This is a roundup of product news and announcements related to travel marketing in June 2017.
Friday 30 June 2017
Marriott Hotels TestBed accelerator
- The hotel group is looking for a second cohort of startups for its accelerator programme. Startups addressing the in-room experience, transforming the overall guest experience and helping guests find the "headspace to flourish" can apply via the website.
Monday 26 June 2017:Booking.com boosts Backstreet
- The online giant has awarded Backstreet Academy the top grant of $480,000 in its startups Booster Program. Backstreet aims to expand its peer-to-peer travel platform across Southeast Asia and further afield.
Wednesday 21 June 2017:TripAdvisor creates storyboards
- The new photo tool gives property owners the opportunity to combine their best photos and top reviews into a promotional preview. Each storyboard replaces the existing static photo that heads a listing's page. The new feature for TripAdvisor Advantage Preferred Access subscribers is joined by the ability to showcase recent reviews at the top of a listing and enhancements to the analytics tool.
Friday 16 June 2017:Eurowings creates new website
- The European carrier has focused on accessibility, with the site featuring a simplified navigation, new structuring and compatibility with screen readers. The development is part of a wider modernisation project within the airline known as MakeMyWay.
Checkfront launches site builder
- The online booking platform provider is adding Site Builder to its portfolio of products so that travel-related businesses can create their own custom website. A customer's site will integrate into their existing booking engine. Checkfront has customers in 128 countries around the world.
Friday 9 June 2017:Expedia in tune with music
- The online travel agency has collaborated with producer Daniel Land to collect performances from musicians around the world, all using the same piece of music and key. Sixteen performances are featured in the World In Tune project, coming from countries as diverse as Sri Lanka, Spain, Korea and Nigeria.
Tuesday 6 June 2017:KLM social customer service
- KLM will now allow passengers to obtain booking confirmations, check-in notifications, boarding passes and flight status updates via WeChat and Twitter direct messages. The move follows similar functionality made available on Facebook Messenger.
TripIt photo sharing
- Members of the travel itinerary app can upload content directly to Facebook Camera, as well as take photos and videos and share instantly to a profile page. Some "special effects" (filters) for content have also been built into the app.
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