Tag Archives: EMEA

Sabre Corporation has initiated a hiring plan in response to new customer wins and increased demand in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. This expansion focuses on strengthening Sales, Strategy, and Customer Support departments to enhance service delivery and support for Sabre’s strategic initiatives. Sabre is focused on its strategic initiatives and efforts to leverage next-generation technology across the travel ecosystem. To support these actions, Sabre is expanding its team in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Portugal, among other countries in the region. Richard Addey, Senior Regional Director for Western Europe and Africa, said “We have a growing customer base in France, and our expansion efforts will help ensure we continue to meet and exceed their expectations. By strengthening our team, we are reinforcing our commitment to delivering top-tier service and innovative solutions to our valued customers in the region.” Andreas Syrigos, Senior Regional Director for Southern Europe & Nordics, commented: “Countries like Spain and Portugal are rapidly expanding for Sabre, while others, such as Italy, show consistent progress. Our teams are being reinforced with positions covering Technology Consultancy, Product Support, and Sales & Account Management.” “With our commitment and new expansion plans, this is an exciting time for Sabre, particularly in the Middle East,” stated Ramzi Al-Qassab, Managing Director of Sabre Middle East. “We are expanding our highly specialized, customer-focused teams, advancing innovative technology, and providing impactful travel solutions in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman.” “These expansion plans support our ongoing focus on our strategic initiatives,” said Sean McDonald, Managing Director and Vice President of Sabre in EMEA. “The recent launch of various Sabre solutions marks a new era for the industry, …

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts announced its participation in the Arabian Travel Market, set to take place in Dubai between May 6th and 9th. The company will highlight its latest achievements in the industry, which span recent and upcoming property openings, elevated culinary and wellbeing experiences, new summer offerings, and more. The Arabian Travel Market has been a pivotal gateway to global travel and tourism growth for over three decades, bringing together industry leaders and innovators from around the world. With a focus on unlocking business potential across all travel sectors, including MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) and luxury travel, Arabian Travel Market stands as the premier event that unites the entire industry. During the event, Adrian Messerli, Four Seasons’ President of Hotel Operations, EMEA, will take part in the “Trends Shaping the Future of Hospitality in the Middle East” session, having an in-depth discussion with other executives in the industry. Hotel Openings Four Seasons participation at the event shines a spotlight on its newest hotel openings, marking the brand’s strategic expansions into iconic destinations in the MENA region and beyond. This includes the launch of Four Seasons Resort and Residences at The Pearl-Qatar, which is now welcoming international travellers and local guests with an all-new luxury lifestyle offering. The brand has also announced new destinations set to open in 2024, such as Four Seasons Hotel Rabat at Kasr Al Bahr and Mumbai Private Residences, in addition to Ocean Club Private Residences in the Bahamas, which will start welcoming guests in 2027. Upgrades and Renovations Committed to elevating the standards of luxury hospitality, the company has also been upgrading its rooms and amenities across various properties. At Four Seasons adria, …

Hospitality technology solutions providers WorldVue® and Infrateq have announced they have signed an agreement that will mark the entry of WorldVue’s full tech stack into the EMEA region powered by Infrateq. Nearly 50 years in business, WorldVue (formerly known as World Cinema) has been a trusted provider of video, digital infrastructure, wireless connectivity and professional services to hotels, residential properties and enterprises across the world. A family-owned business headquartered in the United States, WorldVue has offices in the Americas, UK, Netherlands, Mexico City, Dubai, Singapore and Australia. Michael Vargosko, Managing Director International Operations at WorldVue commented: “This agreement couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. As we close in on managing a million rooms installed globally, the business has been focused on strategic international growth with EMEA as a top priority, which was cemented by the appointment of Julian Daniel as Vice President of Operations EMEA earlier this year.  Through our alliance with Infrateq our full offering, including IPTV, ISP and wired and wireless network solutions, will be available in EMEA and we will work closely with the team to ensure smooth and seamless operations with the goal to fully integrate the business.” Specialized in IT infrastructure project design, deployment and management for the hospitality industry, Infrateq designed solutions are approved by leading vendors and international hotel chains, using decades of industry experience of their team plus a network of over 50 verified local partners. Infrateq has extensive coverage in the EMEA region through its hubs in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Europe and the UK. “This is a very exciting milestone for the company,” said Gary Carscadden, CEO & Founder of Infrateq. “WorldVue will bring its North …

Kiwi.com and Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology provider powering the global travel industry, announced a new strategic partnership. The agreement will see Kiwi.com leverage Sabre’s well-established global position to support its continued growth and expand its market reach. Since its foundation in 2012, Kiwi.com has grown into one of the most successful online travel businesses of the past decade, offering the content of more than 800 ground and air carriers from around the world. Already well-established in numerous markets, particularly across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), the company is looking to further improve its competitive position and advance its global market share. Sabre is the premier global distribution system (GDS) in the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region and will fuel Kiwi.com with unique content, competitive pricing, state-of-the-art business intelligence and online expertise. “We are looking to serve our customers even more effectively and deliver a seamless experience, which will set us up for success once the travel industry enters a phase of recovery,” said Gilles Karlé, Chief Strategy Officer at Kiwi.com.  “Sabre is the right addition to our partnerships to help us increase our footprint across the globe; we appreciate its responsiveness amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its continued investment in innovative technology.” “To fuel recovery, travel tech companies like Kiwi.com need access to the broadest range of content”, said Madhavan Kasthuri, senior director – online EMEA for Sabre Travel Solutions. “Kiwi.com is already a proven industry innovator that is delivering a highly sophisticated end-to-end experience to its customers. In addition, it is now providing increased choice and flexibility, which is crucial in helping gain peoples’ trust to travel again. We are looking forward …

Radisson Hotel Group continues to expand its new brand architecture and further strengthen its presence across EMEA. The new signings re-affirm the Group’s commitment to its ambitious 5-year development plan. Elie Younes, Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer, Radisson Hotel Group, said, “Our business is based on long term relationships built on trust and responsibility. Despite the unprecedented challenges we face, we continue to work closely with our stakeholders to support the business. We consequently expanded our footprint in Italy, France, Austria, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, the UAE and across Africa. This is thanks to the relevance of our brands and the dedication of our team. We are grateful to our hotel owners for trusting our brands and people” The fifteen new signings mark key milestones: Addition of six new hotels in Africa bringing the total to almost 100 hotels across 32 African markets; Cementing the groups’ position in Ukraine as the largest international operator with 7 hotels and 1,355 rooms in operation and under development; Further cementing the group’s leading position in Russia with two additional hotels; Third signing of the Radisson RED brand in Austria; Two new signings in the most renowned ski destination in Italy boosting the group’s portfolio to 10 hotels in operation and under development; and One new Radisson Blu property on the picturesque island of Santorini, one of the world´s most popular resort destinations.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced the debut of La Quinta by Wyndham in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa) market with the opening of the 404-room La Quinta by Wyndham Istanbul Gunesli, bringing the brand to travellers outside of the Americas for the first time.  La Quinta by Wyndham is a leading upper-midscale brand at over 900 hotels across North and Latin America, offering contemporary design, thoughtful amenities and friendly service. Wyndham acquired La Quinta’s hotel franchise and hotel management businesses in 2018, further building upon the company’s diverse family of hotel brands and offerings around the world. La Quinta by Wyndham Istanbul Gunesli is one of the latest additions to Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ presence in Turkey, where the company is the largest international hotel group with over 80 hotels all across the country. Dimitris Manikis, President & Managing Director for EMEA, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said, “We are thrilled to welcome La Quinta and its long-standing reputation for delivering quality, reliability and a great guest experience to the EMEA region, further expanding our offering of brands in such an important market like Turkey. With a record of over 13 million international visitors in 2018 alone and an incredible variety of historical, cultural and business sites, Istanbul is one of the world’s most attractive cities for travel, making it the perfect fit for La Quinta’s European debut.”

Travelport has announced two new leadership for its Agency Commerce teams in the Americas and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In the Americas, Simon Ferguson will become Managing Director, Agency Commerce for the region which spans the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Ferguson takes over from Bret Kidd who will be taking an alternative role within Travelport. Simon will relocate from London, where he currently oversees Travelport’s Northern Europe region and will be based in Atlanta from July 1. Ferguson is a graduate of Sheffield University whose earlier career included leadership positions in travel technology and media before joining Travelport in 2011. In 2017, Travelport’s revenue in the Americas was over $700m. In EMEA, Damian Hickey will take on the role of Managing Director, Agency Commerce following the departure of Rabih Saab earlier this year.  Hickey will take up the role from June 1 and will relocate to Travelport’s Langley, UK base from Singapore, where he currently oversees Travelport’s Air Commerce business in the Asia-Pacific region. Hickey has been at Travelport since 2012 in a number of leadership roles. He is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and has worked in the travel technology sector for over twenty years. In 2017, Travelport’s revenue in the region exceeded $1bn.