Portugal-based tech startup HiJiffy has secured additional funding of €3.8m ($4.1m) to launch its conversational artificial intelligence solution for hotels in multiple European countries.

Primarily, the company intends to improve and strengthen its footprint in the UK and France and bolster its presence in the DACH region (German, Austrian and Swiss markets).

Portugal-based private equity and venture capital fund management company Caixa Capital led the funding round, taking the company’s total funding to €6.2m.

Caixa Capital was joined by Lince Capital and Portugal Ventures, who had previously invested in HiJiffy in 2020.

HiJiffy noted that securing more funding will enable the company to increase its workforce from 30 to over 50 staff.

It also plans to launch a new product that could alter how hotels engage with their visitors.

HiJiffy CEO Tiago Araújo said: “Having the United Kingdom, France, Portugal and Spain as our main markets, we currently have over 1,800 hotels in more than 50 countries.

“The steep growth of HiJiffy in the UK and France, where we have been actively present since 2021, working with names like Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, reinforces our confidence to continue expanding our local structures and developing specific solutions for British and French hoteliers.

“In the coming months, we will enhance our efforts to assure market leadership. This brand refresh was inevitable to take HiJiffy to the next level.”

Besides the €2.5m invested by venture capital companies, the European Commission provided €1m through the Recovery and Resilience Plan as part of the Accelerate and Transform Tourism agenda.