Travel Weekly Group Ltd

💵 HotelRunner and Visa are uniting to enhance cross-border payments for SMEs in travel and hospitality. This partnership leverages Visa's global payments and HotelRunner's tech reach, benefiting businesses from Morocco to Bali. Ali Beklen highlights the creation of financial rails for the next decade of tourism, while Tania Platt notes the innovation potential. The collaboration aims to support travel companies in Europe, APAC, the Middle East, and Africa, driving safer and smarter global travel commerce.

💻 Global hotel operators are expanding brands to meet growing guest demands, risking the "cookie cutter" brand label. Hotels are advised to standardize technology systems to improve operations. The tech stacks in hotels evolve over time, often resulting in inefficient setups. Establishing a unified "brand book" for technology aids in consistent standards. This foundation allows hotels to innovate on top, enhancing guest personalization and experience. Ultimately, consistency in systems simplifies operations and facilitates learning across hotel estates.

✈️ Global tech firm DerbySoft partners with AirAsia Group to implement its Global Data Network (GDN) for Flights. The decentralized, API-first network promotes direct connections among airlines, OTAs, and more, enhancing distribution control and access to traveler data. Amanda Woo, AirAsia’s Chief Commercial Officer, emphasizes future growth in Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. DerbySoft’s GDN architecture fosters a continuously expanding, intelligent ecosystem, benefiting all participants and ensuring efficiency and profitability.

🏆 The 26th shortlist for the 34 Travolution Awards categories has been released, including the Mastercard B2B Payments Award. Five finalists excelled in innovation and market success. The awards ceremony will occur on Tuesday, December 2, at City Central, HAC, London. Last year's event drew over 450 attendees. Other awards, like Rising Star of the Year, remain unrevealed. Sponsors include Gail Kenny Executive Recruitment, Icelolly.com, TravelSupermarket, HolidayPirates Group, Slalom, Trip.com, and WEX.

💳 Sabre, in partnership with Chargebacks911, launched a new chargeback service for the travel industry, streamlining dispute resolution via Sabre Direct Pay. The system automates dispute creation, aligns with issuer-specific requirements, and consolidates workflows. Chargebacks911 provides infrastructure and expertise. Recent Sabre partnerships include Trustly, TerraPay, CellPoint Digital, Revolut, Sunrate, WEX, and Jazz Tech for enhanced financial operations. This initiative aims to unify financial processes and improve revenue protection in the travel sector.

✈️ In October 2025, a survey of 149 corporate travel and procurement professionals by Business Travel Show America revealed that 29% of travel buyers find policy compliance a major challenge. To tackle this, 51% embed rules in booking tools, and 56% include travel policy education in onboarding. The event on October 15-16 at Javits Center, New York, will host over 100 exhibitors. Notably, 17% report progress to employees, and 24% value traveler preferences in policy-making.

🛫 Passengers in 25 countries surveyed by SITA in 2025 want technology for seamless journeys. 66% desire faster airport processing, while 42% want a single ticket for air, rail, and road travel. Mobile usage rose by 20% since 2020. 80% are ready to store passports on phones, with digital ID users expected to grow from 155 million to 1.27 billion by 2029. 90% would pay more for lower emissions, reflecting a demand for sustainability and trust in travel services.