Booking.com building connected travel with Google Nest

PhocusWire | December 20, 2019

Booking com has signed a one-year partnership with Google Nest to help build a more "connected trip experience" for travelers and property hosts. While the partnership has a promotional element to it, kicking off with free Nest devices for U.S. travelers spending more than $150, it also aims to provide partners with access to products and services that could improve the experience in properties. Booking com and Google Nest say guests and hosts are looking for more safety and security features when staying in private accommodation with smart technology potentially filling gaps.

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Travel Technology

KAYAK Defines the Unspoken Rules of Air Travel You're Probably Breaking

prnewswire | July 03, 2023

Shoes on or off? Full recline or no recline? Is skipping the security line ever OK? What about standing at the gate before your boarding zone is called? These are all questions we've asked ourselves when flying and likely have strong opinions about yet aren't quite sure what is considered socially acceptable versus outright rude. KAYAK is here to help. Known for searching hundreds of travel sites to find people the perfect flight, hotel or rental car, the world's leading travel search engine is taking it one step further by conducting an extensive search across the Internet, leaving no digital stone unturned to uncover how Americans truly feel about travel etiquette. The search included blog posts, social media platforms, news outlets, online forums, and other sources to identify the most hotly debated topics surrounding air travel. From there, the company conducted a survey with aytm (Ask Your Target Market) revealing 64% of travelers have witnessed bad plane etiquette underscoring the urgency for establishing travel rules ahead of the most popular holiday travel weekend of the summer (July Fourth)**. That's why KAYAK is posting the Unspoken Rules of Air Travel in the one place no one argues: the Internet. So now travelers will know what IS and IS NOT OK when taking their next trip. These comprehensive rules address a wide array of topics, ranging from whether it's OK to put your feet on the chair in front of you (which 68% agree it's not) to the food you should never bring on a flight (spoiler alert: it's hard boiled eggs, according to 74% of North Americans.) Let this be your travel moral compass (which apparently we all need): Simply scroll through the rules on your own or share them with someone who needs them. So… what ARE the Unspoken Rules of Air Travel? According to a survey conducted in partnership with aytm and work facilitated by Brandwatch's Consumer Research Platform, here are the Unspoken Rules of Air Travel as defined by all travelers: Sit back and Relax. 88% of people say it's OK to recline your seat. But timing is important to some with 1 in 3 saying it's only okay to recline your seat on a long or overnight flight. Arm rests are up for grabs. 57% say the middle seat is not entitled to both arm rests Socks stay ON. 76% say you're NOT allowed to take your socks off. Stinky foods stay at home. 92% of people agree that you should not bring any food with strong smells on a plane. That includes the biggest offenders: tinned fish (89%), hard boiled eggs (74%) and a rack of ribs (84%). Keep your feet on the floor. 68% say you are NOT allowed to put your feet up against the back of the seat in front of you. Noise control. 70% say you are not allowed to watch something without headphones. And, headphones on is the equivalent to do not disturb according to 94% of people. Sleeping is not a valid excuse… for just about anything. Leaning on a stranger's shoulder (77%), snoring loudly (66%) and refusing to wake up to let the passenger next to you get up (66%) are not welcome. Hold the phone…call. 69% agree you are NOT allowed to call someone before you get off the plane. Nail care is a no-no. 92% say you are NOT allowed to clip or paint your nails at your seat. Filing your nails is also a no no, according to 81% of people. Storage wars (overhead bin edition). 73% say you are allowed to store small items or jackets in the overhead bin Below are some additional findings that KAYAK was shocked to learn: Shoes ON during flights. 56% of North Americans agree your shoes should stay on during a flight. But, the fact that this was SO close (56% vs 44%) is a bit disturbing… Furthermore… 1 in 5 people believe it's OK to use the restroom without shoes on. That means someone in your row likely did this during your flight… gross! No Babies on Board. 1 in 4 people (26%) say it's NOT okay to bring a baby on a flight… ever. Wahhh. Who called the fun police? 58% say you are not allowed to laugh loudly at a movie when on a plane. Long Hair, Don't Care. Over 1 in 4 people (26%) say it's OK to hang your hair over the headrest/onto the front of the seat behind you. It's NOT Crunch time. 55% of people say no to eating crunchy food on a plane. "Travel etiquette is one of those things that is universally acknowledged yet frequently debated," said Matt Clarke VP of NA Marketing. "Even within our own team at KAYAK, we couldn't all agree whether it was or was not OK to recline your seat on a flight. So, we wanted to put an end to the debate once and for all. By launching these rules as summer travel really picks up, we hope to create a more enjoyable and agreeable summer travel experience for all." The rules will be running on digital displays in major airports throughout summer and will also be available via a modernized seatback manual downloadable at www.kayak.com/rules starting Tuesday, June 27. "In a perfect world these would grace the seat back pockets of every US flight. But, we recognize this ambitious endeavor cannot be achieved singlehandedly," continued Clarke. "In solidarity with flight crews everywhere, we hope that airlines will get on board with establishing official etiquette guidelines on all future flights. Imagine hearing 'please stow your rack of ribs' or 'keep your socks on when using the bathroom.' Planes everywhere would be a better, happier and overall more enjoyable place." About KAYAK: KAYAK is part of Booking Holdings Inc, one of the world's most prominent search engines for travel. It helps people find the vacation package, hotel, rental or shared car, and flights they want. The company enables travelers to search for the best flight deals and book with flexibility, as it's pretty reliable and completely free to use. With trip planning tools like a flight tracker, trip planner, and bag measure, KAYAK ensures that travelers' overall experience is more than just a flight search site!

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Business Travel

AlertMedia Announces Integration With Concur Travel

businesswire | August 03, 2023

AlertMedia, the world’s leading provider of threat intelligence, emergency communication, and travel risk management solutions, today launched an integration with Concur Travel. The integration allows joint AlertMedia and Concur Travel customers the ability to automatically sync travel data from Concur® Travel into AlertMedia Travel Risk Management, providing travel risk and security teams a real-time view of employees’ locations while traveling for work along with a powerful suite of tools to prepare employees ahead of business trips, monitor emerging travel risks, and respond quickly to keep travelers out of harm’s way. “The volume of business trips continues to grow, and more trips mean more risk for organizations—for the traveler and the business itself,” said Christopher Kenessey, CEO of AlertMedia. “Our integration with Concur Travel provides organizations a seamless, unified interface designed to help minimize travel-related risks, rapidly communicate critical information, and protect their most valuable assets—their people—in a world that is constantly changing.” Available to customers worldwide, the AlertMedia turnkey integration with Concur Travel drastically reduces the time required to identify, correlate, and respond to travel risks that may impact active trips or upcoming trips. Additional benefits include: Frictionless travel data management: Unify travel safety and risk management workflows within a single pane of glass to enable a faster, more consistent response. Accurate, non-invasive location monitoring: Know where your traveling employees are at all times and their proximity to emerging risks with the AlertMedia mobile app and powerful mapping features. Automatic, multichannel notifications to at-risk travelers: Accelerate response times to critical events with automated, multichannel notifications sent directly to impacted travelers or security teams. AlertMedia Travel Risk Management is now available in the SAP Concur App Center. About AlertMedia AlertMedia helps organizations protect their people and business through all phases of an emergency. Our award-winning threat intelligence, emergency communication, and travel risk management solutions help companies of all sizes identify, respond to, and recover from critical events faster and with greater confidence. AlertMedia supports critical communication for thousands of leading businesses—including DHL, JetBlue, Coca-Cola Bottling, In-N-Out, and Walmart—in more than 130 countries.

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Travel Technology, Hospitality Management

Virgin Voyages Close $550M Fundraise Led by Ares Management

Virgin Voyages | September 08, 2023

Virgin Voyages announced a $550 million funding round led by Ares Management for global expansion. Founder Tom McAlpin transitions to Chairman of the Board, while Nirmal Saverimuttu takes over as CEO, bringing extensive experience from Virgin Voyages' early days. Virgin Voyages looks forward to continued success and collaboration with investors, including Ares Management, to drive future growth and innovation. Virgin Voyages, the award-winning cruise brand backed by Richard Branson's Virgin Group, has announced the completion of a $550 million fundraise led by Ares Management's Private Equity Group. This funding, including contributions from existing investors such as Virgin Group and Bain Capital, is poised to propel Virgin Voyages into international markets while enhancing the overall customer experience. Partner and Co-Portfolio Manager of Special Opportunities in the Ares Private Equity Group, Aaron Rosen, remarked, With this new investment alongside our partners at Virgin Group and Bain Capital, we believe the company is on strong footing to capitalize on its differentiated product and value proposition in the growing cruise industry. [Source - Cision PR Newswire] Established as a leading player in the industry, Virgin Voyages has swiftly gained recognition and accolades with a fleet serving various destinations and recent wins like topping the mega-ship category in Travel + Leisure's 2023 World's Best Awards and sweeping all five cruise categories in the 2023 Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards. Alongside this development, Tom McAlpin, the founding CEO, is transitioning to the role of Chairman of the Board. Nirmal Saverimuttu is taking the reins as the new Chief Executive Officer, having formerly served as President and Chief Experience Officer. In addition, Nirmal Saverimuttu has been a foundational figure at Virgin Voyages since 2014, when he joined as Chief Commercial Officer after securing initial investments from the Virgin Group. His role expanded in 2021 to President and Chief Experience Officer, making him well-prepared to guide the brand into its next phase of growth and innovation. Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO of Virgin Voyages, said, I want to send our deepest thanks, on behalf of all our Crew and the Board, to Tom for his leadership and passion for the business. We are so grateful for all he has done and are thrilled to continue to partner with him as our Chairman. [Source – Cision PR Newswire] Virgin Voyages is a trusted brand due to its crew's dedication and passion for offering remarkable experiences for its guests. Nirmal also expressed his anticipation of collaborating with the Ares team and Virgin Voyages' current investors to execute growth and expansion plans as the company contemplates its promising future.

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