Tag Archives: Sabre Corporation

Eirad International Tours and Travels has signed a new technology agreement with Sabre Corporation to expand its reach in the region and enrich the customer experience. The agreement provides Eirad International Tours and Travels with continued access to Sabre’s portfolio of innovative technology across the region, including its industry-leading workflow Sabre Red 360 and the latest mobile, data analytics, personalisation and automation capabilities.  Using this technology, the agency is able to differentiate its offering, compete more effectively and grow faster in the region. “We need a technology partner which is aware of the market development and can lead us through the many transformations happening in the travel industry,” said Bandar Saad AlMalki, Deputy General Manager, Eirad International Tours and Travels.  “Saudi Arabia is a dynamic market with a great potential that requires customised solutions to meet the unique requirements of its travellers,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Middle East.

Sabre Corporation, the leading global travel technology provider, in partnership with TrendWatching—global consumer trends and insights experts—has released a consumer trends study explaining the ‘Retail Revolution’ in the hospitality industry. “Technology is changing the expectations of today’s traveller. They demand flexibility, optionality and a seamless shopping experience that goes beyond booking a guest room. This presents exciting opportunities for hoteliers to extend far beyond their traditional offerings,” said Clinton Anderson, President of Sabre Hospitality Solutions. The report details how innovative retail and hospitality players are harnessing six key consumer trends to drive innovation and improve their guest experience. It includes actionable insights to fuel creativity and gain a deeper understanding of how concepts can be applied to provide guests with convenience, relevance, fun, recognition and support – the things they crave in today’s retail-driven environment. Trend 1 -Sentient spaces Travellers are increasingly aware of an ever-growing ecosystem of cameras and sensors. Although sensitive to security concerns, they crave personalisation and are willing to share their data to get it. Truly smart physical spaces – retail stores, hotel rooms and more – are now built with technology ranging from facial recognition to robots that create experiences tailored to the guests moving through them.  Trend 2 – A-CommerceRetailers have mastered the use of algorithms and smart devices to increase convenience and serve up intuitive recommendations at crucial moments. Busy travellers will increasingly expect the same experience from their travel providers. Developing capabilities to automate shopping, selecting and purchasing activities will allow hoteliers to deliver increased simplicity – and a more meaningful experience – to their guests. Trend 3 – Village squaredSmart retailers are responding to society’s increasing sense of isolation by transforming …

Sabre Corporation announced the signing of a long-term agreement with Magnum Travel Services, a travel management company fully owned by World Travel Services, one of the most well-established travel companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain.  Through the renewed partnership, Magnum will extend its use of Sabre’s industry-leading technology and solutions to expand its footprint regionally and explore the online travel space. World Travel Services has worked with Sabre for more than a decade to enable corporate travel companies to enhance the experience for its business travellers. Magnum Travel Services will continue to use Sabre’s shopping, booking and travel management solutions to provide more personalised services and rich content to corporate travellers while driving new revenue opportunities, operational efficiencies and productivity. “New technology is driving higher expectations from travellers, and there’s now a greater demand for more personalised travel, online and mobile services,” said Hisham El Saadi, CEO, Magnum Travel Service. “Magnum Travel Services’ appetite for innovation is a driving force behind its growth and expansion in Bahrain, and we are proud to support its strategic plans through our technology solutions,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Middle East.

Apiso and Sabre Corporation announced a long-term partnership to increase virtual payments adoption in the travel industry across the Middle East region. The partnership, and resulting technical integration between Apiso and Sabre, will promote Apiso’s unique product offering as the preferred payment solution for Sabre Virtual Payments’ customers in the fast-growing Middle East. It will also enable Sabre to scale the volume of payment transactions processed through its global distribution system (GDS) and other technology solutions globally. “Sabre’s virtual payment technology and its extensive distribution reach coupled with Apiso’s advanced technical solutions and payment integration will enable us to jointly deliver compelling products to help regional and international travel companies to optimise their payments workflow, drive revenue and profitability,” said Andrew Sims, Director, Apiso. “We are excited about this partnership that will provide advanced, reliable, secured and flexible virtual payment solutions to the region.” Sabre Virtual Payments’ network of strategic banking partners enables it to effectively meet specific regional needs while providing a comprehensive global solution. “Sabre Virtual Payments continues to expand our strategic partnerships to ensure a comprehensive solution that optimises travel payments globally,” said Salman Syed, Vice President, Sabre EMEA. “Our partnership with Apiso helps us deploy Sabre Virtual Payments with flexible facilities such as multi-currency and multi-channel options, increase the value of our regional offerings in the Middle East and provide customers with a global payment solution that meets their specific payment needs.” Apiso works with back-end financial services providers that are members of the global payment schemes to automate the provision and administration of virtual cards for B2B supplier payments across multiple industry segments.

Sabre Corporation has appointed Aditya Varma as Regional Director for Sabre Travel Network Middle East (STNME) based in the region’s headquarters in Bahrain. Varma will lead the sales operations and customer relationships for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar, key growth countries for Sabre in the Middle East. He is tasked with managing customer relationships, as well as identifying and executing commercial and new sales opportunities to help accelerate growth in the region. “Varma has extensive sales and customer management experience across multiple regions which makes him a great addition to our leadership team,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, Vice President, STNME. “As we continue our mission to reimagine the business of travel, his role will be essential in supporting our strategy and sales operations while we continue to identify innovative technology and solutions to drive our customers’ and the travel business forward.” Varma brings more than 20 years of experience in the aviation and travel industry. He has worked across multiple geographies including the Middle East, Africa, India sub-continent and Russia managing multinational teams and growing his sales excellence expertise. Varma joins Sabre from Travelport where he was the Regional Manager for distributor markets in Middle East & South Asia. Prior to this, he held senior commercial positions with KLM and Air Arabia; the first low cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East. He holds an MBA from the University of Leicester.  

Al Murshed Travel and Tourism has inked an exclusive deal with Sabre Corporation to gain continued access to Sabre’s portfolio of innovative technology and its intelligent platform Sabre Red 360, allowing it to effectively harness data and deliver superior content to its travellers.  This unique technology will help enable the travel company to differentiate its offering, compete more effectively and grow faster in the region, as well as expand into the online sector. “As its long-standing technology partner, we are committed to supporting its plans to enter the online space and providing industry leading technology to support its growth. This is aligned with our desire to empower travel companies to become true travel consultants, and to grow and compete with global players,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. As a key part of its goal to leverage the growth of online travel in the Middle East, Al Murshed Travel is investing in the latest technology and solutions to advance the services and content it offers its travellers. “We are working to leverage its expertise and innovations to grow in the online space and serve our customers even better and more efficiently in the future,” said Salah Al Murshed, Commercial Director, Al Murshed Travel and Tourism.  

One of the leading travel agencies in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Al Khunaizi Travel, has signed a long-term agreement with Sabre Corporation, the leading technology provider to the global travel industry. Under this agreement, Al Khunaizi will continue to access Sabre’s marketplace of more than 400 airlines, 750,000 hotel properties, and hundreds of tour operators, rail, car and cruise providers, giving Al Khunaizi the opportunity to sell personalised travel packages from suppliers all over the world. The agency accesses the marketplace through the Sabre Red 360 platform, which features a customisable and intuitive user experience using data-driven insights to guide travel consultants. “New technology is driving changes in consumer behaviour and traveller expectations, and there’s now a greater demand for more personalised services,” said Ammar Al Khunaizi, CEO, Al Khunaizi Travel. “Sabre’s advanced technology and expertise, combined with its skilled team, have helped optimise our business, and cemented our position as a pioneer in delivering new traveller experiences. We look forward to growing with Sabre and delivering a superior personalised travel service to our customers.” “As traveller expectations evolve, so must the travel industry, and travel management companies that embrace advancements in data, online and mobile will continue to stay relevant in today’s fast-changing world,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “Our advanced technology and network of travel suppliers will help Al Khunaizi to offer a wealth of choice to its travellers and provide personalised and seamless traveller experiences.”

Bahwan Travel Group, the leading travel company in the Sultanate of Oman, has chosen to renew its technology agreement with Sabre Corporation. Under the new agreement, Bahwan Travel will benefit from Sabre’s latest technology and solutions to accelerate business growth in Oman and the region. This renewal provides Bahwan Travel with continued access to Sabre’s portfolio of innovative technology across the region, including its industry-leading Sabre Red 360 agency solution and the latest data analytics, personalisation and automation capabilities. “As online travel is growing year-over-year, it is imperative for us to invest in our online platform, and provide our customers with a more personalised and seamless travel shopping experience,” said Gururaj, General Manager, Bahwan Travel Group. “Sabre by far is the most advanced technology provider in the travel industry; its global expertise in online travel, impressive dedication, and scale of cutting-edge technology made it a logical choice to help us grow our business, be more efficient, and add value for customers.” “As travellers’ expectations rise in line with technology adoption, Bahwan Travel Group understands the role of technology in serving its tech-savvy travellers,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, Vice-President, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “Bahwan Travel has a strong vision for growth in the online space and we are working with the team to provide technology, expertise and best practices to build its competitive advantage as a leading online travel agency in the region.” Bahwan Travel Group will have access to Sabre’s marketplace of more than 420 airlines, 750,000 hotel properties, and hundreds of tour operators, rail, car and cruise providers, enabling it to sell personalised travel packages from suppliers all over the world. The agency accesses the marketplace through the new …

Sabre Corporation is sponsoring the Travel Technology Theatre at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2019), from April 28 to May 1, 2019. Executive speakers from Sabre and guest customers will participate in the seminar programme and showcase latest technology in the travel and hospitality sector including NDC, emerging technology, retailing and digitalisation and discuss industry challenges and opportunities. Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Middle East will be present at the event seminar and speak about the evolution of the travel industry in the Middle East and how can companies leverage new trends and technology to respond to customers’ expectations. “This is such an exciting time for the travel sector. The industry is evolving, constantly adapting to the increasing expectations of tech-travelers, which are higher and more diverse than ever before,” said Iyer. “The rise of new technologies and trends are creating more opportunities for all players in the travel industry and we are here to support our customers and the market to learn about everything new in travel and how to leverage these opportunities.” Sabre is also highlighting through its seminar programme the evolution of travel distribution and how NDC is changing the landscape of the industry. “Due to growing pressure from the industry, travel suppliers are increasingly differentiating their offerings – looking to retail and merchandise to travellers in new ways – to maximize their revenues. Sabre isn’t waiting for NDC adoption – we believe it is just one component of a wider shift in retailing and distribution in the travel industry, and we are this year developing exciting new technology that will help suppliers to tell their stories effectively through the indirect channel.” Iyer added.

Sabre Corporation has announced the launch of Business Travel Services, the new consolidated solution suite from Sabre Hospitality Solutions offering hoteliers easy-to-use tools with time-saving automations and simplified processes, access to industry insights and expert guidance, unlimited access to travel management companies and consortia partners – all in one place. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is set to be one of the first hotel companies to use this solution. Business Travel Services will be available to hoteliers of all sizes from Summer 2019. The suite will consist of three historically separate elements that connect both sides of the corporate market – Nexus platform: A system of record for hotel groups used to manage all corporate contracts, sales performance and planning across teams and properties. Sabre Hotel RFP: An exclusive lead-generation tool that manages corporate business travel for more than 2,700 of the most travelled companies in the world. Corporate travel buyers make bids for properties to accept. Consortia Services: A tool that provides access and services to hotels looking to complete submissions to the top 30 consortia programmes. “As we listened to customers, it was clear there was a need for a more holistic approach to corporate hotel bookings,” said Clinton Anderson, President, Sabre Hospitality Solutions. “By combining our existing offerings and collaborating with IHG to further develop this solution suite, we will provide hoteliers, from enterprise to independent, the opportunity to make their rates available to a much broader audience.” “IHG has a long history of digital and technological innovation – and we’re currently rolling out our own hotel management tool, IHG Concerto, which allows us to partner with a range of solution providers. So, choosing to work with Sabre …