Sabre, HelloGbye partner to give TMCs AI automation services

Sabre is taking another step forward in its use of artificial intelligence with a new partnership with Toronto-based HelloGbye.

With HelloGbye’s patented AI-Assist technology integrated into Sabre’s supplier content APIs, travel management companies will be able to respond to travelers’ email requests with curated and ranked itinerary recommendations, without the need for manual intervention from a travel agent. The companies say using AI in this way frees agents to devote time to more complex and service-oriented tasks. 

“With HelloGbye’s AI-Assist technology, we are enabling corporate agents to service email and text-based travel requests far more efficiently without the need for corporate travelers to complete online booking forms,” says Marcos Pinedo, vice president of partner solutions of Sabre Travel Solutions.

“With the tight integration of HelloGbye’s platform with Sabre’s APIs, TMCs will now be able to service a channel that was typically time consuming and difficult to manage. At Sabre, we are paving the way for innovation through AI-automation platforms like HelloGbye to provide increased value to our customers.”

In addition to automating the servicing of inbound travel requests, the integration of HelloGbye will enable Sabre’s TMC clients to apply corporate policy for individual customers; to rank the top results based on traveler preferences and corporate rates; and to integrate all available Sabre API content and with third-party platforms such as Salesforce.

“We are listening to the market,” says Greg Apple, chief revenue officer for HelloGbye. 

“And automating email requests is just the beginning. We understand that COVID19 has put a lot of pressure on TMCs financially. We are here to help them emerge stronger from the pandemic through automation and be ready to service traveler demand far more efficiently once travel returns.”

In October, Sabre announced it is working with Google to develop an AI-driven platform called Sabre Travel AI. And in November, Sabre revealed more details about the system’s first product – the Sabre Smart Retail Engine that will officially launch in early 2021. The tool will integrate Sabre’s dynamic offer management and customer segmentation capabilities with Google’s merchandising solution to use real-time shopping data, available content and AI/machine learning-based decision models to generate personalized offer bundles that include dynamic pricing and ancillary products. 

Sabre and Google first announced their partnership in January 2020 – a 10-year deal structured around three main initiatives – improving Sabre’s technology capability, using Google Cloud tools to enhance and optimize travel and driving broader innovation.

At The Phocuswright Conference 2020 in November, Sabre CEO Sean Menke discussed the company’s interest in AI in an interview with PhocusWire’s Linda Fox, below.