This is a roundup of product news and announcements for travel DEVICES in tourism and hospitality for September 2014.
Tuesday 30 September 2014:
Carlson Wagonlit Travel pilots in-app hotel booking service
- A limited number of users of the CWT To Go application will be able to search and book hotels from their devices, ahead of a full roll-out of the functionality by the end of year. CWT's Traveler Service teams will also be able to retrieve bookings and manage details of customers via the global profile management tools.
HolidayIQ unveils new Android and Apple apps
- The Indian travel user review service, which has a new version available on both operating systems, will allow map-based search tool which allows features directions and costs of each property. Over 50,000 hotels in India are available in the service, including a click-to-call option to each.
Clink Hostels creates community and booking app
- The chain of hostels in London wants the new app (available for both Android and Apple devices) to connect guests via a tool on the service, so they can share tips and stories during their stay. The apps will also feature informatiojn for local cafes, bars and things-to-do.
Edinburgh Airport trials Google Glass for customer service
- The Scottish airport will use the digital specs at their enquiry desks to help with passengers looking for flight updates, foreign language translation of airline and airport information, as well as answer questions about the city. The trial is scheduled to last until the end of 2014.
Monday 15 September 2014:TripCase integrates with CheckMate
- Combining with the Sabre-owned mobile itinerary management tool will give users the ability to bypass lines at check-in desks at a select number of hotels. Guests will also be able to upgrade rooms, see special offers and manage their payment requirements and preferences with each property.
Thursday 11 September 2014:American Airlines claims paper-less first
- The carrier says it is first "mainline" carrier to have both its cockpit and cabin crew operating completely via handheld devices, doing away with paper manuals. AA reckons it is now saving some £300,000 per year as a result of no longer having to print and shipping documentation for crew members on its aircraft. A further $650,000 is saved in fuel costs after adopting the lightweight Samsung tablet devices.
Thursday 4 September 2014:DataArt releases Sabre’s Red App for ground transportation
- Software developer DataArt has made a Sabre Red App for SummitQwest, a private car management solutions provider. The app is free for travel agents, who can use it to receive price quotes, book, and manage chauffeured rides real-time. They can request it from SummitQwest directly or via their company's Sabre Administrator.
HostelWorld targets Far East budget travellers with dedicated iPad app
- Chinese, Korean and Japanese have joined seven other languages having versions of the budget OTA's iPad application. The existing English language app was launched in July this year and has since been steadily rolled out for other regions around the world. HostelWorld claims its suite of mobile and tablet products have now been downloaded two million times.
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NB2: Travel devices image via Shutterstock.