DESTINATION AND TOURISM, INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Travelex Insurance Services | January 17, 2023
Travelex Insurance Services, one of the leading U.S. travel insurance companies, and Collette Travel Service, Inc., an award-winning premium tour operator, have announced a partnership that will allow Collette to offer Travelex travel insurance products and services starting January 3, 2023.
Jaclyn Leibl-Cote, President and Chief Brand Officer at Collette, expressed, "We're excited for this opportunity to provide our travelers with some of the industry's best insurance plans and services." She further stated, "Travelex's quality insurance products, superb customer service record and claims payment history convinced us to partner with them. We think our clients will be very happy with Travelex's offerings."
(Source- PR Newswire)
Travelex President and CEO Shannon Lofdahl shared that her company has collaborated with Collette for months to develop and roll out comprehensive travel protection policies for its clients. She remarked, "Our teams worked together to complete implementation and agent training for the launch. "We're ready to serve Collette's travelers as they explore the world,” Shannon Lofdahl concluded.
(Source- PR Newswire)
About Travelex
For over 25 years,Travelex Insurance Services has been the go-to for reliable and affordable travel protection in the United States. It is a well-known collaborator in the tourism sector, offering services that enable vacationers to make and safeguard memories. Customer service, technology, and innovation are just some of the categories in which Travelex has been recognized as a market leader.
About Collette
Collette, the oldest tour operator in North America, is trusted by visitors. It is distinguished by its customizable tour pacing, ties to the travel industry, and full travel protection coverage. The organization has focused on customer satisfaction since 1918 and offers 160 journeys to all seven continents via five types of travel, including small group tours and river cruises. The company's headquarters are located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with divisions in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
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COMMERCIAL TRAVEL
Operto | March 21, 2023
Operto Guest Technologies, a leading provider of automated solutions for 50 million-plus rooms in the global hospitality industry, today announced that it secured US$25 million in a Series-B financing round. The financing was led by Centana Growth Partners, with participation from Thayer Ventures, FUSE, Blackpines Capital Partners and Derive Ventures.
Proceeds from the round will be used to further fuel Operto’s aggressive expansion in the global short-term rental and hotel markets, where it already works exclusively with Accor Hotels to power its global digital key program. This includes luxury hotel brands such Fairmont and Raffles, where Operto’s revolutionary contactless digital solutions can be leveraged to remove common friction points in the guest journey, while lowering operating costs and driving new sources of revenue for the hotel.
"We are delighted to announce our B-Round funding, which will enable us to build upon our exceptional company growth over the past 3 years. It will accelerate our company mission to build cutting-edge technology solutions that drive amazing guest experiences, across the entire accommodation spectrum. In addition, our solutions will continue to deliver huge operational efficiencies for property owners and hosts by lowering costs and driving additional in-stay guest revenues, which is becoming increasingly important in today’s macroeconomic environment,” said Operto CEO Steve Davis. “Hospitality is one of the last major industries to be disrupted by technology, and we believe there is a significant opportunity to bring the benefits of simple, affordable automation to the sector. We are excited about the future, and we look forward to making a real difference to the accommodation industry."
“Operto is leading the digital transformation of the hospitality industry by creating a seamless, automated check-in and check-out experience for its customers,” said Eric Byunn, co-founder and partner at Centana Growth Partners. “Centana has been following the digitization of the hospitality industry closely, and we are very excited about this sort of innovative disruption streamlining the experience of owners, hosts, and guests. We will leverage our expertise in the payments and commerce ecosystem to work with Operto as they continue to innovate in an industry with such enormous potential.”
In addition to the funding announcement, Operto is pleased to announce that Sam Shank has joined the company’s Board of Directors. Shank, who was previously CEO and founder of HotelTonight and former head of Airbnb’s Commercial Team, brings a wealth of hospitality and travel industry experience to Operto. "Operto's cutting-edge technology solutions are reshaping the hospitality industry, and I am excited to be a part of the journey,” said Shank. “I look forward to working with the team to help drive growth and innovation."
Operto’s automated, customizable platform enables hotels, property managers and others to remotely provide access as well as monitor and control a wide range of devices and systems, including smartphone-enabled guest verification, security deposit and payment, electronic elevator and room access. By providing property managers with real-time data and insights, Operto helps streamline operations, reduce costs and enhance the guest experience.
Operto Guest Technologies is well-positioned to continue its rapid growth and expansion into new markets. The company is committed to delivering innovative solutions that help property managers improve efficiency, reduce costs and provide a better experience for their guests.
About Operto Guest Technologies
Operto Guest Technologies is a Vancouver-based company that provides smart property automation solutions for the hotel and vacation rental sectors. Operto’s platform enables property owners and managers to remotely monitor and control their properties, enhancing the guest experience while improving operational efficiency. The company's solutions can integrate with existing property management software and are customizable to meet the unique needs of each property. Operto Guest Technologies' solutions have been adopted by property managers and owners in over 100-countries worldwide.
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INDUSTRY OUTLOOK,HOSPITALITY TRENDS
INTELITY | December 26, 2022
Contents
1. Partnership Revision to Add Unifocus into INTELITY's R5
2. What's New in the Platform?
INTELITY, a leading guest experienceand management platform provider in the hospitality industry, recently announced updating its strategic partnership with Unifocus, a hospitality operations software and workforce management platform provider.
In light of recent updates to Unifocus's technology, the INTELITY integration is brand new. Built on INTELITY's R5 platform to leverage its industry-leading capabilities, the latest integration provides a more robust synchronization of guest request details between Unifocus and INTELITY.
1. Partnership Revision to Add Unifocus into INTELITY's R5
R5 is INTELITY's new cloud-based platform, designed to manage various hospitality operations from back-of-house operations to resident and guest services, all on one platform. The R5 platform from INTELITY enables hotel customers to initiate requests via hotel mobile apps or smart-room tablets. Unifocus is the market leader in workforce management software that enhances hospitality operations. The incorporation of Unifocus into INTELITY's R5 integrations cloud enables identical requests to be directed straight to on-premise teams utilizing their existing operational workflows.
2. What’s New in the Platform?
“INTELITY provides solutions that completely change the way guests experience and engage with a property, which is the kind of innovation we’re looking for from Brand Officials.”
– Micarl Hill, SVP of Brand Development at the Forbes Travel Guide
The entirely redesigned platform, INTELITY's R5, offers a variety of additional capabilities to better serve, monitor, and manage the needs of guests while cutting down on administrative work and giving the team the data they require. The modernized connection is built on top of a long-standing cooperation that has provided staff automation, lifecycle status tracking of guest requests, and enhanced security to customers all over the world.
About INTELITY
INTELITY is the leading company in contactless guest experience technology, in-room, integrating mobile, and operational capabilities into a comprehensive hospitality platform. Among its many accolades, INTELITY has been named the "Official Guest Engagement and Staff Management Platform Provider" by the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide. The INTELITY platform is utilized in over 60 countries and six continents by boutique hotels, casino resorts, luxury residences, and worldwide hotel brands, among others.
About Unifocus
Unifocus is the only comprehensive workforce management platform designed to transform the labor-management practices of service industries fundamentally. The robust platform provides intelligent labor management techniques that automatically generate accurate estimates and schedules based on staff availability, business demand, service standards, and work rules. In addition, the staff is effortlessly aligned with a world-class time and attendance system that communicates timetables and allows swaps with tools like Shift Genius that reside on a simple mobile app.
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