Travel Technology
businesswire | June 30, 2023
Spotnana, the modern infrastructure for the travel industry, today announced it has partnered with United Airlines to develop a direct NDC integration that delivers seamless end-to-end traveler journeys via NDC. Spotnana’s direct integration to United’s NDC API supports personalized travel booking experiences, self-service post-ticketing changes, real-time analytics, and comprehensive servicing capabilities delivered through Spotnana’s modern retailing experience.
“We’re thrilled to partner with United Airlines to deliver an approach to modern retailing that goes far beyond booking tickets through a next-generation storefront,” said Sarosh Waghmar, Founder and CEO of Spotnana. “We have built the deepest direct NDC integration to date with United, and we will continue to work together to innovate and push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Spotnana’s Travel-as-a-Service Platform now supports United NDC-based offers throughout all stages of a trip both on a self-service basis and fully assisted by travel agents. Key features of the advanced NDC integration between United and Spotnana include:
Continuous pricing - access to 40% more price points from United that are the same or lower than fares available via EDIFACT-based distribution channels.
Negotiated rates and bundles - the ability to display corporate negotiated rates as well as custom bundles that can include amenities such as WiFi, Economy Plus, Premier access, and more.
Entitlement shopping - personalized shopping experiences based on traveler loyalty status, such as a seat map that extends complimentary access to Economy Plus seats for travelers that have Premier Gold MileagePlus status or higher.
Self-service changes and cancellations - capability for travelers to cancel or make changes post-ticketing to flights, dates, cities, seats, Known Traveler Number, or loyalty program number without agent assistance.
Comprehensive servicing - agents have access to the same capabilities for booking, changing, and canceling NDC fares as the travelers they serve.
Carrier ticketing - ensures agents can seamlessly service bookings even if previous changes were made by United or on a United channel, enabling travelers to be serviced wherever they prefer. Waiver codes are automatically applied when United is responsible for a flight change.
Integrated real-time analytics - travelers and travel managers can view and download real-time reports with integrated data across NDC and EDIFACT-based bookings.
“We want our products to be available in channels where our customers want to buy them. As a part of that effort, we’re collaborating with industry partners like Spotnana to provide a more contemporary shopping environment through NDC,” says Doreen Burse, United’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales. “With this exciting integration, Spotnana’s platform now supports United NDC-based offerings to provide a more seamless experience for our customers, from booking to servicing.”
Through its modern architecture, Spotnana has eliminated the need for PNR comments and mid-office operations that make it difficult to support NDC and EDIFACT-based content side-by-side. As a result, travelers benefit from a seamless booking and servicing experience across all types of content.
About Spotnana
Founded in 2020, Spotnana, a software development company for travel, offers solutions for enterprise software, infrastructure, business travel, corporate travel, and travel technology. It gives an exceptional global travel experience. It modernized the infrastructure of the travel industry for freedom and simplicity of travel. Its travel-as-a-service platform makes travel more simple and more affordable for corporations. It connects travel agencies, suppliers, and technology solutions provider partners for operational efficiency. Its ecosystem unlocks new revenue sources and innovations. It has developed advanced cloud-based travel technology dedicated to the needs of travelers.
About United
At United, Good Leads The Way℠. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers, and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles.
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Hospitality Management
IHG Hotels & Resorts | September 06, 2023
IHG Hotels & Resorts launches IHG LIFT, a program supporting under-represented groups in the US and Canada's hospitality industry.
IHG commits over $30 million in partnership with HBCUs, Clark Atlanta University, and Morehouse College. Together, they aim to remove barriers and create opportunities for diverse owner-entrepreneurs.
The program is integral to the Journey to Tomorrow 2030 responsible business plan. It aligns with IHG's commitment to promoting inclusivity and equal hotel ownership access.
IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), a global hospitality company, has introduced IHG LIFT, a program fostering diversity in hospitality. It provides support, capital access, and guidance throughout the hotel lifecycle for historically under-represented groups within the hospitality industry in the US and Canada.
IHG has partnered with Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College, two prominent Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Over the next five years, the company has committed more than $30 million to support the IHG LIFT program.
This partnership represents a significant step toward eliminating barriers and creating opportunities for aspiring hotel owners, aligning seamlessly with IHG's commitment to diversity and equal access to resources and support.
IHG LIFT is an integral component of IHG's comprehensive Journey to Tomorrow 2030 responsible business plan. This broader strategy addresses critical issues and promotes inclusivity within the hospitality industry.
The program's primary objective is to unlock common barriers to hotel ownership among under-represented groups and empower diverse owner-entrepreneurs for success. By integrating IHG LIFT into this forward-thinking plan, IHG reaffirms its commitment to fostering a more unbiased landscape in the hospitality industry.
“As our industry grows, we need to keep our focus on enabling more success for our diverse ownership base. Barriers such as a lack of access to capital and the right networks put such owners at a disadvantage. The IHG LIFT program is specifically designed to help ease the path to ownership and ultimately support owners. Diversifying ownership is not only better for IHG, it also lifts up our entire industry.”
-Chief Development Officer, Americas at IHG Hotels & Resorts, Julienne Smith.
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Airlines and Airports
businesswire | August 04, 2023
Zartico, the creators of the world’s first Destination Operating System™, announces the latest in game-changing data solutions with the launch of ZDOS™ Airport. Designed to meet the unique needs of airports, ZDOS™ Airport offers new insights into passenger behavior, allowing airports to make data-led decisions for the benefit of travelers and local communities.
With a partner base of more than 250 North American destination organizations, Zartico recognized that the airports share a common pain point with many destinations — a lack of transformational data insights that fuels innovation and supports competition. This new self-service application fills that gap and allows them to compete on revenue generation.
ZDOS™ Airport uses the same rigorous data science methodology that powers Zartico’s destination management solutions. The application’s passenger-specific data model simplifies dataset analysis, requiring little customization or technical know-how to derive meaningful insights that drive new revenue possibilities in route development, local passenger inflow, and parking utilization.
ZDOS™ Airport equips airports to now answer key questions, including:
Where do our outbound and inbound passengers live? See the full picture of your local catchment area, and understand what markets inbound travelers are coming from.
How does our market share compare to nearby competing airports? Know how your airport stacks up — who in your catchment area is choosing a competing airport, and who is traveling into competing airports to reach your destination.
Who is using our parking services, and who is choosing an off-site competitor? Develop targeted marketing strategies to drive incremental parking growth.
Where do inbound passengers go in our destination? Understand travel motivators for inbound flyers to create out-of-market advertising opportunities and grow strategic partnerships with in-market attractions and event venues.
“Data is a powerful tool for understanding human movement and the economic opportunities tied to it,” says Zartico CEO Sarah Lehman. “In developing ZDOS™ Airport, we’ve combined everything we’ve learned from working with tourism destinations, then innovated, focused, and streamlined it in order to give airport leaders the precise intelligence they need to elevate their organizations moving forward.”
ZDOS™ Airport is built on Zartico’s Integrated Data Model, using high-resolution geolocation data and event data to generate meaningful insights that supplement gate data. By filling in the data gaps, ZDOS™ Airport brings the full picture of passenger behavior into focus, empowering airports to market more strategically and manage more effectively.
About Zartico
Zartico powers the possibilities of place. Makers of the first Destination Operating System, Zartico harnesses and streamlines big data, science, AI, and technology to provide unprecedented visibility into the movement of people and economic opportunities. ZDOS™ is a complete strategic planning solution that equips communities to make better decisions and navigate the future. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Zartico has decades of experience in technology, tourism, data science, and storytelling.
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