This is a roundup of product news and announcements related to travel distribution in July 2017.
Tuesday 18 July 2017:
GDS by Siteminder adds consultancy
- The cloud-based hotel tech specialist is now offering de facto consultancy to the 900 hotels which have signed up to the year-old product. GDS by Siteminder has its own GDS code and will now connect hotels with a network of GDS experts in order to build brand awareness and revenues. GDS by Siteminder has so far generated $60 million of revenue from 200,000 bookings.
Batik Air opts for
Sabre- The Indonesian full-service carrier will be available to Sabre-connected travel agents, the first time it has sold via a GDS. Batik serves more than 30 domestic destinations with its fleet of 46 aircraft and is part of Lion Air Group, with which Sabre has worked since 2013. Batik and the group's other airlines - Wings Air, Lion Bizjet, Malindo Air and Thai Lion Air - all use SabreSonic, with the latter pair also making their GDS debut with Sabre.
Kiwi.com finds
Amadeus search tech
- The Czech Republic-based OTA has signed a deal with Amadeus to improve its search capabilities. Amadeus is "developing a customised solution" which will integrate its Instant Search technology with Kiwi's proprietary algorithms, creating itineraries which combine GDS and non-GDS content.
Wednesday 12 July 2017:WestJet renews with Amadeus
- Amadeus signed a multi-year renewal agreement with WestJet, the Canadian low-cost airline, for worldwide distribution. The deal includes access and booking of the carrier’s ancillary offerings, such as seat selection, baggage and priority boarding.
Tourico finds room for
Monarch- UK airline Monarch will start to add room inventory from Tourico Holidays, part of Hotelbeds Group, to its own Monarch Holidays tour operating brand, which focuses on European beach and city breaks.
Tuesday 11 July 2017:Himalaya Airlines signs with Sabre
- Effective August 2017, Himalaya Airlines’ fares and ancillary offerings will be available to all Sabre travel agents. The carrier, a Tibet-China joint venture, has ambitious plans for expansion to "connect Nepal globally" with the addition of 15 aircraft. It currently operates 3 A320 aircraft.
Monday 10 July 2017:TripTapToe signs up with Avis
- The Indian travel platform has signed a partnership with Avis, adding international self-drive car rental to its existing line-up of flights, hotels and holidays. TripTapToe wants to provide a seamless experience for travellers and offers real-time 24/7 support via its travel concierge app.
Friday 7 July 2017:Corporate fares from AirAsia
- The Malaysian-based low-cost carrier has launched MyCorporate, a set of fares designed for the business traveller. Users can choose between Fare Only, Corporate Lite and Corporate Full Flex.
HitchHiker partners with
British Airways - The deal means authorised agents and corporates using the HitchHiker Flight API will be able to access BA content via a direct NDC enabled connection.
Thursday 6 July 2017:UOB Planners to pilot Travelport Locomote
- The Singapore-based travel agency will be the first Travelport client in Asia to pilot the Travelport Locomote booking tool for its corporate clients. As part of a deal renewing their existing agreement, UOB will also develop its own mobile app using Travelport's Universal API.
Hotelbeds continues to grow activities offer
- Hotelbeds Group has added another major partner to its Tours and Activities Bank with Big Bus Tours joining the platform. Big Bus operates in 19 cities on four continents, and, as a preferred partner, its content will be made available to the 35,000 travel sellers connected to Hotelbeds Group's B2B platforms.
Wednesday 5 July 2017:Travelport delivers Hotel Retail
- The hotel booking tool from distribution giant enables agents to provide customers with a more personalised experience. Hotel Retail, which is integrated with Travelport Smartpoint, aims to provide agents with all details in one place. Additional features include map-search.
Tuesday 4 July 2017:HotelREZ adds Coast & Country
- Coast & Country Hotels, a 15-strong chain of hotels in the UK, will now sell via the GDSs for the first time after joining up with HotelREZ. Coast & Country is owned by coach tours specialist Shearings.
eDreams big in Japan
- The online travel agency is making its inventory available in Japan via a deal with metasearch site travel.jp. The partnership will extend eDreams reach in Japan where it has had a website for two years.