Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.
TripStax, Tripgrid
Corporate travel technology provider TripStax is now offering United States-based startup Tripgrid's solution to travel management companies, following a deal between the two companies.
“We are delighted to be enhancing our relationship with
Tripgrid with this agreement and provide TMCs with access via TripStax to this
innovative corporate booking tool,” said Jack Ramsey, CEO of TripStax.
“Most
booking tools have been built around the capabilities of the supplier and that
has meant that the tool has limitations. However, Tripgrid has been an
experience-first led development, backed by extensive research which is why
TripStax was so interested in working with them."
TravelPerk appoints Eliran Glazer to Board of Directors
Business travel management platform TravelPerk has appointed
Eliran Glazer, current CFO at Monday.com, to its Board of Directors.
TravelPerk described Glazer as a financial leader who brings experience and
business acumen from time spent scaling hyper-growth technology
companies including Monday.com,
Nex and Traiana. Glazer will serve as the Chair of TravelPerk’s Audit Committee
and join its Board of Directors.
“I am delighted to
leverage my experience in both private and public markets as the Chair of
TravelPerk’s Audit Committee and a member of its Board of Directors,” Glazer
said. “I look forward to partnering with TravelPerk’s talented team to drive the
business toward sustainable long-term growth.”
Sabre, EVA Air
Sabre has added New
Distribution Capability (NDC) connectivity from Star Alliance member, EVA Air.
With this new connection, EVA Air’s NDC content
will be integrated into Sabre’s global distribution system (GDS),
allowing travel agencies and corporate buyers to compare flight options with
greater efficiency and transparency.
“Implementing our NDC connection to Sabre’s global travel
marketplace is an exciting milestone for EVA Air as we continue to
expand our distribution strategy,” said Eric Chiu, EVA Air vice president, digital
and information planning.
“By participating in Sabre’s
extensive global marketplace and activating NDC capabilities, we are able to
deliver an even higher level of service to travelers.”
Viator, Priceline
Priceline is offering customers access to tours and experiences from Viator following a partnership between the two companies.
The deal will also enable customer to customize their itineraries with experiences that fit with personal interests and seamlessly add them to their wider vacation plans.
"Experiences are often the most memorable part of a
trip and we’re thrilled to partner with Viator to elevate the quality and
variety of activities we offer to our customers,” said Lucy Bueti, vice president of
ancillary products at Priceline.
“Priceline’s mission is to help
customers experience the moments that matter and with Viator’s extensive
inventory we can now enhance our guests’ journeys with even more memorable
moments.”
InterLnkd, Justfly.com
InterLnkd, a revenue solution that enables travel companies
to earn new revenue from products their customers buy, has partnered
with online travel agency Justfly.com.
Powered by
InterLnkd’s intelligent matching engine, the new virtual "shopping mall"
provides Justfly.com
customers with curated recommendations across fashion, beauty and essential
products, tailored to their upcoming vacations.
“We’re
always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to meet the evolving needs of
our customers,” said Ramzi Rahbani, vice president of products, customer platforms and innovation at Justfly.com.
“As the first online travel agency
in the U.S. to introduce an intelligent pre-travel shopping experience, we’re
setting a new standard in convenience and personalization. InterLnkd’s
technology enables our customers to seamlessly find and purchase everything
they need for their well-deserved vacations, all within justfly.com.”
Zenmer launches AI travel assistant
Travel technology company Zenmer has launched a multi-lingual generative artificial intelligence travel assistant called Zenia.
The assistant uses natural language to search, send quotes and make bookings for business travelers and
agents. It’s also embedded into Zenmer’s core products like the online booking tool, agent desktop and the mid-office system, boosting existing travel management processes and tools.
“Zenia
takes business travel to a new level of sophistication and efficiency” said Nikunj
Agrawal, CEO of Zenmer. “By understanding the pain points of business
travel searches and booking processes we have created an AI travel assistant
that delivers a personalized and enhanced experience that makes the current
booking tools feel obsolete already."
Affirm, Priceline
Affirm, a buy now pay later pay service provider, and Priceline have expanded their partnership to enable Priceline Partner solutions partners to offer approved travelers
the ability to book trips and pay over a period of time directly through their own websites.
“Priceline Partner Solutions powers some of the most
well-known brands in travel with Priceline’s leading technology, best-in-class
rates and inventory,” said Matthew Shutt, vice president and general manager at
Priceline Partner Solutions. “Working with Affirm and offering their flexible
payment options is a natural extension to our product suite and of our ongoing
quest to help partners meet consumer needs.”
Talixo, GoNexus Group
Global transfers operator Talixo is making its services available to B2B experiences and mobility marketplace NexusCube, which is part of GoNexus Group.
“The big travel brands are adding pre-booked rides to their
portfolios for a reason,” said Sebastian Kleinau, CEO of Talixo. “By making
the most of the complete multi-channel transfers opportunity, travel retailers
could be generating close to €1 million in extra annual profit for every 10,000
flight or hotel bookings they make each month. So there’s enormous potential
that many businesses across the travel industry are missing out on.”
“By partnering with GoNexus Group and Juniper
and making Talixo’s services available through their ancillaries marketplace,
we’re making it easier for connected travel retailers to provide customers with
a carefully vetted, highly competitive global supply of private airport
transfers and point-to-point rides. Our local and tech-enabled fleet operation
allows us to deliver high-quality rides on a global scale, providing greater
access to destinations, more booking flexibility and better reliability through
features like real-time GPS driver tracking - the modern experience that
today’s travelers expect.”
Mendel launches new online booking tool
Mendel, Latin America’s corporate expense payment management
platform has launched its online booking tool (OBT).
The OBT has integration capabilities, including support for
NDC and Edifact standards, low-cost carrier options and direct
connections to travel management companies. This will allow companies to
access preferred rates and exclusive corporate benefits, optimizing costs and
achieving savings of up to four times compared to traditional offline TMC
transactions.
“Our new OBT sets a new benchmark for corporate travel in
Latin America,” said Alan Karpovsky, co-founder and CEO of Mendel. “Designed
with regional needs in mind, we’ve crafted a tool that combines a user-friendly
experience with powerful customization options to accommodate each client’s
unique travel policies and agreements.”
Allianz launches new service
Travel insurance and assistance provider Allianz Partners
USA, has launched a service that allows customers in more than 85 foreign countries to
access virtual and in-person medical care.
The new services are available to eligible Allianz customers
via the Allyz app. This allows customers to schedule doctor appointments for unforeseen
medical events that require urgent medical attention during their international
trip.
“We’re pleased to roll out yet another important enhancement
to our assistance services that help make traveling more enjoyable for our
valued customers,” said Begench Atayev, head
of product management and innovation at Allianz. “In combination with our
newly released Allyz mobile app, our new doctor visit scheduling tool provides
our customers with additional peace of mind to confidently explore the world.”
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Worldplay, Mastercard
Payments specialist Worldplay has
partnered with Mastercard to provide virtual cards to travel agents to boost payment efficiency in the United Kingdom and Europe.
In addition, Worldpay aims to drive
innovation, transparency and flexibility in business-to-business (B2B) payments
as the first provider to offer Mastercard’s dynamic product code capability,
allowing travel agents and travel suppliers to agree mutually beneficial
terms.
"Businesses need the
fast, secure and flexible payment experiences that virtual cards offer,” said Chiara
Quaia, senior vice president, travel industries at Mastercard. “We’re
thrilled to accelerate the adoption of this technology with Worldpay who is now
empowering its travel agency customers through the Mastercard Wholesale Program
by providing them a dynamic B2B payment solution that can be tailored to
specific product and market needs.”
SHR, Saudico Electronic Systems
Hotel technology specialist SHR and Saudico Electronic Systems have partnered to transform customer loyalty programs.
This partnership is set to empower Saudi hotels to reduce
dependency on OTAs by increasing direct bookings through personalized
experiences and sophisticated loyalty programs. Hotels will also benefit from
enhanced operational efficiency and deeper data insights, enabling them to
engage repeat guests more effectively.
"This partnership
marks an exciting chapter for SHR as we expand our footprint into the Middle East,” said Alexander Barder, senior director of business development at SHR.
“By
partnering with Saudico, we’re not just providing Saudi hoteliers with the most
comprehensive and integrated technology solutions available today, we’re also
bringing innovative loyalty solutions to the Saudi market. Our goal is not just
to implement technology, but to help Saudi hotels build lasting relationships
with their customers, ultimately enhancing the guest experience and driving
sustainable growth.”
WeGoTrip launches new AI feature
WeGoTrip, an AI-powered app for self-guided audio tours, has
launched an AI-driven, real-time custom audio tour feature.
The new product delivers unique tours that adapt to each
user’s preferences, providing a fresh, immersive way to uncover the hidden gems
of any city. Features of the product include location flexibility, language
selection, voice personalization and landmark selection.
To further expand the customization potential for travelers,
WeGoTrip will soon launch new features such as flexible travel options, sound
design elements and narrative style selection.
Avalara launches tax content solution
Avalara, a provider of tax compliance automation
software, has launched Avalara Tax Content (ATC) for Lodging, an intelligent tax content solution for
lodging and hotels.
Leveraging
Avalara’s AI-driven technology, ATC for Lodging gathers, processes and organizes
lodging tax data specifically for the lodging and hospitality industries.
"Lodging
tax regulations are constantly changing across the state, city, and
jurisdictional levels, making it challenging for businesses to maintain the
accuracy of tax calculations," said Pam Knudsen, senior director of compliance services
at Avalara. "ATC for Lodging provides organizations, including hotel
chains, online travel agencies and marketplaces, property managers and others,
with the ability to calculate tax, using AI advances to deliver the researched
tax content they need to increase accuracy, uniformity and reliability across
multiple locations."
Hospitable, Touch Stay
Vacation
rental management platform Hospitable and digital guidebook creator Touch Stay
have partnered to elevate the way hosts and property managers communicate with
their guests.
This partnership allows hosts to seamlessly incorporate
comprehensive data from their Touch Stay guidebooks directly into Hospitable’s
AI-powered messaging system. The integration enhances guest interactions by
delivering highly detailed, personalized and property-specific information without
any manual effort from hosts.
“By combining AI with the rich, personalized content of
Touch Stay’s digital guidebooks, we’re giving hosts a powerful tool to
effortlessly communicate all the unique details that make their properties
stand out,” said Pierre-Camille Hamana, CEO and founder of Hospitable. “Hosts
can fully leverage their local expertise and personal touches without the
hassle of constant updates or attention.”
Atomic, Center Parcs
Atomic, a U.K. mobile technology agency, has partnered with
Center Parcs UK and Ireland to launch a new mobile app designed to enhance
guest experience by providing a seamless digital companion for visitors.
“Our partnership with Atomic has been essential in
delivering a new level of digital convenience for our guests,” said Elena Ragone
Marriott, head of digital and media at Center Parcs.
“The app enriches
each stage of their short break, aligning perfectly with our commitment to
offering the best possible guest experience.”
“We worked closely with Center Parcs to align the app with
their vision for an elevated guest journey, focusing on providing real-time
convenience and intuitive features that visitors can rely on throughout their
stay,” said Andy Webber, managing director at Atomic. “With its strong
foundation, the app is already proving its value to guests, and we’re excited
to build on this momentum and deliver even more features to enhance their
experience.”
Reunitus, Apple
Reunitus, a software and
services specialist in handling lost and delayed items has partnered with location-based technology Apple AirTag.
This new feature empowers passengers to securely share live
tracking data with airlines and other travel entities through Apple's Find My
app and AirTags. Travelers can provide participating airlines, airports, hotels
and resorts with precise location updates for delayed luggage or lost items.
The location data refreshes automatically and is designed with privacy at its
core, expiring after seven days or upon retrieval.
"This integration with the Apple Share Item Location
feature exemplifies our commitment to innovation and customer-centric
solutions," said Byron Smith, chief technology officer at Reunitus.
"By streamlining baggage tracking and enabling seamless collaboration
between travelers and airlines, we're setting a new standard for efficiency and
reliability in the industry."