- Vienna-based startup serving 1,000+ properties raises funding to revolutionize hospitality communication with industry-first AI
- chatlyn recently opened its Dubai office to strengthen its presence in the Middle East
chatlyn, the AI communication hub transforming how hotels engage with guests across every touchpoint, announced today it has secured €8 million in Series A funding led by Smedvig Ventures. The round included participation from AnyDesk founder Andreas Burike, Austrian transport leader Blaguss, business angel Mathias Hiebeler (former owner of Grob aircraft, acquired by Helsing), and strategic hospitality angels. The company also received an innovation grant from the FFG, Austria’s national funding institution for industry-related research and development.
With this investment, chatlyn aims to accelerate its mission to become “the AI brain for hotels”—an intelligent system that supports hotel operations (front desk, reservations, marketing, and guest services) and autonomously optimizes guest communications to maximize revenue and satisfaction.
The Problem: Hospitality’s €10 Billion Communication Crisis
The global hotel industry loses an estimated €10 billion annually due to fragmented guest communication systems, missed booking opportunities, and inefficient staff workflows. Hotels today juggle 8-12 different platforms for guest messaging – from WhatsApp and email to booking channels, like Airbnb and Booking/com, and social media – creating chaos that frustrates both guests expecting instant, personalized service and staff drowning in repetitive tasks.
“Every day, hotels are missing revenue because a guest inquiry comes in at 2 AM and gets lost in the shuffle, or a staff member can’t quickly find the right response in the right language. In today’s world, you lose potential guests when you don’t respond immediately,” said Nicolas Vorsteher, CEO and Co-founder of chatlyn. “We want to bring back meaningful conversations to the hospitality industry and free up staff’s valuable time for in-person guest interactions. We’re building the AI brain for hotels – an AI that understands hospitality context, speaks 35+ languages fluently, and learns each property’s unique voice to deliver experiences that feel both personal and effortless.”
Breakthrough Technology Driving Rapid Adoption
Since launching in late 2022, chatlyn has rapidly scaled to serve over 1,000 properties across 30 countries, including luxury brands like St. Regis Mauritius, Singer Palace Rome, and InterContinental properties. The company recently opened its first Middle East office in Dubai, strengthening its presence in the region’s rapidly growing luxury hospitality market. The platform’s success stems from several industry-first innovations:
AI-Powered Visual Webchat: The hospitality industry’s first truly intelligent visual assistant that showcases rooms with live pricing and availability while guiding guests through complete conversational booking processes—not just answering questions.
98% Open Rate Communication: chatlyn’s WhatsApp guest journey messaging achieves a 98% open rate compared to traditional email’s 20%, dramatically outperforming legacy marketing channels.
Comprehensive Channel Integration: chatlyn is currently the only solution that integrates with Airbnb and Booking messenger alongside conventional channels like email, WhatsApp, SMS, social media platforms and many others.
Comprehensive AI Assistant Suite: From voice calls to review responses, the platform handles every communication touchpoint with context-aware intelligence, featuring real-time translation in 35+ languages, automated email drafting, and intelligent reply suggestions that maintain your property’s unique brand voice.
With deep integrations into 20+ major hotel management systems including Oracle Opera, Protel by Planet, Mews, and Apaleo, chatlyn acts as the central nervous system for hotel operations.
“chatlyn has fundamentally transformed our guest experience from reactive to proactive,” said Garry Loefgen, Head of Commercial at InterContinental Vienna. “Our AI assistant handles over 70% of inquiries instantly in perfect German, English, Arabic, and many other languages, while our team focuses on creating magical moments. It’s like having a multilingual concierge that never sleeps and gets smarter every day.”
Investment Validates Market Leadership Position
“The hospitality sector is experiencing its biggest technological transformation since online booking, and chatlyn has positioned itself at the epicenter of this AI revolution,” said Freddie Kalfayan, Principal at Smedvig Ventures. “Their rapid adoption by premium hotel brands, industry-first AI capabilities, and exceptional founding team convinced us they’re building the platform that will define the future of guest communication. The market opportunity is massive and underserved.”
Aggressive Expansion and Product Roadmap
The Series A funding will fuel chatlyn’s ambitious growth strategy across three key areas:
Product Innovation: Accelerate development of agentic AI capabilities for phone support and launch the AI Booking Assistant that seamlessly integrates across any communication channel to capture more direct bookings.
Geographic Expansion: Solidify market leadership in German-speaking regions while expanding across wider Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the UAE – markets where demand for multilingual AI communication is exploding.
Team Expansion: Scale the existing AI and development team to serve customers not only as a software solution but as AI consultants, positioning chatlyn ahead of the intensifying competition for AI talent in the travel industry.
“This funding represents more than capital – it’s validation of our vision to make every hotel conversation intelligent and connected to relevant operational systems,” said Michael Urbanek, CTO and Co-founder. “Our AI doesn’t just automate responses; it understands context, anticipates needs, and creates those delightful moments that turn first-time guests into lifelong advocates.”
The company’s technological excellence has earned recognition from both industry and government institutions. chatlyn was recently honored as the Best Chatbot Solution Provider in 2024 by the World Travel Awards and received innovation funding from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) for its groundbreaking AI development.
Key Metrics at a Glance
- €8M Series A led by Smedvig Ventures
- 1,000+ properties across 30 countries
- Founded: Late 2022
- Key integrations: Oracle Opera, Protel by Planet, Apaleo, clock PMS, Mews
- Awards & Recognition: Best Chatbot Solution Provider 2024 (World Travel Awards), FFG Innovation Grant recipient
- Notable customers: The Royal Stable Dubai, St. Regis Mauritius, InterContinental Vienna, Le Grand Bellevue Gstaad, plus luxury resorts and boutique properties across Europe and Asia-Pacific
