Travel Technology

Airbnb Introduces Flexible Search a New Kind of Travel Post-COVID with Flexible Search

Airbnb | February 25, 2021

Since going public, most of the news out of Airbnb has been around policy. Today, the organization has an announcement that is about the product.

As the pandemic evolves the way we do everything, and we collectively realize that quite a bit of that new behavior will be permanent, tech companies are looking to evolve alongside us.

Airbnb is today introducing Flexible Search, which will allow users to forgo putting in exact dates when they look to book lodging on the platform. Instead, users can search for a weekend getaway, week-long vacation, month-long vacation or months-long vacation without setting specific dates.

Not only does this give guests more options to browse, but it should also increase exposure for hosts.

“It’s no surprise COVID-19 continues to change the way we travel, and in addition to redesigning our platform last year to make nearby and longer-term stays easier to find and book, our new Flexible Dates feature aligns with a broader shift in how people will travel in the future. The traditional travel industry was built around fixed destinations with fixed dates in mind, but that model no longer meets the needs of today’s travelers.”

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Hospitality Management

Sandman Hotel Group Announces the Opening of Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel

globenewswire | July 19, 2023

Sandman Hotel Group and its parent company, Northland Properties, are excited to announce that the new Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel is now open. Situated at 810 Houston St. in the century-old W.T. Waggoner Building, this opening marks the brand’s second Signature-branded hotel property in Texas. Originally constructed in 1920, this 20-story building was known for being the tallest in the State of Texas and the Southwest. The building is u-shaped on the upper floors and is one of the few buildings in Fort Worth to position light toward the front of the building and making it a design feature. It is part new-build and part carefully adapted reuse of some of the original 1920 design features, such as its historical exterior, ornate lobby entrance, vaulted towers, banking hall with teller cages, and its beautiful interior marble finishings. Dedicated to preserving this iconic building, the team at Sandman Hotel Group has designed this hotel to perfectly complement the city’s historical heritage and modern creative energy. Robert Sturns, Economic Development Director for the City of Fort Worth, says he is thrilled with Northland’s commitment to preserving the iconic building, “This project celebrates Fort Worth’s past while still supporting the current and future growth of downtown, and we look forward to the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel as being part of our growing community.” Owned and operated by Sandman Hotel Group, Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel features 245 new, premium-style guest rooms complete with spa-inspired bathrooms and modern amenities, and a lively lobby bar to be enjoyed by hotel guests and the local community. Guests will find a modern fitness facility and multi-use meeting space on the mezzanine. Tom Gaglardi, CEO of Northland Properties, commented: “'The opening of Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel is an exciting addition to our portfolio and strengthens our growth in Texas. Fort Worth offers a vibrant downtown experience rich in culture, history, and southern hospitality. We are incredibly proud to be part of this community and delighted to welcome our hotel guests and local restaurant and bar visitors to enjoy a particularly special hospitality experience that encompasses the beautifully designed historical touchpoints of this iconic building." In addition to taking advantage of the hotel's Signature branded perks, guests can enjoy a first-class onsite dining experience on the lower ground floor at the famed Musume Restaurant. Owned by Dallas's Rock Libations Restaurant Group, Musume offers contemporary Asian cuisine and world-class sushi. The restaurant also features the country's most extensive premium sake program with over 120 selections and the largest Japanese Whiskey selection in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. "We're so excited to partner with a prestigious hotel brand such as Sandman Signature. As a born and bred Texas & Dallas Fort Worth native, bringing Musume to Fort Worth means so much to me. Fort Worth has transformed into such a lively city while keeping its southern roots. I think Musume will be a great addition to the vibrant downtown area," said Joshua Babb, Co-Founder, Rock Libations Restaurant Group. The newest Sandman Signature location offers guests close proximity to some of the city’s most vibrant downtown neighborhoods. Districts such as Sundance Square, Cultural District, and Fort Worth’s historical Stockyards provide fun, culture, ample shopping, and art galleries, with a wide variety of unique dining and entertainment options. Meanwhile, corporate guests will be able to take advantage of being only a block away from Fort Worth Convention Center. Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel is truly a one-of-a-kind, and our team of dedicated hospitality professionals invites you to be the first to experience this unique guest experience with our Opening Celebration Rate: Stay between now – September 4, 2023, and save up to 50% off the Standard Rate with our Opening Celebration Offer. Book your reservation now at sandmanhotels.com or call 1-800-SANDMAN. Remember to sign up to RSVP Rewards to begin earning points toward free hotel stays as well as other perks. About Sandman Hotel Group Sandman Hotel Group is a collection of economy, midscale, and premium hotel brands found in 5 countries worldwide. It is owned and operated by Northland Properties Corporation - the force behind well-known brands such as The Sutton Place Hotels, Denny's Canada, Moxies, Chop Steakhouse & Bar, Shark Club, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Grouse Mountain Resort, Dallas Stars NHL Team, and Northland Asset Management Company.

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Travel Technology

ALTOUR Launches ALTOUR Capture to Help Corporate Clients Manage Travel 'Leakage'

prnewswire | August 14, 2023

ALTOUR, one of the world's largest travel management companies and a division of Internova Travel Group, is launching an innovative new product, ALTOUR Capture, that will help corporate clients keep better track of their employee travel. Even the most well-managed business travel programs experience some leakage — with employees booking trips outside the TMC of record. That can lead to a loss of savings acquired through negotiations with preferred suppliers and a breakdown in duty of care obligations. ALTOUR Capture solves the leakage problem by allowing travel managers at companies that are ALTOUR clients to view all travel bookings made by employees, whether or not they go through the TMC of record. Travel managers can then leverage that information for use in negotiations, conduct a price comparison and wrap duty of care to ensure travel notifications and traveller safety. This real-customer data will help drive change in one of business travel's thorniest issues. "Capturing all travel bookings is crucial for providing proper duty of care to employees," said Dr. John Rose, Chief Risk & Security Officer for ALTOUR. "It enables the company to proactively manage risks, respond to emergencies effectively, comply with legal requirements, and foster a culture of safety and employee well-being." With customer data driving change, ALTOUR Capture is the result of a partnership with three leading technology companies in the travel industry: CapTrav, capturing and aggregating off-channel booking data to populate ALTOUR's reporting environment; Prime Numbers Technology, providing best-in-class travel management reporting; and Oversee (formerly Fairfly), providing re-shopping for off-channel bookings when it makes sense for the client. Under the direction of Dr. John Rose, ALTOUR is committed to ensuring a more holistic duty of care program, no matter where the traveller books. Brandon Strauss, CapTrav President and a partner and cofounder of KesselRun Corporate Travel Solutions, says KesselRun has been studying the problem of off-booking for more than 20 years across clients of all sizes and industries. He estimates airline leakage at 15 percent or more and hotel leakage at 40 percent or more. "Even with world-class best efforts, there will always be off-channel bookings for a travel manager to deal with," said Lee Thomas, ALTOUR's Chief Operating Officer and President, Business Travel. "Road warrior preferences, loyalty incentives, supplier encouragement, travel disruptions, last-minute changes and moderate travel policies all contribute to off-channel booking. By connecting the travel manager to this off-channel world, ALTOUR Capture closes the loop on managed travel." "We are thrilled to announce the seamless integration of CapTrav's data into the Prime Analytics platform," said Mark Bresnahan, President, Prime Numbers Technology. "This partnership empowers ALTOUR clients with an unparalleled wellspring of travel data reporting. By combining off-channel booking data, GDS itinerary information, TMC data, and post-trip expense details, we offer a comprehensive solution. Clients can effortlessly oversee their travel program, accessing real-time reports, dynamic dashboards, and automated stakeholder presentations directly to their inbox." "Oversee is proud to partner with ALTOUR on launching ALTOUR Capture," said Aviel Siman-Tov, cofounder and CEO. "Our partnership expands upon our mission of leveraging technology to deliver cost and operational efficiencies for our partners and customers. We have consistently achieved significant savings for our clients that allow budgets to be stretched while optimizing their overall travel program." About ALTOUR With sales of more than $3 billion, ALTOUR is one of the largest travel management companies in the United States and around the world. Serving the corporate and leisure luxury and mid-markets and entertainment community, ALTOUR has over 43 offices and nearly 700 travel professionals worldwide. In addition to travel management services, ALTOUR companies include ALTOUR Air, ALTOUR Leisure, ALTOUR Entertainment, ALTOUR Meetings and Incentives and ALTOUR Global Network.

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Features and Advice

Amadeus and Emburse to Simplify Travel and Expense for Global Enterprises with Strategic Partnership

businesswire | June 29, 2023

Leading travel technology company Amadeus and Emburse, the global leader in spend optimization, are joining forces through a strategic partnership to better address the business travel demands of global enterprises. The partnership will ensure a seamless experience from trip planning and booking, through to expense reporting, reconciliation, reimbursements and spend analytics. This relationship delivers more choice to enterprises that are looking for an integrated suite of modern, sophisticated travel spend management tools, without having to compromise on quality by being tied to a single vendor. Amadeus and Emburse can now deliver a fully integrated solution to new customers, as well as offering each other’s solutions to current customers. Amadeus will promote Emburse Chrome River as a recommended integrated expense management offering to corporations in the United States and specific markets in Europe (UK, Scandinavia and Benelux), while Emburse will add Cytric Travel and Cytric Easy for Microsoft Teams to its portfolio of travel spend optimization solutions. “Emburse and Amadeus have had data integrations for some time, and we share a number of high-profile customers, but with this partnership, we’re really taking things to the next level,” said Eric Friedrichsen, CEO of Emburse. “The two companies offer a number of complementary solutions that span the entire business travel journey. This relationship enables us to empower global enterprises with state-of-the-art tools that offer greater simplicity for their end-users, while creating value for the enterprise through greater visibility and more efficient travel spending.” Through the global reach of this partnership and their commitment to innovation, Amadeus Cytric Solutions and Emburse can now offer a compelling alternative that not only meets the travel and expense (T&E) requirements of global enterprises with complex travel programs but also elevates the impact to a global business through the enablement of travel analytics, travel companion apps and integrated card programs. “This partnership enables us to go beyond managing travel booking and expense. By leveraging our two companies’ complementary strengths, we are greatly enhancing the traveler’s digital and mobile experience and corporations’ travel spend and policy management throughout the entire travel journey. All of this will enable corporations to optimize their travel spend in terms of cost, carbon emission and productivity collaboration,” said Rudy Daniello, Executive Vice President, Amadeus Cytric Solutions. The two companies will continue working together to collaborate and innovate in building end to end spend management. About Amadeus Travel powers progress. Amadeus powers travel. Amadeus’ solutions connect travelers to the journeys they want through travel agents, search engines, tour operators, airlines, airports, hotels, cars and railways. We have developed our technology in partnership with the travel industry for over 30 years. We combine a deep understanding of how people travel with the ability to design and deliver the most complex, trusted, critical systems our customers need. In 2019, we helped connect over 1.9 billion people to local travel providers in over 190 countries. We have a global mindset and a local presence wherever our customers need us. Our purpose is to shape the future of travel. We are passionate in our pursuit of better technology that makes better journeys. Amadeus is an IBEX 35 company, listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under AMS.MC. The company has also been recognized by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the last eleven years. About Emburse Emburse is a modern spend management company offering solutions that revolutionize the way organizations manage employee expenses, process invoices and make payments. Emburse humanizes work by empowering business travelers, finance professionals, and CFOs to eliminate manual, time-consuming tasks, so they can focus on what matters most. Its innovative offerings, which are tailored to meet the unique business needs of specific industries, company sizes, and geographies, are trusted by more than 9 million users in more than 120 countries. Over 18,000 customers, from start-ups to global enterprises, including Bosch, Grant Thornton, Telefónica, Lufthansa Systems, and Toyota, rely on Emburse to make faster, smarter decisions, improve compliance, and optimize spend -- making corporate spend deliver meaningful value for the organization. Emburse is recognized as a leader in expense management and accounts payable automation by analyst firm IDC, and has received multiple awards for innovation and its high levels of customer satisfaction.

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