TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
Expedia Group | July 01, 2022
On June 30, Expedia Group, the leading travel technology platform, announced the launch of the new Bilt Travel Portal in collaboration with Bilt Rewards. It will be available exclusively to Bilt Rewards members. Members of Bilt Rewards can use their Bilt points to cover all or a portion of the cost of their next vacation and can book every aspect of their trip directly through the Bilt Rewards app, from flights to hotels and even theme park or Broadway show tickets.
Bilt members can access more than 700,000 properties, 500 airlines, 120 car rental companies, and thousands of activities worldwide, thanks to Expedia Group's White Label Template technology. 1 White Label Template includes all of the functionality of the Expedia.com site, as well as tools and customer support to assist Bilt members with questions or bookings. Expedia Group's expert knowledge of the travel industry is combined with a nearly $2 billion annual investment in new technology innovation to meet the changing needs and demands of both partners and travelers.
Travel is among the most important experiences to our members, who don’t want to be limited when it comes to using their hard-earned loyalty points, said Bilt Rewards Founder and CEO Ankur Jain. Partnering with Expedia Group enables us to give members a one-stop-shop with access to endless travel options, along with the easy integration to create a seamless booking experience.
“We’re excited to power the Bilt Travel Portal, and to help the Bilt Rewards members build the vacation of their dreams simply by paying rent,Our innovative solutions provide Bilt Rewards with technology they need to build a wonderful experience and offer an unparalleled amount of travel options to their members.”
-Christian Gerron, senior vice president, Media & Brand Partnerships, Expedia Group.
Bilt Rewards members can access the Bilt Travel Portal powered by Expedia Group by logging into the Bilt Rewards app or visiting travel.biltrewards.com and entering their Bilt Rewards login credentials to view available travel supply and booking options.
When booking in real-time, members will be able to see the value of their Bilt points, with 10,000 Bilt points equaling $125 in travel credits. Members will also earn 2x points for bookings made through the Bilt Travel Portal with their Bilt Mastercard, and 1x point for bookings made with another form of payment.
Bilt Rewards, which will be available in June 2021, is the first-ever loyalty program and co-brand credit card for renters, allowing 109 million renters in the United States to earn points on their largest monthly expense with no fees. Renters can access the free Bilt Rewards loyalty program by living within the Bilt Rewards Alliance, a network of over 2 million rental units in the United States, or by using the Bilt Mastercard, the first credit card that can be used to pay rent with no transaction fees at any rental unit in the United States.
In addition, Bilt members have access to one of the most valuable rewards programs available, with the ability to redeem points for travel, boutique fitness classes, limited-edition art, and home décor, as well as rent credits and even a down payment on a future home. Members now have access to thousands of new options for redeeming their points thanks to the addition of the Bilt Travel Portal powered by Expedia Group, further increasing the value of Bilt's
Read More
TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
TRZMO | June 28, 2022
TRZMO has launched version 2.0 of its travel super-app at Phocuswright Europe 2022, the leading global travel conference. A highlight of the new version of the TRZMO app is the new 'Moments' feature which allows users to capture images with GPS data and share memories in their travel diary within the app. These Moments can be shared in the future on the TRZMO app and other social platforms.The app is free on Apple App store and Google Play store for a limited time to celebrate the exciting new 'Moments' feature. Moments helps to capture images of destinations and experiences to include in the TRZMO trip timeline. For each trip, users can add 'Moments' to look back on or share amazing discoveries made on a trip – from a hidden gem of a restaurant to a little known beach or a local shop that doesn't have a website, but deserves to be shared. The 'Moments' feature is also valuable for business travelers to record business expenses.
This new feature makes the TRZMO app more engaging, and makes travel more interactive amongst people along for the trip, or looking for travel inspiration, recommendations or ideas of what to do, eat or experience.
'Moments' on TRZMO allow a traveler to record treasured experiences with a personal note or reflection right in the app which places it thoughtfully in the context of a trip, rather than just having photos lost in the shuffle of a smartphone album.
"Since the launch of our strategic advisory board and funding of $1.2 million in Q1 2022, TRZMO has been committed to evolving our free flagship app into a true travel super-app. It replaces multiple apps with one dashboard to manage flight updates, gate changes, ground transport, loyalty programs and a myriad of travel logistics from duty-free shopping to dining, weather and time-zones coupled with AI-driven, real-time recommendations and special offers. The new Moments feature is a game-changer, making the app more personalized, inspiring and engaging,"
-Myank Jain, Founder and CEO of TRZMO.AI
Advisory Board members include Josh Wiess, an angel investor focusing on early stage tech start-ups and Conor O'Mahoney, a proven travel industry entrepreneur and innovator, and a member of Hub Angel Investment Group.
TRZMO is a consumer travel super app with robust functionality. At the Phocuswright Europe 2022 conference, the company is focused on growth, adoption and mutually-beneficial partnerships.
About TRZMO
TRZMO is the ultimate travel super-app, available free for a limited time on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It presents flight itineraries, ground transportation recommendations and logistics, local weather, time, currency, and duty-free shopping recommendations on your route in one dashboard. TRZMO automatically pulls flight itineraries from your calendar, facilitating trip management without data entry like first-generation apps, and notifying you of real-time flight changes. It displays the best duty-free prices and offers along your route to be sure you get what you want at the best place, time and price with one search. TRZMO also manages loyalty cards so you can earn points, maximize value, and spend time enjoying travel instead of navigating a myriad of single-function apps. TRZMO also captures moments from travels, to save in your journey's timeline in the app or share on other platforms. Follow TRZMO on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Read More
DESTINATION AND TOURISM,INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Internova Travel Group | July 05, 2022
Dream destinations, multigenerational vacations and a desire for unique experiences are some of the trends driving luxury travel for the summer in 2022, according to travel advisors from the Global Travel Collection (GTC).
The United Kingdom tops the list of international destinations booked by GTC travel advisors, a spot it's held for the last five years. Other places in the top 15 include Italy, France, Israel, Spain, Switzerland, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Greece and Germany, followed by South Africa, Ireland, Australia, the Dominican Republic and Portugal.
Luxury travel advisors with GTC brands report that their clients are excited to travel again, with some booking multiple trips. And they're willing to spend more to get the vacation experience they want. But that high demand is driving up prices, and hotels are stretched thin due to staffing shortages, limiting availability.
"Europe is in high demand this summer, with destinations like Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy the most booked, My luxury travel clients do a combination of experiences, like cooking classes, hiking/biking excursions and immersive activities connecting them to the place, as well as making sure they have dining reservations at the top spots."
-Tiffany Bowne, with All Star Travel Group, a brand within Global Travel Collection.
Carolyn Consalvo, with Global Travel Collection's Andrew Harper, remarked that beach vacations and Alaska cruises are very popular. "I would say most people are looking for destinations where they can be outdoors a majority of the time," she said.
"Bucket lists are becoming to-do lists,Many of my clients want to travel to their dream locations," with destinations as varied as the Maldives, southern Italy's Amalfi coast, Australia and Hawaii.
-Shayna Mizrahi, with In The Know Experiences, also part of Global Travel Collection
Remote work has also opened up new possibilities, she added. "The demographics of my most active luxury travelers today are young professionals, who now can work remotely from anywhere and are choosing to combine this with unique luxury trips.
Luxury travelers are eager to make up for the time they couldn't spend seeing the world with friends and family over the past two years.
I'm doing multiple multigenerational trips — grandparents not wanting to miss any more time and taking their family on an unforgettable trip of two to three weeks, said Diana Castillo, with Protravel International of Global Travel Collection.
Laura Triebe, also with Andrew Harper, is also handling more requests for multigenerational vacations and bucket-list destinations like Hawaii and Africa. I think the client that calls now is more serious about traveling and is willing to adjust to an ever-changing world.
With rising prices and limited availability in some vacation spots, luxury advisors are putting their skills and experience to the test.
Clients are willing to pay to get what they want," and that includes upgrading their accommodations, said Michelle Summerville, with In The Know Experiences. More people want to travel in the best way possible, better than they have in the past," she said.
The greatest challenge in selling luxury travel right now is the severely limited space and availability for flights and hotel rooms in the most desirable destinations, said Leslie Tillem, with Tzell Travel Group of Global Travel Collection. We are seeing extraordinary demand in luxury travel across the spectrum, leading to a lack of availability at any price.
Bridget Kapinus, with Andrew Harper, concurs. Demand is high for last-minute travel. She's also contending with factors like a scarcity of hotel rooms and higher costs for flights.
Travelers who had never used an advisor before started to seek them out to help navigate COVID-19 entry and testing requirements. Now, they're sold on the value of a travel professional.
"Your time is precious, and you want the assistance of an expert to help you plan your vacation, said Angie Licea, President of the Global Travel Collection. Our luxury travel advisors have years of experience putting together trips for their clients, as well as firsthand knowledge of the world's most popular destinations. They stay on top of the trends in luxury travel and deliver concierge-level service. Plus, travelers have the comfort of knowing that there's a human being they can call whenever they have a question or concern.
My travels throughout these past 18 months have been our best marketing,said Castillo, of Protravel International. "We have shown our clientele that travel can be pleasant and enjoyable and that we can help set up all the requirements they may need in order to make their vacation seamless.
Mizrahi, with In The Know Experiences, has also been sharing details about her travels, something her clients appreciate immensely. Her firsthand experience "is something that no Google search or website can provide.
About Global Travel Collection
Global Travel Collection (GTC), a division of Internova Travel Group, is the world's largest collection of international luxury travel agencies, including the well-established networks of Protravel International, Tzell Travel Group, and Colletts Travel, as well as Andrew Harper, In the Know Experiences, All Star Travel Group and R. Crusoe & Son. GTC advisors and agencies are industry leaders in providing premium travel services to leisure travelers, corporate executives and the entertainment industry. The combined global reach and leverage translates into value, recognition, and preferential treatment for its world travelers.
About Internova Travel Group
Internova Travel Group is one of the largest travel services companies in the world with a collection of leading brands delivering high-touch, personal travel expertise to leisure and corporate clients. Internova manages leisure, business and franchise firms through a portfolio of distinctive divisions. Internova represents more than 70,000 travel advisors in over 6,000 company-owned and affiliated locations predominantly in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with a presence in more than 80 countries.
Read More