Fodor's and WebMD Launch E-book to Guide Travelers in the "New Normal"

WebMD | September 15, 2020

As millions of people look forward to a return to travel, a new e-book, launched today from Fodor's and WebMD, can help travelers navigate the 'new normal' in the age of Covid-19. Fodor's Guide to Safe and Healthy Travel: Practical Tips and Information for the Age of COVID-19 and Other Pandemics, written in collaboration with the medical experts at WebMD, provides information and tips on how best to safely and confidently travel when COVID-19 restrictions ease, and to assess travel with regard to other health issues that currently exist or may emerge in specific countries or regions.

Spotlight

Paired with changing workforce dynamics, contact centers are coping with issues such as economic uncertainty, customer vulnerability, an increase in global compliance regulations and ongoing pandemic-related disruptions —
from the supply chain to employee health concerns. A perfect storm of external factors have led to higher interaction volumes and more complex customer conversations.

Spotlight

Paired with changing workforce dynamics, contact centers are coping with issues such as economic uncertainty, customer vulnerability, an increase in global compliance regulations and ongoing pandemic-related disruptions —
from the supply chain to employee health concerns. A perfect storm of external factors have led to higher interaction volumes and more complex customer conversations.

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FEATURES AND ADVICE

BrainHQ Studies Importance of Brain Training for Space Travel

BrainHQ | March 10, 2023

BrainHQ, a brain training system, has recently announced the conclusion of its pilot study, showing that brain training can help space travel. The research was conducted with computerized brain training and Posit Science marketed it. The researchers found that space travel has a hazardous impact on the brain because of the gravitational forces involved in liftoff and landing, radiation, microgravity, and isolation. These impacts resulted in effects like intracranial pressure, impaired vision, vestibular dysfunction, altered fluid levels in veins and arteries, white matter changes, and premature aging. They grouped the astronauts having qualities like age, education and discipline who are employees from the Johnson Space Center for the Increasing Cognitive Ability/Reserve Using Software (ICARUS) pilot study. It tested their cognitive performance through its assessments and Cognition Test Battery, a software-based test dedicated to NASA. It trained five of these participants for about 15 hours of training, 18 sessions and over the 90 days. They improved on internal measures of its exercises with a 71% increase on average in primary performance metrics. On the NASA Cognition Test Battery, they showed 19% gains on average. With preliminary findings, the pilot study provided data and feasibility for further research. CEO of Posit Science, Dr. Henry Mahncke said, “These are exciting results in a new area, which is literally about the New Frontier.” He added, “Whether it’s returning to the moon or colonizing Mars, we know that addressing the cognitive challenges of long-term space flight is essential. These results fit nicely with what we’ve seen in building cognitive reserve in older adults and people recovering from brain injury and brain fog, as well as improving peak performers — such as special forces, law enforcement, or athletes — expected to perform at superhuman levels under extreme time and performance pressures.” (Source – Globe Newswire) About BrainHQ Headquartered in San Francisco, California, BrainHQ, a wellness and fitness services provider, has improved mental ability and performance since 2002. The international team of neuroscientists and brain experts tested its brain training system. Its exercise is scientific-based, and researchers validated its real benefits in their published papers. The experts design, test and redefine its online exercises for cognitive issues, healthy aging and mental conditions. It uses a special algorithm to adapt difficulty in each exercise at the optimum level. Its exercises are divided into different levels for a flexible period, depending on the personal training goals, on any computer or mobile device.

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COMMERCIAL TRAVEL

Travelport Acquires Deem for Furthering Investment in Innovation

Travelport | March 13, 2023

Travelport, a global technology company for travel, has recently acquired Deem for further investment in innovation to modernize the retailing and corporate travel sector. This acquisition would improve Deem's speed to market and allow seamless integration of multi-source content. Deem is a modern technology solutions provider for the corporate travel industry and previously worked under Enterprise Holdings, a mobility solutions provider. It has a suite of online booking and travel technology products designed especially for business travelers, travel managers, travel-management companies and suppliers. It is making the corporate travel experience more efficient for all. It is entitled as one of the 'Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2022'. It aims to continue growth in its share of the corporate travel business, and the Travelport's investment is further increasing that growth at a global level. Travelport is an established NDC leader and launched the end-to-end solution for American Airlines' NDC content. It plans to enhance its position with the swift technical integration of Deem company. It will avail Deem of the NDC offers, products and services. The NDC content is important for travel agencies, corporations and travelers, particularly those in North America. Currently, North American airlines are shifting some content exclusively to NDC. CEO of Travelport, Greg Webb said, "The game-changing acquisition of Deem by Travelport will fulfill a growing, post-pandemic need for a tight, fully-integrated corporate tool that will provide access to all multi-source content, including NDC." He added, "We've been laser-focused on investing in technology innovation, and Travelport+ has simplified the agency workflow, upgraded how travel content is curated, and enabled modern travel retailing. Now with the acquisition of Deem, Travelport will provide corporate travel with award-winning, complementary tools that are as revolutionary, modern, and easy-to-use as Travelport+." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) About Travelport Headquartered in Langley, Berkshire, Travelport, an information technology and services provider for travel, offers solutions for technology, travel commerce, travel, distribution, payment, airlines, travel agents, online travel agencies, travel management companies, corporate travel, B2B, cloud, search, business intelligence, data, and travel industry. It has been working as a worldwide travel retail platform since 1971. Its huge marketplace, Travelport+, connects buyers to sellers for exceptional travel experience and modern digital retailing. It is an independent platform providing solutions for complex travel ecosystems through innovation. It supports bookings of travel suppliers worldwide.

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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY,HOSPITALITY TRENDS

Agilysis Dispenses Cloud Native PMS to Marriot International

Agilysis | January 04, 2023

Agilysis, a provider of hospitality software solutions, recently announced a partnership between Marriott International, Inc. and Agilysis, a cloud-native property management system (PMS) software provider. Agilysys and Marriott will collaborate to form a cohesive strategy and activation plan before taking steps to replace the various proprietary property management systems currently in use. Agilysys remarked that it is looking forward to deploying its cloud-native PMS that is easy to use, comprehensive in functionality, and backed up by world-class service and support. As an organization focused solely on hospitality, Agilysys designs solutions to serve all hotel types while also accommodating diverse needs, which is an advantage for organizations with extensive brand portfolios such as Marriott. Being chosen to provide property management technology to the world's leading hospitality corporations to help them meet the growing needs of the next generation of employees and guests is a testament to the hospitality solution advancements resulting from the company's substantial investments in research and development and its accelerating rate of innovation. Adding to this, Marriott International said that it is also looking forward to utilizing Agilysys’ property management technology to elevate and simplify the associate experience, enabling them to focus on delivering exceptional guest service. About Agilysis Agilysys delivers hospitality-focused technology solutions. The company offers point-of-sale, property management, inventory and procurement, analytics, payment processing, document management, mobile solutions, support, maintenance, professional services, and third-party hardware products and operating systems. It offers innovations for the hotel industry, diverse capabilities for different properties, and cloud-native technology that makes work easier for staff and improves the guest experience.

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