a 43 per cent growth on a global scale.

“We launched RateHawk in 2016 as an experiment. At a time when the rise of individual bookings created uncertainty about the future of travel agents, we believed that strong travel expertise would remain in demand – but the industry needed better tools, smarter technology, and a more intuitive user experience,” sad Felix Shpilman, president and CEO of Emerging Travel Group, RateHawk’s parent company, in a statement.

“We took a risk and applied our original B2C background to building a B2B platform with robust technology, extensive supply, and excellent UX. That approach has proven successful: today, more than 110,000 travel professionals across 120+ markets use RateHawk, including major OTAs, travel tech platforms, tour operators, and retail agencies. Their trust confirms that we are on the right path forward”.

The decade ahead

For the next decade, RateHawk says its strategy will leverage the synergy between retail and API streams, both supercharged by extensive supply and in-house technology.

In 2025, the number of bookings per API partner increased by 40 per cent year over year, and the company aims to boost it further, the company says.

To support API growth and build long-term partnerships, the company will expand its supply and enhancing technology to improve speed and stability.

As part of this strategy, it is also allocating dedicated resources within local teams to support API development.

“As quality standards rise and workflows become faster, many companies are re-evaluating the tools and supply chains they use. They want higher efficiency, reliability, and a more accurate rate matching. Thanks to advanced technology solutions and 250,000 direct contracts and 350 suppliers, including over 100 DMCs, RateHawk’s API offers exactly what industry stakeholders are looking for,” said Astrid Kastberg, managing director of RateHawk, in a statement.

In the retail segment, the company has a long-term roadmap for its multi-product platform, aimed at addressing travel industry trends, including growing demand for more personalized options, greater flexibility, automation, and a wider range of payment methods.

Kastberg added: “WTTC predicts the travel sector will generate over $16 trillion and make up nearly 12 per cent of global GDP by 2035.”

“We believe travel professionals will largely contribute to this growth, and we're committed to supporting them.”

“We’ll keep expanding our flexible approach, launching localized infrastructure, payment solutions, and investing in local talent. We also plan to introduce new products, starting with insurance, and continue developing features like our Quotes (Selection Tools) that help partners increase booking conversions via an automated offer-selling template”.

To make the booking process as smooth as possible, the company says it is investing heavily in AI-driven technologies such as smart search and a recommendation system.

In customer support, agentic AI tools now classify and handle around 50% of routine requests, speeding up response times and allowing the team to focus on more complex issues.

The company is also applying AI to other areas, such as improving supply consolidation, localizing content, and identifying potential booking incidents.

“These steps help reduce errors, improve efficiency, and bring new products and services to market faster,” the company said.

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