Travel Weekly Group Ltd

📈 BWH Hotels GB, with over 230 independent UK hoteliers, is launching a redesigned website aimed at reducing OTA reliance. The platform promises faster load times, simpler bookings, and better image functionality, leveraging cloud-based technology. It supports hotel and regional marketing, with future AI integration. Expected outcomes include improved conversion rates and organic traffic. Angela Burns, CEO of Webb Hotel Group Ltd, highlights the importance of this upgrade for streamlining operations and enhancing guest experiences. Globally, BWH Hotels spans over 100 countries with 4,200 hotels.

🏨 Travel tech startup Speakspots.com launches a white-label AI agent for hotels, automating guest communications and driving revenue via WhatsApp. Initially tested at ARTIEM Asturias, this service is expanding to ARTIEM Carlos in Menorca. It offers real-time, personalized recommendations, overcoming language barriers and roaming fees. The AI agent also books restaurants and activities, aiming to boost local businesses. The pilot showed increased guest spending, covering 20% of its operating costs. This innovative solution targets rural, high-end hotels.

📈 Shiji launched its 2025/2026 Hospitality Distribution Technology Chart, marking its 10th anniversary. This edition introduces new sections: Marketplace, Social Media with Booking, and Upselling, highlighting non-traditional booking channels. Key trends: social media as booking engine, AI integration, and demand for open APIs. Platforms like Douyin and WeChat feature in new categories. The chart, initiated in 2015, helps hoteliers understand evolving tech landscapes, with input from global experts.

💻 Ice Travel Group (ITG) launched HolidayConnect at the Icetank in London, allowing influencers and brands to create custom holiday searches. The platform, utilizing ITG's proprietary tech, offers access to over 2 billion holiday deals monthly from 88% of the UK's ATOL-protected providers. Partners can integrate the tech into their sites without complex processes, earning commissions on referrals. Chelsea Dickenson of HolidayExpert.com is the first publisher to use HolidayConnect.

🛂 Europe reduced mishandling to 12.3 bags per 1,000 passengers in 2025, a 26% improvement from 2007. Globally, mishandling fell to 6.3 per 1,000 passengers, with 33.4 million bags mishandled in 2024. Over 66% were resolved within 48 hours. The baggage mishandling cost $5 billion in 2024. In 2024, 42% of passengers had real-time baggage updates. Airlines now offer 66% automated bag drop. Apple's Share Item Location was integrated with SITA WorldTracer for faster recovery.

📅 Dubai, April 2025: The world’s largest Visa Application Centre, run by VFS Global, has opened in Dubai’s Wafi City, serving 37 governments with over 200 counters. The facility spans nearly 150,000 square feet and can process up to 10,000 visa applications daily, with support from over 400 staff of 25 nationalities. Featuring tech-enabled kiosks, premium lounges, and advanced AI systems, the centre aligns with Dubai’s strategy for global mobility and community-focused innovation.

📰 AI is revolutionizing travel with 62% of trips planned after online content interaction and 75% influenced by social media. Andrew Harrison-Chinn, CMO of Dragonpass, highlights AI's role in using search data and engagement to predict traveler behavior. Dragonpass, serving over 40 million worldwide, offers personalized travel perks at 1,400+ airport lounges. They leverage digital interactions like Google searches and TikTok likes to enhance travel experiences, transforming journeys with tailor-made perks and intelligent algorithms.

💳 Sabre Corporation partners with WEX to enhance payment solutions for travel agencies using virtual card technology. Sabre Direct Pay users in 210 countries and 20 currencies will benefit from improved payment efficiency, security, and fraud detection. The partnership aims at streamlining transactions across borders, simplifying currency management, and empowering travel intermediaries with flexible payment solutions. As WEX collaborates with eight of the top 10 online travel agencies, this move signifies a shift towards integrated travel payment systems.

🌎 Secret Atlas has unveiled a new brand identity and website for the 2025 Arctic cruise season. Designed by Nick Steyn of Anew, the London-based branding agency, in collaboration with SO Creative, the website offers an improved booking system and features an earthy color palette. The rebrand emphasizes the "big adventure, small footprint" ethos of Secret Atlas's small-group cruises. The site includes an Explorer’s Handbook and highlights team members for a personalized experience.