Francis Louis Passerini appointed Chief Operating Officer of Blastness

The appointment strengthens the Blastness leadership team as the company continues to grow and expand globally.

September 08, 2026

Milan, Europe, Milan, Lombardy, Italy /September 08, 2026/ Hotel Tech Report Newswire / - https://www.blastness.com/en/news/francis-louis-passerini-new-coo

Blastness, a leading Italian travel tech provider of solutions and services for the hospitality industry, has appointed Francis Louis Passerini as its new Chief Operating Officer.

The move reinforces Blastness’s management structure, bringing it in line with the company’s expanded scale and the growing opportunities across international markets.

The new COO will report directly to Andrea Delfini, CEO of Blastness, and will oversee the company's key operational functions including revenue management, helpdesk and customer care, digital marketing and web development. His role will focus on accelerating the company’s growth strategy and developing an integrated, efficient and scalable operating model. He will also work to foster greater collaboration across departments, streamline processes and enhance the quality and effectiveness of the services offered.

The appointment comes at a particularly significant stage for Blastness. Following a period of transformation underpinned by major acquisitions, the company continues to evolve its organisational structure, focusing on maximising the potential of its expertise, technologies and assets, while consolidating its position as a leading international player and key driver of innovation in the industry.

Francis Louis Passerini brings over 30 years of experience in Hospitality, Travel Tech & Digital Marketing, gained through senior management roles in international organisations. For the past 24 years, he has served as Managing Director for Italy & MEA at D-EDGE Hospitality Solutions (formerly FastBooking). During his time with the company, he has also held several executive positions, including Deputy Director of the Digital Agency, Global Director of the Web Studio and VP of Sales for EMEA. In these roles, he led operations and teams across Venice, Paris, Singapore and Tokyo, while helping the company enter and establish its presence in new international markets.

"We are delighted to welcome Francis to Blastness", said Andrea Delfini, CEO of Blastness. "His extensive international expertise in Travel Tech, and his deep understanding of the market and the competitive landscape, brings extraordinary value to our organisation. I am confident that his contribution will play a pivotal role in strengthening our operating model and accelerating the execution of our growth strategy. I have known Francis for more than 20 years, and over that time we have built a relationship based on mutual respect, both professionally and personally."

"I am honoured to join such a leading, dynamic and highly ambitious organisation", said Francis Louis Passerini, Blastness’s new Chief Operating Officer. "I have chosen to join an inspiring and challenging project, rooted in Italian excellence with a truly global outlook. Thank you infinitely Andrea for the trust and I look forward to bringing my experience to Blastness and its people, helping the company establish itself as a leading international player in digital hospitality.”

About Blastness

Blastness is an Italian travel technology company and a leading one-stop shop for digital hotel growth, providing proprietary technology, services and strategic consulting to more than 2,000 independent hotels, hotel groups and chains. For over 15 consecutive years, it has been Italy’s leading provider of Central Reservation Systems (CRS) for five-star hotels, supporting their online sales and distribution.

Founded in 2004 by Andrea Delfini, Blastness is headquartered in Milan, with operational offices in Milan, Rome, La Spezia, Alghero and Venice. The company also operates through a local entity in Portugal and is developing projects in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. With a team of more than 240 professionals, Blastness helps its clients maximise revenue, increase direct bookings through their official websites and reduce their reliance on Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). In 2025, the company generated more than €31 million in production value and processed bookings worth over €2 billion through its systems. In summer 2024, Blastness matched Booking.com’s booking volumes for the first time, further consolidating its position as a key player in the market. In January 2024, Forbes featured Blastness on the cover of its Small Giants special edition, dedicated to successful Italian SMEs. In May, the company was selected as one of the 44 businesses admitted to the London Stock Exchange Group’s ELITE programme, which supports companies with high growth potential. In June, Blastness received Intesa Sanpaolo’s prestigious Imprese Vincenti award, recognising outstanding Italian businesses distinguished by their capacity for innovation, sustainable growth and long-term strategic vision. In October, Blastness was recognised in the Tourism & Attractiveness category at the 2024 Motore Italia Awards – Le imprese che fanno muovere il Paese – Liguria. In the same month, Blastness Group Holding received the award for Best AI Platform and Software in the Travel Tech Sector at the fourth edition of the Fintech Awards Italia. In August, Blastness’s Booking Engine and Revenue Management System received HotelTechReport’s Certificate of Excellence. In December, Andrea Delfini, Founder & CEO of Blastness, received the GPD Award for Transformational Leadership. He was also invited to speak at the Italian Innovation Summit, organised jointly by Il Sole 24 Ore and Microsoft, where he presented Blastness as a successful example of Microsoft Azure adoption and AI implementation. Also in December, Andrea Delfini was named one of the 15 business leaders of the year selected by Forbes Italia in partnership with Fiera Milano’s Business International and received a CEO Italian Award. In February 2025, Blastness won the Best Performance Award 2024/25 in the Best Performing Small Company category. Promoted by SDA Bocconi, the award was granted following an assessment of more than 950,000 Italian companies conducted by the School of Management in partnership with PwC Italia, Banca Mediolanum, Fondazione Umberto Veronesi, ELITE and Jefferson Wells, with the support of Havas PR and Radio Deejay. In 2025, Blastness was also named among the 100 finalists for the Best Performance Award 2025/26, selected from more than 960,000 companies assessed. In the same year, a transaction managed by Anthilia SGR involving Blastness won the Private Debt Award, promoted by AIFI – the Italian Private Equity, Venture Capital and Private Debt Association – and Deloitte. Also in 2025, Blastness received two accolades at the Italian Tourism Awards – the Innovation Award and the Star Night Award – recognising excellence and innovation in the Italian tourism industry. The Award for Technology, Marketing and Italian Style, presented by Skål Italia to Blastness founder Andrea Delfini, recognised his contribution to promoting technology as a strategic driver of hotel growth and international positioning. During 2025, Blastness also completed the acquisitions of Athena Solutions Srl (owner of the ErmesHotels brand), Prossima Isola Srl, Mentefredda Srl and VUIT Srl, strengthening its position in the Italian market and expanding the Group’s technology portfolio. Blastness went on to receive major international recognition at the 2026 HotelTechAwards, organised by HotelTechReport, the world’s leading marketplace for hotel software. Its Central Reservation System (CRS) was named the world’s best hotel reservation software, ranking first among more than 200 international technology solutions. Two other Blastness products – AIBE, its Artificial Intelligence Booking Engine, and its Revenue Management System (RMS) – ranked among the global top ten in their respective categories.