American Visa

What American Visa does

American Visa is a Colombian integrated hospitality operator founded in 2020 by Julio Jiménez, built around serving travelers who are stranded due to flight disruptions, cancellations, or immigration complications. The company's core offering, branded as American Visa Hotel, spans 8 hotels, a restaurant chain, an in-house travel agency, and a technology division, with all services positioned as available 24 hours a day to address the irregular-hour needs of displaced passengers.

The business model is asset-heavy and vertically integrated: revenue is generated through hotel accommodations (recurring room revenue), restaurant transactions, travel-agency bookings, and — most recently — airport ground transportation following the 2026 acquisition of Taxi Imperial, which manages the taxi fleet at Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through owned physical infrastructure, with no disclosed intermediary channels, no publicly disclosed pricing, and no enterprise contracts. The Taxi Imperial acquisition adds a transportation vertical with differentiated features including predetermined taxi rates and video/audio security monitoring aimed at professionalizing airport ground transport.

The company is privately held and founder-controlled by Julio Jiménez, with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or secondary transactions. Headcount is reported at 251–500, consistent with multi-property hospitality operations plus the recent transport integration. Geographic footprint is concentrated in Colombia, and the firm's strategic focus appears to be deepening vertical integration around the stranded-traveler use case rather than horizontal geographic expansion.

Name

American Visa

Legal name

American Visa

Website

https://vistos-americanvisa.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

American Visa is a Colombian integrated hospitality operator founded in 2020 by Julio Jiménez, running 8 hotels, restaurants, a travel agency, and airport taxi services targeted at stranded travelers in Bogotá.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Services

NAICS

Other Traveler Accommodation (72119), Travel Agencies (561510), Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Passenger Car Rental (532111)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581)

akta.pro primary industry

Airport Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Airport Meet-and-Greet & Arrival/Departure Support (EDAIANAD)

Keywords

• Hospitality services
• Hotel accommodations
• Airport transportation
• Travel agency services
• Restaurant chain

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Airport Transportation Services: Transportation services through Taxi Imperial acquisition at El Dorado International Airport, including airport taxi fleet management with predetermined rates.
2. Hotel Operations: Hotel accommodations across 8 properties serving stranded travelers, providing 24-hour availability.
3. Travel Agency Services: Travel agency services providing booking and travel planning for stranded travelers and tourists.
4. Restaurant Chain: Restaurant chain services within the hospitality ecosystem.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Core offering

American Visa operates an integrated 24/7 hospitality ecosystem that serves stranded travelers in Colombia. Its offerings include 8 hotels, a restaurant chain, a travel agency, and airport taxi transportation through its wholly owned subsidiary Taxi Imperial at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá. All services are designed to provide immediate, round-the-clock accommodation, dining, booking, and secure ground transportation to travelers experiencing disruptions.

Product overview

American Visa is a unified hospitality ecosystem built around serving stranded travelers with round-the-clock services. The company operates as a multi-service platform comprising 8 hotels, a restaurant chain, a travel agency, and a technology company, all under the American Visa Hotel brand founded on faith-based principles. The portfolio is unified by its focus on providing integrated 24-hour services to travelers, recently expanded through the acquisition of Taxi Imperial to add airport transportation management. The ecosystem model means hotels, restaurants, travel services, and transport are interconnected offerings rather than separate standalone products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• American Visa Hotel (Hospitality Chain) A faith-based hospitality chain of 8 hotels offering 24-hour accommodation, dining, and transportation support to travelers stranded by flight disruptions or immigration issues in Colombia.
• Taxi Imperial Airport taxi service operating at El Dorado International Airport with predetermined rates, video/audio security monitoring, and professional driver standards, serving arriving and departing air travelers in Bogotá.
• Travel Agency In-house travel agency providing booking and travel planning services to stranded travelers and tourists as part of the American Visa 24-hour hospitality ecosystem.
• Restaurant Chain In-house restaurant chain providing dining services to hotel guests and stranded travelers as part of the American Visa hospitality ecosystem, with 24-hour availability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transformation of airport taxi system with predetermined rates, video/audio security, and professional driver standards within six months

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Taxi ImperialcoreOthers

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hilton Worldwide: Global hospitality company with significant airport hotel presence worldwide. Comparable to American Visa on airport full-service hotel segment, though with much broader geographic and segment coverage.
• Marriott International: Global hotel giant with airport and full-service properties across LATAM. Comparable to American Visa on full-service airport hotel positioning but operates at vastly greater scale and brand reach.
• NH Hotel Group: European-origin hotel group with extensive LATAM operations, particularly in Colombia. Comparable to American Visa on full-service urban and airport hotel positioning in the Colombian market.

Emerging players

• Uber: Global ride-hailing platform with deep airport presence across LATAM. Comparable to American Visa's Taxi Imperial on airport transportation demand, but competes via app-based gig model rather than owned fleet.

Direct peers

• Aviatur: Major Colombian travel agency and tour operator offering bundled travel services including accommodation and ground transport. Comparable to American Visa on the integrated travel-agency-plus-hospitality service model within the Colombian market.
• Decameron Hotels: Latin American hotel chain with a large multi-country portfolio including Colombia. Comparable to American Visa on regional full-service hotel operations and bundled travel services.
• Hoteles Estelar: One of Colombia's largest domestic hotel chains with a broad portfolio of full-service properties. Comparable to American Visa on geography, full-service hotel model, and multi-property operations targeting both business and leisure travelers.
• GHL Hoteles: Colombian-headquartered hotel group operating multiple properties across Colombia and LATAM with a focus on business and airport-adjacent travelers. Directly comparable to American Visa on geography, traveler segment, and full-service hotel positioning.

Others

• Booking Holdings: Parent of Booking.com, Priceline, and KAYAK — global travel accommodation and reservation platform. Comparable to American Visa on the travel distribution and accommodation reservation layer, but operates as a marketplace aggregator rather than an asset-owning operator.

Regional players

• Taxis Libres: Bogotá-based taxi operator with formal airport and city presence. Comparable to American Visa's Taxi Imperial on regulated airport ground transportation services in Colombia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Visa