Despegar will deploy $50 million in advance hotel payouts

Despegar announced it will advance 50 million dollars to hotels and tourism suppliers between October 2026 and March 2027. The initiative scales up its new financial service, Despegar Pago, following an initial four-month pilot that surpassed 1 million dollars in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia.

The tool enables lodging providers to turn confirmed future bookings into available liquidity within 48 business hours. The application requires five digital steps, after which Despegar deposits the net funds minus a fee and recovers the outlay on the subsequent settlement date.

Renan Pinto, CFO of Despegar, stated that the product does not grant traditional financing, but rather offers partners greater flexibility over revenue they have already generated. Pinto added that advance payouts represent the first service under Despegar Pago, with more financial tools in development.

The expansion follows Despegar's acquisition by tech group Prosus, which agreed to buy the company for 1.7 billion dollars, or 19.50 dollars per share, in December 2024. In full-year 2024, Despegar recorded approximately 5.5 billion dollars in gross bookings, 756.5 million dollars in revenue, and 4.8 million travel customers across brands including Best Day, HotelDO, Viajes Falabella, ViajaNet, Stays.net, and Koin.