Pellucid Travel

What Pellucid Travel does

Pellucid Travel is a privately held, US-based group housing and travel management company founded in 2012 and headquartered in Rochester, New York. The firm serves event organizers, tournament directors, sports organizations, conference planners, and individual travelers by centralizing hotel sourcing, room block management, attendee booking, and outbound group travel logistics. Its customer base is anchored in youth and school sports — notably lacrosse organizations such as Sweetlax and Summit Lacrosse Ventures, with relationships documented at 7-10+ years — and is diversifying into corporate conferences, nonprofit events, and vacation travel.

The company's core product is a full-service housing platform comprising four modules: Event Housing Services (hotel sourcing, contracting, stay-to-play enforcement, custom booking links, and real-time pickup reporting), Outbound Travel Services (group flights, ground transport, itinerary management), Conference Services (venue sourcing, RFP management, registration assistance), and Vacation Travel (personalized trip planning). Technology components include custom booking-link generators, a real-time reporting dashboard, and stay-to-play enforcement tooling that reduces room block leakage. The firm holds IATA professional membership and 'Key to Global Recognition for US Travel Agents' accreditation, and maintains CVB relationships across multiple US cities to access destination grants and funding.

Pellucid operates on a dual revenue model: (1) non-refundable operational fees charged per reservation at booking time, and (2) group housing management services delivered at no risk or cost to the client group, with revenue derived from negotiated hotel rates and commissions. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales supplemented by event-driven sales targeting tournament directors and conference planners, with dedicated Client Relationship Specialists assigned to each event. The firm is led by CEO Shannon Barrows and President Laura Dermody (a 10+ year industry veteran whose personal relationships underpin client retention), with a team of approximately 14 people as of 2025.

Name

Pellucid Travel

Legal name

Pellucid Travel

Website

https://pellucidtravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pellucid Travel is a US-based, privately held group housing and travel management agency founded in 2012 that centralizes hotel sourcing, room block management, and outbound travel logistics for event organizers, youth sports organizations, conference planners, and individual travelers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Group Travel Management

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Travel Agencies (56151), Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (56159)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Meetings & Group Travel Management (Corporate Groups) (THAKAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Meetings & Group Travel Management Software (SMMP) (THAKANAM), Meetings & Group Travel Management (SMMP) (THALAMAL), Group & Small-Group Custom Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAF), Group, Family & Multi-Generational Travel Planning (HSACAKAK)

Keywords

• Group housing services
• Event travel management
• Hotel block management
• Sports travel agency
• Conference housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Operational/Service Fees: Non-refundable operational fees charged at booking, along with advance payments for hotel reservations. The company charges a per reservation operational fee that is non-refundable once the reservation is made.
2. Group Housing Management Services: Full-service housing solutions for groups including hotel sourcing, contracting, room block management, and attendee booking coordination. Services are provided at no risk or cost to groups for hotel contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pellucid Travel provides full-service group housing and travel management for events, tournaments, conferences, and outbound group travel. The company handles hotel sourcing, contracting, room block management, attendee booking coordination, group flights, ground transportation, and registration assistance under dedicated Client Relationship Specialists, supported by custom booking links and real-time reporting.

Product overview

Pellucid Travel is a full-service group housing and travel management platform that offers four interconnected service modules: Event Housing Services for tournament and event hotel coordination, Outbound Travel Services for group flights and ground logistics, Conference Services for venue sourcing and registration management, and Vacation Travel for personalized trip planning. The platform integrates custom booking links and live reporting features to serve event organizers, sports teams, and group travelers. The company operates across multiple states and cities, managing hotel contracts, room blocks, and attendee registrations while providing dedicated human customer support throughout the travel process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Event Housing Services Streamlines group hotel bookings for events including hotel sourcing, contracting, room block management, attendee booking coordination, and real-time reporting, with stay-to-play enforcement to reduce room block leakage. Targeted at event organizers, tournament directors, conference planners, and group leaders.
• Outbound Travel Services Coordinates group travel logistics including hotel accommodations, group flights, ground transportation, itinerary management, and dedicated travel support for youth sports, school sports, and group events.
• Conference Services Provides event planning services for conferences and large group gatherings, including hotel and venue sourcing, CVB support, site selection assistance, registration management, and personalized customer service with custom booking links and real-time analytics.
• Vacation Travel Offers personalized vacation planning with dedicated travel experts who handle destination selection, custom itineraries, excursion booking, and real-time travel support for individual travelers and families.

Quantifiable outcome

• Time savings through streamlined group booking processes and dedicated support
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• International Air Transport Association (IATA)coreOthersProfessional membership in IATA provides industry accreditation and access to global travel industry standards, validating Pellucid Travel's credentials as a legitimate travel management company.
• Key to Global Recognition for US Travel AgentscoreOthersIndustry recognition program for US travel agents, providing legitimacy and credentials for travel agency operations.
• CVBs (Convention and Visitors Bureaus)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with local CVBs across multiple cities enable streamlined event planning, access to grants and funding, destination support, and enhanced hotel sourcing capabilities for events nationwide.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Passkey: Provides group booking technology with custom booking links and real-time room block management — the same core technical capability Pellucid uses to serve event housing clients.
• ConferenceDirect: Competes directly in the meeting planning and conference hotel sourcing space, offering site selection, housing, and registration services to corporate and association clients similar to Pellucid's Conference Services offering.
• HelmsBriscoe: Industry leader in group hotel sourcing and conference housing procurement. Closest direct competitor to Pellucid Travel's core event-housing and group-block management services for meetings and sports events.

Others

• Onyx CenterSource: B2B payments and commission processing platform serving hotels and travel agencies. Touches Pellucid's operating model in hotel commission processing and could be a complement or alternative infrastructure layer for the business.

Broad incumbents

• Direct Travel: Corporate and leisure travel management company with group/event travel capabilities — a comparable competitor serving clients who need a blend of corporate booking and group event housing.
• Cvent: Large incumbent in event management software with a deep hotel sourcing marketplace and group block management functionality. Overlaps with Pellucid's registration assistance and custom booking link features but operates at much greater scale.
• Maritz Global Events (formerly Experient): One of the largest corporate meetings and events agencies, providing end-to-end housing, registration, and event management — competes head-on with Pellucid for larger conference and association clients.
• BCD Travel: Major corporate travel management company with meetings & events division that handles group travel and housing for enterprises — competes with Pellucid at the higher end of the corporate group travel market.
• HVS (Hotel Valuation & Sourcing): Hospitality services firm providing consulting, sourcing, and event housing support across hotels. Overlaps with Pellucid's hotel sourcing and RFP management for conferences.

Emerging players

• Groupize: Smaller SaaS platform focused on group hotel booking technology and event housing automation — comparable product to Pellucid's custom booking links, but with a more software-first business model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/pellucidtravel
• Facebookfacebook.com/pellucidtravel
• Instagraminstagram.com/pellucidtravel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pellucid-travel

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Pellucid Travel