Sabre Dev Studio is one year old. It is an open developer platform for those in and outside of the industry to easily access and integrate travel into their solutions via Sabre technology.
Sabre has learnt a lot over the past twelve months.
NB: This interview is published as part of Sabre's sponsored content agreement with Tnooz.
Greg Webb, executive vice president for Sabre and President of Sabre Travel Network, explains:
How is Sabre supporting developers?
First, we opened up our platform - key for developers wanting to build something in the travel space. Now they can come and learn about the different services we have and, get immediate access to a sandbox environment and resources.
We then introduced a new set of REST-enabled APIs, which are easy to consume and optimized for modern development technologies such as mobile.
Many of those APIs introduced new ways to shop for travel, enabling applications to respond to queries such as “Which beach destinations can I go to within my budget” or “When is the cheapest time for me to travel to my destination” – all with sub-second response times.
We base a lot of what we do from the feedback we get from developers and customers. For example, getting insight into which destinations consumers are booking flights to, or being able to see the historical trend of a particular fare – those services were launched in response to our customers' needs.
This past year, we have introduced nearly a dozen new services, on top of what we had originally launched with Sabre Dev Studio. We also have continued to build out different types of resources for developers – moving more aspects to take on a self-service model.
Why move to more of a self-service model?
Because it is what developers want. Today, when it comes to technology, developers expect to get what they need instantly.
In a perfect world, if a developer wants access to an API, they go to a site to learn more, instantly get access to play around and plug in their credit card number when they are ready to consume it live in production.
We might not be there on the last step, but you get a sense of the expectations that developers have in the technology industry.
We will always offer hands-on support but there is no reason not to provide an option for developers that can significantly cut down on their development efforts.
This also helps us. It lets our support teams concentrate on helping them build their business rather than troubleshooting access points or clarifying technical specs, etc.
Do you feel an open developer platform will facilitate cross industry opportunities? If so how?
The number of non-travel companies or individuals who have approached us since our launch proves we are tapping into a diverse group of developers and entrepreneurs. It leads to a blending of ideas across different industries and having an open platform makes those ideas much easier to realize.
Having an open developer platform isn’t new in the technology space. Why do you think the travel industry is only now starting to adapt to it?
The underlining systems in travel are so broad, you can’t just open up access to everything. There is a lot of sensitive information that can create security issues if it were misused.
But the reality is, to stay current we had to do something. We found a way to open up our doors, but keep our systems safe.
By providing developers a secure sandbox that doesn’t hit any of the backend systems in production, it allows them to play around with some of our services in a safe environment.
Trust me, it wasn’t easy and it took a lot of internal discussions to find a way to make this happen.
But, again in the end, it’s what developers need. Innovation comes from being easier to work with and with fewer barriers to entry.
What are some of the technology trends you are seeing?
Mobile is an obvious one. We see it in both our traditional and non-traditional customers. Many of the new companies we are working with are taking a mobile-first approach. It allows travel companies to address customers easily in a personalized way.
But we also found that if consumers are going to give you data, you need to know how to use it to deliver value.
Talking of data, data aggregation is another trend. Companies are figuring out how to process the enormous amount of data in the travel industry at the same time as looking at consumer data, social data and other sources.
It also covers finding ways to make shopping more automated and intelligent. We have seen an increase in machine learning and assistance. That is, apps that respond based on actual behaviors rather than pre-chosen preferences and interactions.
Take Hopper as an example. They let you save a trip and will notify you when there is a price change. It listens on the backend but is completely automated for the traveler.
Consumers are expecting their devices and apps to do the heavy lifting for them, placing more pressure on the developers to provide easy means to connect, aggregate, analyze, and deliver.
What about wearables? Will they catch on?
Wearables could easily catch on. Look at where we are today - we went from desktops to laptops to phones and tablets. We are literally walking around with a little computer in our pocket.
The question is, can you make a watch that has enough function? Can you make it usable? The key will be whether or not you can really incorporate it into travelers’ everyday lives.
We continue to offer services that work across any platform, including wearables. It will be interesting to see what gets created.
Have you identified new partners or products that you can introduce to your customers?
Yes, constantly. There are a lot of new B2B, B2C and hybrid products that have been developed using our platform.
Take Options Away as an example. It offers the ability for travelers to lock in the rate of a flight without holding the inventory.
They provide the solution in a few ways including an API that online agencies or TMCs can incorporate directly into their website. They are also building a Red App that is integrated into Sabre Red Workspace, our agency desktop. And it works directly with the consumer via its B2C site.
We also are seeing a lot of opportunities for strategic relationships with companies that could strengthen our own products and services - partnering with third party companies, buying their technology, there are lots of options.
Why is it important to engage with the startup community alongside traditional customers?
Startups help us learn about new businesses, trends, and technologies –They create an added value to our existing customers. For example we can pair a startup with a large OTA.
They can also be a good source for strategic product partnerships within Sabre in some cases.
Forming a relationship with startups before they get too big allows us to help them grow while at the same time they help us with valuable insights.
What are some of the new ways Sabre is engaging with customers/prospects since the launch of Dev Studio?
We show up places where we haven’t before. In the last year we’ve been part of nearly a dozen hackathons (including Tnooz's THack series), participated in general technology events like SXSW in Austin or TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco and created closer relationships with organizations like Incubators, Accelerators, and Co-working spaces.
It's events and organizations like these that have made us think more broadly about who our customers are.
What do you see evolving out of Dev Studio over the next few years?
We’re going to continue to increase the offering, provide easier access with more testing opportunities for our APIs – making it faster and easier.
The goal for us is having a developer experience that compares with leaders in the general technology space – not just travel. We look at what companies such as Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Evernote, etc. are doing.
There are a lot of successful developer platforms that we can learn from and our goal is to get to that level.
What advice would you give to those wanting to get into the travel space?
Make sure you don’t lose your excitement for travel. Some of the most successful people entering the industry didn’t have a travel background, but they brought their passion for travel. The passion for exploration. Don’t lose that.
NB: This interview is published as part of Sabre's sponsored content agreement with Tnooz.
NB2: For more information visit Sabre Dev Studio.