Innovation

🌍 Custom Travel Solutions (CTS) has observed a growth in international transactions, now constituting 63% compared to 40% last year. Germany leads with 27%, followed by Italy at 7%, and Switzerland at 5%. In 2024, the US still holds a 37% share of total transactions. CEO Mike Putman aims for 75% of sales from outside the US by 2025, focusing on European and Asian markets, tapping into the global trend of subscription models for travel.

📱 Club Med integrates WhatsApp as a new communication channel, enabling customers and travel agents to access support and services easily. Leveraging an AI chatbot, available 24/7, users can inquire about resort details, book or modify reservations, and receive immediate assistance. Travel Experience Designers provide live chat services Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:30, Saturdays 9:00 to 16:30, and on bank holidays from 10:00 to 15:30. Conversations are securely recorded with WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption.

💻 RoomRaccoon, the US-based hotel management software company, has acquired Belgium's Lobbi PMS, expanding its user base by 300 properties in the Benelux region. The acquisition includes the integration of the Lobbi team and Ghent headquarters. Lobbi founders and CTO will assist with the transition, aiming to make RoomRaccoon the market leader in Benelux and enhance the offerings for independent hoteliers. This marks RoomRaccoon's second acquisition by its internal M&A department.

📈 The MURTEC Executive Summit 2024 is slated for October 21-23 in San Diego, featuring sessions on experiential loyalty, brand innovation, dynamic pricing, and robotics. Qualified restaurant technology executives can register for free with a $500 value using the code COMP500. The summit targets full-service, QSR, fast-casual restaurants, foodservice operators, and related hospitality sectors, excluding technology providers unless via sponsorship. Registrations undergo review for approval.

📌 More than 85% of customers want proactive communication from businesses. Hotels should send pre-arrival information one week before the guest's arrival or upselling messages 3-4 days prior. Utilizing a hotel CRM can personalize and automate the process, allowing staff to focus on face-to-face interactions. Pre-arrival communication is crucial for setting expectations, upselling services, easing check-in, and managing OTA guest data. It's important to choose the right communication channel and not overwhelm guests with messages.

📍 Noida, October 8, 2024: FlyArystan, Kazakhstan's leading low-cost airline, extends its partnership with AirGain, part of RateGain Travel Technologies Limited. Utilizing AirGain’s platform, FlyArystan accesses real-time pricing data from 300+ airlines and 50+ OTAs, with a 98% data sufficiency rate. This reinforces their commitment to affordable fares and seamless booking in Central Asia. Yerkin Tursynbek, FlyArystan’s Manager of Revenue Management, emphasizes the platform's role in optimizing pricing and maintaining a competitive edge.

📍 Turkey-based Pegasus Airlines introduces AI-generated multilingual flight announcements in Spanish, Arabic, and Russian. The technology was developed by the Pegasus Innovation Lab in Silicon Valley, established last year. First trial on a Seville, Spain route was on September 24. AI system clones voices of Pegasus captains, providing updated flight information, weather, destination, captain's name, and flight duration before take-off.

📍 Travel House, Wales’ largest independent travel agency, has partnered with ITV to launch a GenAI advertising campaign on ITV1 and ITVX, targeting the ITV Wales region. This marks the agency's first TV advertisement, designed to boost the success of its 16 South Wales shops. Leveraging GenAI technology allowed for high-quality production while remaining within budget. ITV Business Development Director Jason Spencer highlighted the cost-effective nature of GenAI in TV advertising.

📢 Cendyn, a global hospitality cloud-based technology company, acquired Knowland, a US-based leader in data-as-a-service (DaaS) intelligence for meetings and events. Knowland provides data from over 7,500 hotels for sales prospecting in MICE. The strategic acquisition helps hoteliers drive revenue and group bookings. Earlier this year, Cendyn welcomed Austin-based Haveli Investments to its equity portfolio. The US Travel Association predicts business travel to regain 95% of its 2019 peak this year, highlighting the acquisition's timely market potential.

🏩 IBM Consulting partners with FLYR to provide a one-order booking system, leveraging IBM's transition management and systems integration skills with FLYR's airline retailing technologies. This collaboration aims to modernize airline systems, enhance retail experiences, improve efficiency, and open new revenue streams. Benefits include transition management expertise, flexible and scalable solutions, and comprehensive system integration, enabling airlines to meet modern customer demands and achieve sustainable growth.