The latest systems news, launches and more from around the travel, tourism and hospitality industry in May 2013.
Thursday 30 May 2013:
- InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ) has announced Travelport Galileo’s partnership with India-based Matrix cellular that will allow travel agents to booking International SIM cards while making other travel related reservation in the GDS terminal.
- OpenJaw is opening up its T-Retail platform to developers and has unveiled the Tribe Developer Community with partners including MindTree, InterGlobal Technologies and Alliants. The Tribe API is open to approved developers who are working for or with OpenJaw customers. OpenJaw also hopes to open the API up to educational institutions and startups going forward.
Wednesday 29 May 2013:- Avoiding hotel check-in queues seems to be taking off at Aloft Hotels at least with the company announcing 10,000 guests have by passed the front desk in favour of Smart Check-In. The technology, a partnership with VingCard, is available across five hotels in the group and will be further extended this year.
Monday 27 May 2013:- Saudi Arabian Airlines partners with Amadeus for tools and tech development. The carrier is said to be the first worldwide to deploy the Amadeus Passenger Revenue Accounting system. Amadeus and the carrier will also be collaborating on the development on both ecommerce and mobile services.
Wednesday 22 May 2013:- Kempinski Hotels is using Nor 1's upsell technology eStandby Upgrade to offer guests deals on suites, spa treatments and other services when they book via the chain's website. Kempinski also plans to integrate Nor 1's FrontDesk Upsell technology to enable reception staff to offer deals when a guest checks in.
Tuesday 21 May 2013:- KDS and TheTrainLine extend long-term tech agreement. The UK train booking service will work with the KDS travel and expense management service to allow customers to compare rail with air tickets, live prices, availability and reservation tools.
- Sabre gets its first hotel tech partner in the UAE: Gloria Hotel Dubai. The four-star property will be using the Sabre WebExpress system to power its ecommerce platform including website, booking engine and SEO tools.
Monday 20 May 2013:- SignUp4 and Sabre Travel Network have unveiled a new Sabre Red App which integrates SignUp4’s Event and Travel Management Systems directly into the Sabre Red Workspace environment. As an attendee registers for the event on SignUp4, the agent is notified within the app and is able to then immediately create the PNR based upon the specific travel requirements noted by the traveler during registration.
Wednesday 15 May 2013:- OAG unveils real-time flight connection system. Connections Analyser uses existing schedule data to provide a dashboard for airports and other travel services to get an accurate picture of interchanges for passengers on connecting routes.
- Dublin Airport gets biometric gates via SITA. The iBorders technology will be used for some passengers arriving at the airport, allowing them to pass through immigration gates in what SITA says in under ten seconds.
Tuesday 14 May 2013:- Travelport and Rail Europe have joined forces to enable travel agents to print train tickets on 'value paper' (watermarked). The technology saves time and is more efficient by removing the need for bespoke printers.
- Amtrak and Siemens celebrate the completion of the first American=made electric locomotive in the Amtrak Cities Sprinter (ACS-64) program. Using 70 suppliers in 23 states, the $466 million program will update all 70 locomotives on the busy Northeast Corridor starting in Fall 2013 and ending in 2016.
Saturday 11 May 2013:- TripAdvisor selects TomTom for location data services. The user review service will use TomTom, the software and hardware company behind GPS units, to improve the pinpointing of all hotels, accommodation, restaurants and bars that feature on the TripAdvisor website.
Thursday 9 May 2013:- El Ajouz Travel agrees extension to IT contract with Sabre. The Lebanese travel agency uses Sabre for tools such as its reservation system.
Tuesday 7 May 2013:- Abacus and Conferma agree strategic partnership for virtual cards. The Conferma single use account and virtual card number services will be used by Abacus-connected agents in the Asia-Pacific region, including other payment services to corporate customers on the Abacus portfolio.
Sunday 5 May 2013:- Amadeus to deploy EMDs (Electronic Miscellaneous Documents) with Finnair. The deal is with the carrier is effective immediately and gives travel agents in Australia and New Zealand the ability to book ancillary services, like seat selection and extra baggage via the Amadeus system.
Saturday 4 May 2013:- Trondent rolls out an update to its pre-trip authorization product. The move enhances the way travel is portrayed to displayed to approvers and multiple fares to be declined by travelers, so approvers can ensure that the monitored travelers are always securing the most cost effective fares.
Friday 3 May 2013:- Arcplan and IDS NeXT agree tech partnership. The business planning software company and IDS NeXT will provide business intelligence tools to hospitality companies including hotels, resorts, restaurants and clubs.
- Leonardo Hotels extends contract with RateTiger by eRevMax. The software company will support the development of the chain's sales and distribution processes. The moves follows Leonardo's acquisition of 20 properties from the QMH Hotel Germany Group.
NB:Cloud, data, online image via Shutterstock.