TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
Sojern | March 02, 2023
Sojern, a travel marketing platform, shared data emphasizing that the Middle East brought travel momentum in 2022. After the Covid19 pandemic, it is trying its best to recover income from the tourist markets in UAE and KSA, reaching more travelers for 2023.
Recent travel reports suggest that demands for regional hotels are increasing in middle eastern countries than in 2019. There was a sudden increase in travel booking for the region in Dubai's 2020 Expo and World Cup 2022. Its latest lodging data validates this condition and states that the revenue generation from this region is higher than those in 2019 are from this area. The inbound travel demand is rising from African, Latin American (LATAM) and Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets, and KSA has the most increase in demand.
Based on the data of February, it foresees that flight searches are increasing year on year (YoY) worldwide, with approximately 36% from US & Canada, 48% from EMEA, 30% from LATAM,72% from APAC, and 23% from Caribbean. The FIFA World Cup 2022 event enhanced its travel business and is gradually returning to its glory.
Managing Director of MEA&I Sojern, Stewart Smith said, "With our latest data showing that travel intent to the Middle East is holding strong, it's heartening to see that the World Cup has given the region a boost." He added, "Long flight times and potential misconceptions regarding the region as a travel destination may continue to drive relatively cautious travel planning. However, a flurry of ongoing events in the region combined with sustained and powerful marketing strategies from newer gulf destinations such as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will continue to influence valuable US travelers and other global visitors. Never underestimating the power of data, activating multichannel activation at scale and ensuring marketing is always on will help set hoteliers and destination marketers up for success in this pivotal time for tourism."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About Sojern
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Sojern, an advertising solutions provider for the travel industry, offers services for online advertising, travel marketing, Facebook marketing, hotel marketing, travel advertising, ad tech, hotel advertising, tourism marketing, co-op marketing, attraction marketing, tourism advertising, multichannel, display advertising, digital marketing, social media advertising, metasearch, programmatic display, programmatic video, dynamic ads, search engine marketing, and connected TV. With artificial intelligence and traveler intent data, it provides multichannel marketing solutions for direct demand drive. In addition, it connects hotels, travel spots, tourism boards and travel markets for customer engagement and worldwide coverage.
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INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Northstar Travel Group | January 09, 2023
Northstar Travel Group, the leading provider of information services, events, data, and marketing solutions focusing solely on the travel industry, recently appointed Jason Young as its new CEO. Young will replace Thomas Kemp, who served as Chairman and CEO since 2009, while Kemp will be assuming the position of Chairman.
A visionary in advertising technology and an innovative pioneer of the digital transformation of the media industry, Jason Young spent 20 years with Ziff-Davis Media, a leading IT information and media business, climbing to the CEO role. He established Smart Device Media, a mobile advertising network that Crisp Mobile eventually acquired. He then became the CEO of the joint company, after which Quotient Technology acquired Crisp.
Quotient Technology served the packaged goods industry as a data-driven advertising tech company and appointed Jason Young as Chief Media & Marketing Officer after acquiring Crisp. His most recent employment was as President of Chicory, a contextual commerce media company working in the consumer-packaged goods industry. Young has fueled product innovation around new advertising platforms and data-driven media with his 30+ years in the industry.
Alongside the leadership change comes the promotion of Bob Sullivan, a travel industry icon and President of Northstar's Travel Group, who will now serve as the company's Chief Commercial Officer.
"I am thrilled to have the benefit and opportunity to work and partner with a leader like Bob, whose industry knowledge and expertise will be critical as Northstar looks to expand on its leadership position."
-Jason Young, the newly appointed CEO
(Source: Businesswire.com)
Bob Sullivan said about the new CEO, I am excited about the passion, experience and skills Jason brings into the business and am eager to work with him to unlock even more value for our customers and partners. I could not be more excited about the opportunity ahead for Northstar.
About Northstar Travel Group
Northstar Travel Group is the travel industry's premier provider of information services, data, events, and marketing solutions. Its diverse audience encompasses every travel segment, including leisure, sports, business, incentives, meetings, hospitality, and travel technology. The company is also the majority shareholder of Inntopia, the market leader in marketing cloud, e-commerce software, and business intelligence operating in the activities, golf, mountain destination, and hospitality industries. With headquarters in Rutherford, New Jersey, the company operates out of five offices across the U.S., U.K., and Singapore. Northstar Travel Group is owned by funds managed by EagleTree Capital.
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HOSPITALITY TRENDS
Olo Inc., | February 13, 2023
Olo Inc., a renowned open SaaS platform for restaurants that facilitates hospitality at every guest touchpoint, recently announced the availability of Borderless functionality for all customers of Olo Pay. This unlocks the advantages of streamlined payment across a larger set of 600 brands in Olo's network to improve the checkout experience for guests. This feature and several other product innovations are now available to aid its restaurant clients in providing superior hospitality.
Borderless, which was offered only to customers using Olo Pay's white-label interface Serve, is now available to all Olo Pay customers, including those with custom ordering websites and apps, allowing more brands to increase revenue and gain actionable guest data. For example, its capabilities eliminate the need for guests to remember passwords or enter credit card information at every transaction, simplifying the checkout process. It also lets restaurants increase guest retention, basket conversion, and visit frequency, improves the guest experience and de-identifies guest data to guide high-level business decisions.
Olo also introduced QR Code Ordering and Geolocation Partner Notifications this quarter. The new QR code ordering capability lets guests update their table numbers quickly and easily from their mobile device, allowing them to dine where they want and connecting guests to servers, thereby enhancing on-premises dining.
Expo, Olo's tablet-based software solution for restaurant front-of-house workflow, now displays guest arrival and approaching notifications for restaurants using Geolocation Partner Notifications. The feature's automation solves the need for multiple tablets and facilitates quick and fresh food preparation for guests.
About Olo
New York-basedOlo is a major on-demand commerce platform driving the digital transformation of the restaurant industry. The platform provides the infrastructure to capture consumer demand and manage orders across all channels. Through integrations with over 300 technology partners, its customers can create digital experiences with the industry's most robust and adaptable restaurant commerce ecosystem. Over 500 restaurant brands utilize Olo to increase digital sales, maximize profitability, and maintain direct customer relationships.
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