Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.
Amadeus names CFO
Carol Borg will join Amadeus as its new chief financial officer on May 5.
Most recently Borg, who has 30 years of experience, served as a group CFO at QinetiQ Group PLC, a FTSE250 multi-country defense and security company, based in the United Kingdom. Prior to that she served as CFO at Lightsource bp Renewal Energy.
"Carol’s wide breadth of industry and organizational experience as a Group CFO was a real attraction to us: her multi-decade career reflects a strong commitment to innovation throughout, and to delivering and enabling transformation and change for technology-focused multi-national organizations, often in complex financial environments," said Luis Maroto, president and CEO of Amadeus. "She will be a real asset to Amadeus."
Sabre Hospitality, Loco Partners
Sabre Hospitality has partnered with Japan's Loco Partners.
As part of their partnership, Loco Partners will connect hotels in Japan to the global travel marketplace through Sabre's global distribution system (GDS). Sabre will see an increased presence in Japan and hotels will see increased visibility as a result of the pairing.
“Japan is a key growth market for us, and this agreement is a step forward in our strategy to enable technological advancement for Japanese hoteliers, while bringing increased and enhanced content to the global travel marketplace,” said Frank Trampert, senior vice president and global managing director of community sales for Sabre Hospitality. 'We're very excited about the potential this partnership holds in increasing the visibility and accessibility of Japan’s diverse accommodations on a global scale.”
Dohop interlining
Dohop has announced that Air Europa is joining easyJet's alternative interline platform, Worldwide by easyJet.
Dohop's technology powers the partnership which adds 25 destinations and 5,000 new weekly connections to easyJet's network and allows passengers to book multi-airline itineraries seamlessly, boosting connectivity for both airlines.
"We are proud to support easyJet and Air Europa as they come together through our technology, bringing even more connectivity to their passengers," said Sarah Hanan, chief commercial officer of Dohop. "This partnership is a prime example of how alternative interlining can unlock new possibilities for airlines and travellers alike."
Amex GBT, Lufthansa Group
American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) has expanded its partnership with Lufthansa Group to improve the availability of NDC fares.
The renewed agreement aims to increase NDC content across Amex GBT’s platforms, including exclusive rates and promotions from Lufthansa, Swiss, Brussels, Austrian and Discover Airlines.
“We are excited to strengthen our continued partnership with Amex GBT, as we work together to deliver robust, NDC-enabled solutions for our joint corporate customers," said Heinrich Lange, vice president of digital retailing for Lufthansa Group. "This collaboration empowers us to enhance servicing capabilities, offering a seamless and personalized experience, while providing better value fares and exclusive offers.”
Alaska Airlines, Volantio
Volantio has announced a 10-year extension of its partnership with Alaska Airlines, continuing the use of its AI-driven re-commerce platform.
Since 2018, the platform has helped Alaska optimize capacity by offering flexible travelers incentives to switch to less crowded flights, generating more than $20 million annually in incremental revenue.
“Our product creates a triple-win for Alaska: Allowing last-minute travelers to access more peak flights, flexible travelers to earn rewards for shifting their plans and Alaska to generate incremental profit without additional operational or fuel costs,” said Azim Barodawala, co-founder and CEO of Volantio.
Precision, Finmont
Precision, a fintech solution from Etraveli Group, and payment management specialist FinMont have partnered to combat payment fraud in the travel sector.
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The collaboration integrates Precision's fraud prevention technology with FinMont’s payment orchestration platform, creating a tailored solution for travel payments.
Blockskye's loyalty push
Blockskye has introduced B360, a payment platform linking consumer loyalty cards with business travel management. B360 allows corporations to use consumer credit cards for travel payments, offering loyalty benefits while maintaining reporting and duty of care standards. United Airlines will be the launch supplier for Blockskye 360.
Blockskye has also appointed Danielle Cavnor as vice president of sales to drive its growth in global enterprises seeking streamlined travel, payments, and expense management. Cavnor, a former PwC executive will report to chief commercial officer Hank Benedetti.
Dolphin Dynamics, TUI
Dolphin Dynamics has extended its booking capture module to support TUI bookings, simplifying vacation booking management for travel agents.
The integration allows agents to seamlessly import TUI booking details into Dolphin’s back-office platform with one click, reducing manual data entry. The enhancement streamlines workflows and ensures agents always have the most up-to-date information, even if a booking is updated on TUI's portal.
RMS appoints Adam Seskis as CEO
RMS has a new CEO. Adam Seskis will now lead the hospitality property management platform as it seeks to expand globally, improve customer experience and bolster offerings.
Seskis comes into the role with more than 25 years of experience in both public and private-equity backed software-as-a-service, software and other technology-enabled businesses including stints at Wolters Kluwer and Epiq. Seskis has also served as an advisor to private equity firms on the matters of mergers and acquisitions, commercial strategy and portfolio optimization. Most recently, Adam has advised private equity firms on portfolio optimization, M&A, and commercial strategy.
Under his leadership, the company will prioritize building on its guest data collected over 40 years to better customer insights and make guest experiences more personalized and seamless.
Immfly, Flair Airlines
Immfly, which provides digital onboard solutions, is partnering with Canada's Flair Airlines.
The partnership will bring Immfly's technology onboard Flair's flights. Starting in February Flair's fleet of 20 Boeing 737 planes will be equipped with the technology that includes a crew app including a back-office system to help with onboard operations. And in March, passengers will be able to use in-seat ordering for items such as food and drink from their personal devices through Immfly's wireless portal.
“Our collaboration with Flair Airlines focuses on delivering exceptional passenger and crew experiences while serving as a strategic partner to enhance operations and drive new revenue opportunities,” said Pablo Linz, founder and CEO of Immfly. “This partnership represents a key step in our North American growth, aligning with our vision to revolutionize the in-flight experience globally.”
Bob W expansion
Bob W is launching in Dortmund, Germany with a 52-unit serviced apartment offer that will live in a former post-office.
The short term rental company has exchanged a contract with real estate group Aroundtown for the offering. This will mark the fifth German city in which Bob W has a presence.
"Our expansion into Dortmund is the latest step in Bob W’s mission to revolutionize the hospitality industry across Europe," said Niko Karstikko, co-founder of Bob W. "The Alte Post building is a fantastic addition to our portfolio and a great example of how we’re breathing new life into older properties."
HomeExchange launches in India
Home-swap network HomeExchange has launched in India.
The Paris-based company aims to enable Indian travelers to explore in a more authentic, affordable and sustainable way with the launch in the country and access to homes in 155 countries.
“We’re excited to bring HomeExchange to India, a market that values authentic and safe travel,” said Charles-Edouard Girard, co-founder of HomeExchange. “It’s not just where you stay, but how you connect with people and cultures in a transformative way. With over 210,000 members and a new exchange finalized every minute, we offer a verified, members-only community. Plus, with property damage coverage up to 1,000,000 USD, Indian travelers can feel confident and secure throughout their journey.”
HomeExchange plans to set up a strategic hub in Delhi NCR to oversee operations and aims to add 3,000 to 5,000 homes in India to its network within the first year.
*Some of these news briefs were created with the help of ChatGPT.