Travel Weekly Group Ltd - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 125

3 min

Business travel industry’s optimistic plans…

💰 In 2024, the business travel industry exceeded expectations with an 86% satisfaction rate among global travel buyers and suppliers. GBTA's survey indicated 67% optimism for the industry’s future in 2025, with North America and Latin America leading at 71% and 72% respectively. 55% of businesses are not considering limiting travel in 2025, while 52% expect increased travel budgets. "Bleisure" trips are on the rise, with 46% reporting an increase. Challenges for 2025 include cost control (78% priority), traveller safety (65%), and ROI (49%). Sustainability is a high priority for 46%, but costs and complexities are barriers. Technology investment is planned by 49% of travel programs, with AI gaining traction—44% are excited about AI in business travel, marking a significant year-over-year increase in interest and adoption.

1 min

Amadeus Cytric Easy expands business…

📆 Amadeus Cytric integrates with Hubli, revolutionizing corporate travel with one-stop booking for flights, accommodation, mobility, and meeting venues. Over 60% of business travel is for meetings, yet manual processes are common. This partnership is a response to customer demand for seamless planning. Hubli, valued at $598.2 billion in 2022, is projected to grow to $2,309.4 billion by 2032, offering policy-compliant, sustainable, and safe booking options.

4 min

Guest Post: Communicate, collaborate, and…

✈ During 2023, 276 million passengers transited through UK's airports; only 64% of flights were on time within a 15-minute window, versus 79.8% in the top 10 North American airports. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) highlights travel disruptions, including extreme weather, strikes, and technical outages. Airline workers often face verbal or physical abuse, with only 43% of passengers getting clear communication during disruptions. Airlines' outdated IT systems hinder efficient information sharing and amplify disruption impacts, suggesting a need for modernized, unified systems for better customer communication and disruption management.

2 min

‘We have to flip back to an early booking…

🛫 Jet2 CEO Steve Heapy emphasized the shift back to an early booking market during the company's conference in Paphos, Cyprus. He cited the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel and its effect on bookings as a catalyst for a prevalent late market in 2024. Heapy stressed the difficulty in cancelling booked holidays and the importance of filling aircraft, even if it means dropping prices. To ensure certainty and reduce risk, Jet2holidays is now focusing its marketing on summer 2025, targeting family bookings.

2 min

Travel Counsellors hails ‘new era’ as TC…

🚀 Travel Counsellors is launching 'TC Co-pilot', a new virtual assistant technology developed over a year, to transform agent-client interactions with tailored suggestions from over one million properties. Jon Bauer, Chief Technology Officer, announced at the annual conference the tool's upcoming rollout and an interactive quote-creation tool, currently trialed by 50 travel counsellors. Phenix performance improved to under two seconds, with 3,500 new features, additional accommodation providers, and more airlines to be added. Disney Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages joined their cruise portfolio, and Musement offerings will be introduced next month. The company invests £16 million annually in technology.

2 min

Industry’s best recognised at Travolution…

🏒 UK and international travel and tech companies were honored at the 2024 Travolution Awards in London. The event was partnered with Mastercard and held at City Central at HAC. Holiday Pirates won Best for Travel Deals, while CAA received Campaign of the Year. Trip.com Group secured four wins including Champions of Data and Travolution Brand of the Year. Other winners included TripStax, TProfile, Mews, Joyned, HotelRunner, Nezasa, SMARTSEER, Sykes Holiday Cottages, lastminute.com, HandsIn, TravelUp, easyJet's Jordy Vernes, and B2B Wallet by Outpayce. Nicolas Huss was awarded the Travolution Achievement Award.

2 min

Booking.com launches AI Tech Stack Advisor…

📈 Booking.com, in collaboration with HotelTechReport.com, launched its AI Tech Stack Advisor to help hoteliers tailor their digital transformation and growth strategies. This first-of-its-kind tool utilizes GenAI for personalized tech infrastructure assessments, leveraging HotelTechReport’s review database. Hoteliers can directly connect with vendors for informed decision-making and receive a ‘Digital Transformation Score’ for competitive benchmarking. Eddy Veldhuizen, senior director at Booking.com, emphasizes the tool’s role in optimizing business and serving guests better. Currently available for hoteliers, the tool plans to include homes and other accommodations in 2025.

2 min

Trevolution Group launches eSIM feature for…

📱 Trevolution Group, with its Dreampass Plus loyalty program, now includes a new eSIM feature for paid members, offering 3GB of internet for 30 days in over 140 destinations. The eSIM, which can be activated by QR code, enhances the travel experience by allowing seamless connectivity and avoiding roaming fees through POND IoT. Future plans include providing the eSIM as a standalone feature. The Dreampass Plus program also presents personalized travel benefits via its app. Alex Weinstein of Dyninno Group comments on the expansion of membership-based travel solutions and the positive impact expected on Trevolution Group's growth beyond 2025.

1 min

OTA Oojo launches in Germany

🏠 OTA Oojo, part of Trevolution Group, expanded to Germany as its first European market outside the UK, leveraging its digital platform and 20+ years of experience. Partnering with Kayak, Oojo taps into Germany's sizeable, digitally-savvy travel sector, aiming to meet high service quality standards. Oojo offers a tech-driven, independent travel planning experience, supported by Kayak's network including Swoodoo, Momondo, and Checkfelix.

2 min

Boom appoints industry titans to…

📈 Boom, an AI Property Management Software provider for hospitality, has appointed Alex Husner, Richard Vaughton, and Chad Blankenship as new non-executive directors. Husner brings over a decade (13 years) of experience from Condo-World Resort Properties and Casago. Vaughton offers expertise in scaling businesses and M&A, while Blankenship contributes 15 years of growth from Southern Vacation Rentals, including a central role in its acquisition by VTrips. The trio's collective experience aims to support Boom’s strategic growth and optimize marketing and operational efficiency through AI innovation.

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