Tag Archives: technology

Sojern announces the latest version of its Sojern Travel Marketing Platform with enhanced Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered audiences. Sojern has leveraged its long-standing AI capabilities to provide expanded support for more than 10,000 travel marketers annually. Customers include hotels and resorts of all sizes, destinations, attractions and airlines. “Our customers needed to respond swiftly to the rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape, so during the pandemic, we expanded our automation and AI capabilities. It all begins with data, specifically the Sojern Traveler Ecosystem™, which powers our platform with billions of travel intent signals from thousands of travel brands in every corner of the globe,” said Kurt Weinsheimer, Chief Solutions Officer at Sojern. “While AI is making headlines now, we’ve been harnessing its capabilities for years and are excited to announce these new updates. We have competitors that are just now building AI functionality, and I can tell you firsthand that it takes several years to develop and refine the sophisticated AI models that power our platform. Our 15 years of experience and deep technological expertise gives us a significant advantage in delivering results with AI-powered audiences in the latest iteration of our Platform.” Sojern’s AI-powered audiences offer travel marketers a strategic advantage in optimizing their marketing investments. By leveraging AI technology, marketers can make informed decisions on resource allocation, effectively targeting the right customer segments for maximum return on investment and business impact. Through automated audience segmentation and optimization, brands engage with relevant audiences in real time, achieving greater precision, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. In response to increasing demand for personalized experience, and 71% expressing their expectation of personalization from companies, Sojern’s data-driven approach enables brands to deliver highly tailored campaigns at scale …

According to a report from Accor, highly-personalised service is becoming the key differentiator for travel advisors. The report, titled ‘Tailor-Made Touch or Digital Efficiency?’, looks at the strategies, technologies and trends impacting leisure travel advisors in the recovery and beyond. It says that while continually digitally transforming their operations is of course vital, even more important is to develop the services and nurture the partnerships that can help them delight and connect with their customers on a level that is beyond what alternative intermediary models can achieve. The report, focused on the European market, outlines how the pandemic accelerated the transformation of the leisure travel intermediary market, with the widespread adoption of digital technology and many key players shifting their models in a bid to become platform businesses or b2b technology providers. It supports the notion that, used properly, technology from messaging platforms to payments and artificial intelligence can be travel advisors’ best friend, helping them to optimise their capacity with a wide variety of inventory; access powerful digital distribution channels; better understand their customers, market themselves and provide more sophisticated and efficient services. However, it argues that even more key to travel planners’ success as they evolve is the ability to get close to their customers, to provide the high-touch personalised service now expected by travellers. Saskia Gentil, SVP Sales, Europe & North Africa at Accor, explained: “Consumers increasingly value the ability of travel advisors to remove the stress from their trip, tailor it to their preferences, plan every last detail in a flexible way, and be the reassuring presence that takes care of problems when they arise. “The ability to provide this bespoke level of service is a …

Google Cloud and Qatar Airways have agreed to collaborate to set out the airline’s intention to explore leveraging Google Cloud’s data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to create superior customer experiences for its passengers. In 2022, Qatar Airways carried 18.5 million passengers across 150 destinations worldwide. This large volume of passengers drives an abundance of structured and unstructured data to the airline’s digital transformation unit. The proposed collaboration with Google Cloud is intended to help bring deeper meaning to Qatar Airways’ customer data through the power of Google’s data analytics, AI and machine learning (ML) solutions, including BigQuery and Vertex AI. This, in turn, will enable the airline to enhance the travel experience for passengers, providing them with offerings personalized to their individual needs, travel trends, and past travel history. Qatar Airways Chief Information Officer, Mr. A.T. Srinivasan, said, “Qatar Airways is a highly respected aviation leader which has always set benchmarks with its globally recognised and award-winning customer service. Google Cloud brings us the opportunity to build elasticity and scalability on demand, as we increasingly look to leverage both structured and unstructured data to personalise customer and employee experience. We will also leverage Google’s highly secure and diverse set of Cloud service offerings for optimising our airline and airport operations particularly in the areas of aircraft inventory, flight operations both on ground and in the air, as well as airport operations. We also look forward to collaborating with Google Cloud to try out some of their cutting-edge technology through this long-term partnership. The presence of a Cloud in Qatar gives us the assurance that our data stays in-country and we can focus on data and AI/ML led innovation …

In the presence of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, two significant agreements have been signed. The first agreement was a partnership focused on the integrated link between the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Aviation City Corporation, and the latter was signed for the same purpose between the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority. These agreements aim to foster enhanced cooperation and integrated link using ‘Web Service’ technology for issuing commercial activity permits in the aviation sector, thereby enabling immediate approvals from DCAA for commercial licensing transactions in the Al Maktoum International Airport and Dubai Airport Freezone. It also strengthens institutional information and data management cooperation, facilitating systematic integration. On this remarkable milestone, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: “This MoU is a strategic milestone in reshaping Dubai’s aviation industry and consolidates the emirate’s position as a global leader in digital transformation in the aviation industry. Integrating cutting-edge technology and digital solutions into Dubai’s aviation operations is not just a business strategy but a fundamental dedication to customers, partners, and the city’s future. By creating an environment that encourages the synergy of technology and human ingenuity, Dubai strives to achieve unprecedented efficiency and customer satisfaction.” The signing of the MoU outlined crucial objectives, including implementing Dubai’s paperless strategy through advanced technologies, establishing an integrated system for paperless governmental operations, and securing data exchange between entities. The MoU also seeks to automate the DACC’s verification of commercial licenses, providing customers with a seamless and streamlined experience via a single integrated link portal. The partnership agreement …

Within the framework of Kuwait Airways’ continuous endeavours to provide the best services and solutions to its valued customers, the company announced the launching of the Electronic Boarding Passes, as a new service enabling customers to check-in and complete their travel procedures on Kuwait Airways’ website or the electronic application for more than 22 selected stations, for those arriving to Kuwait. Speaking on the launch of this new service, the Chairman of Kuwait Airways, Captain Ali Al-Dukhan stated, “Kuwait Airways is committed to its tireless efforts to introduce the latest services that will enable passengers to save time and facilitate the completion of their travel procedures. The launch of the Electronic Boarding Pass is part of the Blue Bird’s efforts to implement its strategic objectives towards digital transformation, which is in line with the best standards and solutions in the aviation sector, and to provide distinguished services for passengers travelling on the National Carrier of the State of Kuwait. This is in addition to the recent launch of various other new services during the National Holidays, such as the Home Check-in Service and the Limousine Service for Royal and First Class passengers”. Al-Dukhan added, “Customers can check-in through the Kuwait Airways website or the electronic application, select their preferred seat, complete their reservation procedures, and then obtain the barcode for their flight. Passengers without any luggage can proceed directly to the passport control, show the barcode and head to the boarding gate, without the requirements of proceeding to the check-in counter to check their baggage allowance.” Al-Dukhan continued by saying, “As for passengers carrying baggage, they can complete their travel procedures either through the self-baggage weighing device according to its …

Sabre Corporation and Al Manal Travel, Tours and Cargo, Salalah, the Sultanate of Oman, have announced an exclusive multiyear technology agreement to help the agency advance its operations and provide travellers with personalized travel experiences. Al Manal Travel has been working with Sabre for more than two decades, delivering comprehensive travel solutions and offerings – including travel packages, cruises and adventurous holidays. Al Manal Travel will be exclusively using Sabre Red 360 to deliver highly personalised offers for its customers, by deploying intelligent and consultative services and features. Furthermore, it will benefit from Sabre’s Automated Exchanges and refunds to drive operational efficiency. “For more than 20 years, Sabre has been the trusted and innovative technology partner that helped us deliver comprehensive travel services and customized products in the Omani market,” said Ahmad Mustafa, General Manager, Al Manal Travel, Tours and Cargo. “We choose Sabre for its expertise, dedicated team, and innovative technology, which will help us to keep our business agile and advance the services that we offer our travellers.” Al Manal Travel will continue to have access to Sabre’s marketplace of more than 400 airlines, 750,000 hotel properties, and hundreds of tour operators, rail, car and cruise providers, to sell customized travel packages from suppliers around the world. “We are thrilled to extend our longstanding relationship with Al Manal Travel as its preferred GDS partner,” said John Matthew, Oman Country Manager, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “We are constantly evolving our technology, enabling us to offer agencies faster innovation and more flexible solutions infused with data-driven insights. This helps agencies to differentiate their offerings and create compelling travel shopping experiences.”

Travelport announced a $200 million investment from the company’s owners, Siris Capital Group and Elliott Management. Following a strong first quarter performance, including best-in-class tech achievements and the acquisition of Deem, the new injection of capital will allow the company to continue executing against its aggressive growth strategy. “The $200 million investment from our owners, Siris Capital Group and Elliott Management, reflect their confidence in Travelport and the continued recovery of the travel industry,” said Greg Webb, CEO of Travelport. “The main advantage of private equity ownership is agility, which is crucial in a rapidly changing environment. This investment will allow Travelport to further advance its tech innovations, while fueling the company’s momentum.” This month alone, Travelport: Announced the game-changing acquisition of Deem, a leading corporate travel management platform, in order to fulfill a growing need for a tight, fully-integrated tool that provides access to all multi-source content, including NDC. Launched Smartpoint Cloud, delivering a more intuitive and efficient way for travel agents to sell and service travel, all while increasing sales of higher-value services for suppliers. Became the first GDS to offer a complete solution for American Airlines’ NDC content. The company’s next-generation platform, Travelport+, has had NDC content from American Airlines live for nearly a year now; and as of mid-March, the content is live across the entire Travelport portfolio. The $200 million investment, along with a recent refinancing that received the support of 100% of Travelport’s First Lien Lenders and materially lowered the company’s cash interest expense, provides Travelport with significant liquidity while demonstrating investors’ strong belief in the company’s bright future.

Travelport announced the launch of Smartpoint Cloud on Travelport+. As the only modern retailing platform built for agencies, Travelport+ will now deliver a more intuitive and efficient way for travel agents to sell and service travel, all while increasing sales of higher-value services for suppliers. Through Smartpoint Cloud, agents will be able to easily search, filter, find and create tailored packages to suit every customer type, including fully customizable hotel and flight search options and NDC offers. “Travel agents are the true retailers of our industry, and launching Smartpoint Cloud on Travelport+ will help our partners to deliver more value to both their clients and suppliers,” said Tom Kershaw, Chief Product & Technology Officer at Travelport. “Like any good tech innovation, these tools are simple to use and tackle key challenges faced by the travel advisor community. Smartpoint Cloud will further personalize agent workflows, help drive more revenue, and most importantly, impress customers.” Built with the insight that agencies need to train and onboard new agents, the graphical user interface (GUI) on Travelport+ is designed to provide a more user-friendly, simpler experience that speeds up agent workflow. Agents who prefer to work in a traditional (cryptic) interface have the flexibility to do so. Smartpoint Cloud’s retailing storefront helps agents understand offers and make more informed decisions within the robust offerings of air, hotel, car, and rail content available. It provides better criteria to allow easy comparisons from any source, including both NDC and traditional air content side by side. Smartpoint Cloud also helps provide more transparency on offers, enabling agents to have the relevant information for comparison shopping at their fingertips. Additionally, the newly expanded Trip Quote capabilities integrate both …

Radisson Hotel Group continues its strategic digital transformation with the expansion of its innovative real-time, self-service online booking platform for meetings and events. Book it easy is now available across all key conference hotels in EMEA. This best-in-class digital solution allows meeting and event organizers to save hours of precious time when planning for a meeting and booking a venue by making the process faster and more efficient. In response to the rapidly changing meetings and events landscape for which meeting organizers need to book meetings and events ever more swiftly, Radisson Hotel Group’s Book It Easy platform allows planners to organize events seamlessly by simplifying the venue sourcing and booking process online. Planners can simply enter their event details, check real-time availability of meeting spaces, view the room options with ground-breaking 360 technology, book their preferred venue, and receive instant booking confirmation. Book It Easy key functionalities include: 24/7 real-time availability of meeting spaces 360-degree views of rooms Best available rate guaranteed and transparent pricing Custom-made packages, including AV equipment or additional amenities Easy and secure online payment “We are incredibly proud to have launched our Book It Easy tool successfully across key hotels in our EMEA portfolio over the last 12 months. Radisson Hotel Group has a strong reputation for delivering world-class meetings and events facilities, and we are now making the booking process even easier. We conducted extensive research with our valued meetings and events partners to create this new platform and to ensure it includes all the technology and information required for a seamless, real value, and real time experience,” says Chema Basterrechea, Global President and Chief Operations Officer at Radisson Hotel Group. Radisson Hotel Group …

BCD Travel has expanded its agreement with Amadeus as the forward-looking travel management company (TMC) refines its global technology approach to best capitalize on opportunities in the new era of business travel. Under the new agreement, the two organizations will partner on multiple initiatives, each designed to provide BCD Travel with a platform for growth, productivity improvement, and technological innovation. BCD Travel will leverage Amadeus’ technology, travel expertise, content, and global footprint to support its operations in additional markets. This includes incorporating Amadeus’ industry leading NDC content and end-to-end workflow capabilities. For Amadeus, the new agreement also means increased business with a leading global TMC, including opportunities in the UK, Ireland, and North America. “BCD is delighted to be expanding our long-standing partnership with Amadeus,” said BCD Travel President and CEO John Snyder. “This agreement allows us to engage on deeper technology collaboration and deliver high value services through the Amadeus Travel Platform. The expansion of our partnership will provide our corporate clients with more content options, including bringing NDC to life at scale, while streamlining and simplifying our distribution technology footprint and infrastructure.” Decius Valmorbida, President, Travel, Amadeus, said: “We are proud to extend and expand our long-standing partnership with BCD Travel. As the leading technology company in the travel industry, we consistently invest to deliver superior products and services to our customers. The new agreement presents significant potential for mutual growth, and we look forward to partnering with BCD Travel on initiatives to address future challenges and opportunities in the business travel space.”