Travelgate's growth story is usually told through APIs, integrations, and booking volumes — 65k+ bookings a day, 15B+ searches, a network spanning Buyers and Sellers worldwide.
But scaling a global marketplace at that pace requires more than technology. It requires a financial foundation solid enough to support it.
That's where Joan Francesc Palou comes in. As Head of Finance, Joan oversees the financial health and strategic planning behind Travelgate's expansion. We sat down with him to talk about the team, the Travelsoft acquisition, 2026, and what's next.
💬 Joan: In our early stages, our primary focus was securing foundational accounting, billing, and treasury operations. While our initial processes were relatively unstructured and relied on minimal technological infrastructure, they provided the essential data needed to gauge company performance and support critical business decisions.
As we scaled, our strategy consistently centered on process implementation and continuous improvement. Historically, we have maintained a strong focus on automation, which I consider an inherent core value of Travelgate's culture.
The finance function has evolved organically alongside the company, adapting to increasing business complexity and shifting strategic requirements. As I mentioned, automating highly operational tasks has been pivotal, allowing us to elevate our management control, financial analysis, and strategic planning capabilities.
Key decisions that optimized the department included developing a proprietary automated billing system, standardizing our business model, and implementing a flexible ERP as the core engine for our operations.
👥 "Today, we have consolidated a highly capable, four-person finance team that expertly covers all critical financial areas."
💬 Joan: Travelsoft has consistently afforded us significant operational independence across all business units. While they haven't mandated changes to our core workflows, we naturally had to adapt our reporting to provide the required financial data within stricter timeframes.
This transition has had several process-level implications:
Furthermore, we have aligned Travelgate's financial strategy with the broader group's objectives. Analyzing and quantifying synergies among Travelsoft's portfolio companies is now a standard part of our daily operations.
Last but certainly not least, ensuring strict compliance with a select set of core financial covenants and reporting requirements remains a top priority.
💬 Joan: Despite global macroeconomic headwinds and geopolitical challenges, we are achieving exceptional booking growth — currently hitting 25% YoY this month. We have already broken our monthly booking volume records and project to surpass them again in August.
As an organization, we must ensure this growth trajectory is financially sustainable. This requires rigorous calculation and monitoring of the unit economics tied to these bookings — specifically, tracking how they convert to revenue, evaluating the server load and compute costs they generate, and analyzing their ultimate impact on our profit margins.
We are continuously upgrading our technology stack to guarantee scalability and maintain our competitive edge in the market.
Being part of the Travelsoft group also drives top-line growth through valuable synergies with our sister companies. We are currently developing several highly promising initiatives that will solidify our position as the market leader in connectivity.
Additionally, without losing sight of our other business lines, our flagship events — ConX and AfterX — have broken performance records across the board.
Finally, we successfully closed the acquisition of AO this year. This represents a significant capital allocation and a strategic move essential for consolidating and securing our long-term growth.
📈 "We have already broken our monthly booking volume records and project to surpass them again in August."
💬 Joan: Over 1,000 C-level travel tech leaders, two days in Mallorca. That's one of the highest-leverage investments we make all year. ConX is where business gets discussed; AfterX is where the relationships actually deepen.
For both events, our overriding priority has always been crafting an exceptional experience for our guests. Consequently, this is an investment where direct ROI has never been the primary focal point. The intangible returns — driven by enhanced brand equity and the substantial business generated through these networking opportunities — more than justify the capital outlay.
That being said, we naturally strive to ensure the event pays for itself and does not negatively impact our EBITDA. This year, thanks to our outstanding organizational team, we achieved the strongest financial margins in the history of these events.
As this business line scales, we expect these margins to expand organically. We currently have several compelling proposals under review to scale both events further while continuously elevating the hospitality experience for our partners.
💬 Joan: As we look toward 2027, our focus must center on refining our financial planning and analysis (FP&A) processes. These frameworks need to gain both depth and precision. We cannot afford discretionary capital expenditure without rigorous prior analysis; poor financial planning translates directly to eroded margins and diminished market competitiveness.
We must also enhance our management control processes. This involves implementing more granular cost breakdowns and precise analytical accounting. This level of detail is critical for optimizing operating expenses across all lines and driving overall corporate efficiency.
We have already begun integrating AI into several financial workflows this year. Given the rapid pace of technological advancement, I foresee AI revolutionizing finance just as it will almost every other business unit. Virtually all our routine processes are candidates for full automation — it is simply a matter of allocating the necessary resources.
🤖 "Leveraging AI will empower us to deploy our finance team with 100% focus on high-value, strategic initiatives."
💬 Joan: My personal objective remains identical to my very first day at Travelgate: to constantly take on new professional challenges and maximize my learning curve.
Travelgate has provided exactly that environment from the outset. I joined when the company was still an SME, featuring unstructured departments and moderate transaction volumes. Year after year, I've had the privilege of contributing to our sustained, high-paced growth and managing the complex financial implications that come with it.
As the company scales, the strategic challenges become increasingly complex, which keeps me deeply engaged and energized.
Finally, being surrounded by a highly competent team is indispensable. It allows me to maintain strategic focus on what truly drives value without being consumed by day-to-day operational friction.