Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.
Sabre partnerships
Sabre has announced a new multi-year agreement with Saga Travel Group, a travel provider for customers over the age of 50 in the United Kingdom.
"We're converting our business to Sabre because their strategic partner program will cement key partnerships with industry and technology providers", said John Constable, CEO at Saga Travel Group. "Sabre has demonstrated an understanding of our business objectives and has given us the tools to support our goals.”
Sabre has also announced an expanded distribution agreement with TAP Air Portugal.
This agreement allows Sabre-connected travel agents to start placing activation requests for NDC offers. Once activated, they can book TAP Air Portugal NDC offers alongside the airline’s traditional EDIFACT content.
SITA, Arab Air Carriers Organization
Aviation technology provider SITA and the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) are driving forward SITA Eco Mission, a data driven
solution that will assist airlines on their journey to become more sustainable.
This partnership aims to equip airlines with the tools they need to
meet the key challenges in the industry, which include gathering accurate,
real-time data on emissions and fuel consumption, reducing operational costs
and
compliance with complex environmental regulations.
"Our ongoing
collaboration with AACO is a testament to what can be achieved when industry
expertise meets technological innovation," said David Lavorel, CEO of SITA.
"As we face unprecedented
environmental challenges, achieving sustainability in aviation demands more
than compliance — it calls for a visionary approach. Together with AACO, we are
advancing a solution that tackles these challenges directly, paving the way for
a fresh, practical approach to environmental responsibility that moves the
industry closer to its goals."
Uber Business launches delegate booking
Uber for Business, the company's corporate travel management platform, has launched Delegate Booking in the United Kingdom, enabling executive assistants to take control of transport arrangements for executives.
The new tool enables assistants to request rides, order premium vehicles (Uber Business Comfort, Uber Business Exec and Lux) and reserve trips in advance, for anyone who grants them permission to book rides using their business profile.
"Managing ground transport can be extremely challenging, even for the most capable of executive assistants,” said Jenna Brown, director of Uber for Business UK.
“It can be difficult to stay in control if there are last minute changes of plan, specific requests are made or things, such as the receipt, go missing. Delegate Booking has been designed to give assistants the help they need in these situations. It is enabling them to handle travel arrangements before, during and after the trip – so they can manage any unforeseen circumstances should they ever need to.”
Ryanair, SAP Concur
Ryanair has announced its partnership with expense management platform SAP Concur.
This new partnership allows corporate travelers to book via the new Concur Travel through a direct connection, which allows direct access to Ryanair’s low fares and network of city connections across Europe. In addition, users will benefit from the convenience of booking details being fed into SAP Concur solution. They also won’t have to complete Ryanair’s Customer Verification making business travel experience more seamless.
“This is great news for the business travel world as corporate travelers will now be able to access Ryanair’s low fares and industry leading route network of 3,600 daily flights across 240 airports, conveniently through Concur Travel, giving them more choice and flexibility for their business trips,” said Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady.
“Our low fares and high frequency schedules cater perfectly for business travel, saving money and time for businesses.”
Accelya launches FLX ONE and FLX One Delivery
Airline distribution technology specialist Accelya has launched of two products enabling end-to-end retailing capabilities.
FLX ONE is a platform that enables airlines go take full control of their end-to-end offer, order settle and delivery (OOSD) retailing journey and FLX One Delivery is a solution streamlining airport processes.
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"We are delighted to announce the launch of FLX ONE, a proven and future-ready platform that gives airlines full control of their retailing” said Sam Gilliland, CEO of Accelya.
“FLX ONE is fully open and API-driven, allowing airlines to move away from legacy systems at their own pace, integrate the technologies they choose and avoid the lock-in of other providers.”
Oracle OPERA Cloud updates
Hotel technology specialist Oracle has announced that guest engagement and merchandising capabilities are available directly within the Oracle OPERA Cloud property management system (PMS).
These new features allow reservation screens to automatically generate personalized offers such as room upgrades, amenities and services throughout the pre-arrival and check-in process. In addition, with the enhanced visibility of offers and statuses throughout hotel workflows, staff can now engage with guests in a natural manner.
"We are always looking for ways to improve efficiency and enhance our guests’ experiences, and OPERA Cloud has exceeded our expectations on both fronts,” said Jeff Aldrich, director of revenue strategy at Outrigger Kāƀanpali Beach Resort.
“The new guest engagement and merchandising system is incredibly seamless, and our front office hosts love it, finding it much more intuitive. With Oracle’s automated upsell process, it has streamlined our check-in procedures, reduced wait times and provided a smoother arrival experience for our guests.”
FLYR upgrade
Airline and hospitality technology platform FLYR has upgraded its business intelligence platform with a new edition of FLYR Hospitality Insights.
The new edition of FLYR Hospitality Insights will revolutionize how hotel revenue managers, commercial teams and management companies interact with and analyze their performance data.
"This update to FLYR Hospitality Insights represents a significant leap forward in how the hotel industry can harness and interpret data," said Jens Munch, chief strategy officer of hospitality at FLYR.
"With new functionality like natural language querying, we are breaking down barriers for users, enabling them to ask complex questions and receive meaningful insights without needing advanced technical knowledge."
Quicktext, GIATA
Quicktext, an AI hotel chatbot, has announced the renewal of its partnership with GIATA, a provider of content and technology solutions for the tourism and travel industry.
As the AI industry advances, one of the key challenges we’ve identified in hospitality is ensuring these systems are built on accurate, comprehensive and reliable data,” said Cristian Boiangiu, director of hospitality solutions at GIATA.
“Without such data, AI cannot meet the evolving expectations of today’s travelers. While we are proud to be the global leader in hotel information standardization and distribution, we also feel a deep responsibility to push the industry forward, addressing not only the current needs of travelers but anticipating the demands of the future. We are excited to partner with Quicktext in shaping the next generation of AI-driven solutions that deliver the precision and trust travelers deserve.”
Zucchetti North America announces new customer support program
Hospitality solutions provider Zucchetti North America has launched a new customer support program.
The program is available to hotel clients 24/7, across their entire portfolio of operational solutions. In addition, it will enable clients to maximize the return on investment earned from their investments.
“In today’s competitive landscape, hoteliers are not just looking for tools; they’re looking for results and maximizing customer support responsiveness is key to unlocking the full potential of a hotel’s tech investment,” said Alison Cowan, vice president of sales at Zucchetti North America.
“By ensuring timely support across all support channels, we help our clients optimize their technology to capture more bookings and maximize revenue opportunities. As such, improved customer support directly translates to a higher ROI on our client’s tech spend and empowers them to stand out from the competition online.”
Joyned announces new chairman of board
Joyned, an AI platform that empowers consumers to book trips and plan holidays, has announced Asi Ginio as chairman of the board.
Ginio brings over 20 years of experience in the travel sector and has held several board positions in private and publicly traded companies. He is also the co-founder of travel distribution company Tourico Holidays, that was acquired by Hotelbeds in 2017.
“The future travel buyer is experience-driven and communicates primarily on social media. Travel booking needs to reflect this by offering a more social and collaborative experience,” said Ginio. “Joyned’s innovative social revenue technology provides a groundbreaking loyalty advantage for travel brands. I’m excited to work with their forward-thinking team to push travel innovation to new heights.”
Meetingselect, Shiji Group
Meetings and events management platform Meetingselect is partnering with hospitality technology specialist Shiji Group.
The collaboration addresses the growing demand for efficient and automated meeting room management. With direct bookings made through the Meeting Booking Widget, venues will be able to handle large volumes of booking requests with ease.
“At Meetingselect, our goal is to provide venues with the tools they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world," said Anne Beekman, Meetingselect's director of technology partnerships.
"By integrating with Shiji PMS, we're helping venues enhance their efficiency and visibility, making it easier for them to attract and manage bookings from our extensive client base.”