Club Escapade has won the 2025 edition of the ATM Start-up Pitch Battle, which was held in association with Intelak, overcoming stiff competition from some of the region’s leading travel innovators and disruptors.
This year’s competition received entries from 40 travel start-ups, including finalists ChatDMC, Penguinpass, SparkleHaze (Woohoo), TravStack, and WROXAI.
During the Pitch Battle, Soufiane Alimi, Founder and CEO, outlined how Club Escapade helps hoteliers optimise occupancy during quieter periods while preserving their prestige and brand image. The company offers private, time-limited rates on unoccupied rooms to its Club Members, helping to boost hotel revenues while delivering the ultimate luxury on-demand vacation experience.
Alimi said: “Club Escapade targets luxury hotels looking to optimise occupancy without compromising their brand prestige, as well as UAE residents and locals who crave premium, on-demand staycations but lack the time to travel. We leverage an exclusive membership model and a weekly drop system, creating excitement around luxury staycations. By curating themed experiences and offering private, time-limited rates, we drive consistent, high-value bookings for hoteliers. Our commission-based model and last-minute filling of the empty rooms ensures hotels generate revenue with zero upfront costs.”
The competition forms an integral part of ATM’s commitment to entrepreneurship and connectivity, by inviting start-ups with innovative products, services, and technologies. The competition was open to pre-seed and seed series start-ups.
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market said: “Congratulations to Club Escapade, this year’s Start-Up Pitch Battle winner. Their success reflects the dynamic shift we’re witnessing across the travel and tourism sector, where fresh thinking and agile innovation are increasingly driving industry transformation. The Pitch Battle is more than just a competition – it’s a launchpad for ideas that can reshape the future of travel. The calibre of entries this year has been outstanding, and we’re excited to see what the next generation of travel pioneers brings to the stage.”
As part of ATM’s commitment to entrepreneurship and connectivity, the competition, presented by Sabre, hosted start-ups with innovative products, services, and technologies. The competition was open to pre-seed or seed series start-ups, enabling them to access the resources to take their businesses to the next level.
Entries were reviewed by Intelak, a Dubai-based technology and innovation hub dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship in the travel, tourism and aviation industries, and fellow judges Ismail Issa, Head of AI & Web3, Emirates, and Hassan Qannati, Head of Business Development, Sabre.
To further support entrepreneurial growth in travel, all shortlisted start-ups received complimentary pod space in the new Start-Up and Innovation Zone at ATM 2025, enabling them to showcase their solutions and network with industry leaders.
The largest edition of ATM to date will close today following four days of impactful industry discussions and unrivalled networking opportunities across the business events, leisure, luxury and corporate travel sectors.
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