TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
Agoda | June 14, 2022
On June 13, payment network Affirm announced a partnership with global travel platform Agoda. Agoda is part of Booking Holdings, the world’s leading online travel and related services provider. This partnership allows eligible travelers to book their hotel stays for upcoming trips across the Agoda platform via app and web. In addition, they can pay over time for bookings exceeding $50.
When travelers choose Affirm as a checkout action on Agoda, those eligible can split the total cost of their purchases into either biweekly or monthly payments for as low as 0% APR. Travelers get to see the total cost of their purchase at the time and never have to pay more than the agreed amount upfront. Agoda has integrated Affirm’s Adaptive Checkout to offer customers various payment options to choose from based on their budget and preferences. Eligible travelers also have an option to pay four interest-free biweekly payments and monthly payment options.
“We are always looking for innovative ways to help more people access travel, using tech to simplify the search, booking and payment processes,The launch of pay-over-time options with Affirm will enable travelers in North America who might have previously found it inconvenient to pay for their booking in one lump sum to spread the costs over multiple payments without incurring any compound interest or additional costs. We’re helping consumers get back out into the world of travel – on their own terms.”
-Agoda’s Chief Financial Officer Thi-Mai-Linh Bui.
According to a recent Affirm Consumer Spend Report, 80% of consumers agree that 2022 will be the year they splurge on a bucket-list trip and nearly 30% plan to pay for travel expenses over time instead of all at once, said Affirm’s Chief Revenue Officer Geoff Kott. “Our partnership with Agoda gives more travelers a budget-friendly way to pay for their next milestone vacation so they can travel without concern for late or hidden fees.
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BUSINESS TRAVEL
Optii Solutions | June 13, 2022
On June 8, Optii Solutions, a market leader in hotel operations software, announced the onboarding of two hotels in the Pebblebrook Hotel Trust; Hotel Chamberlain West Hollywood and Hotel Ziggy, in their hotel operations solution. Optii will help them maximize their housekeeping efficiencies and comply with the new West Hollywood Ordinance that governs workers’ rights.
Optii has a contract with another Pebblebrook group hotel- Montrose West Hollywood. It has successfully helped Montrose streamline its operations with limited staff and adapt to the Ordinance. Springboard Hospitality manages all the three hotels that are members of the Curator Hotels & Resorts Collection.
The West Hollywood Ordinance came into force on January 1 and imposed limits on square footage cleaned and the number of checkouts completed by each room attendant during an eight-hour workday. If these limits exceed, the hoteliers must pay their staff twice their pay for every hour worked. This doubles housekeeping costs for hotels that do not comply with these restrictions.
Optii’s housekeeping platform uses AI to allocate rooms to room attendants based on square footage efficiently. It also set limits for each attendant so that no team member exceeds the Ordinance guidelines. Optii’s platform also offers reporting on both the square footage and number of rooms that an attendant cleans to ensure compliance. A breakdown of departure cleans for each workday, as well as archived boards and data for customer life, is also provided.
“Housekeeping departments represent the largest cost for hoteliers and failure to comply with the West Hollywood Ordinance can mean that these costs skyrocket. We are pleased to be expanding our relationship with Pebblebrook Hotel Trust and helping this group of hotels comply simply and easily.”
-Katherine Grass, CEO, Optii Solutions
Andrew Maffei, Area General Manager, Chamberlain or Hotel Ziggy, said: Our staff are our most important asset and making best use of their time is one of our top priorities. We are excited to be implementing Optii’s technology to ensure our housekeeping team is working efficiently and that we are always fully compliant with the new Ordinance requirements.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
FocusPoint International | June 16, 2022
On June 15, FocusPoint International, a market-leading global assistance company, announced launch of its CAP Tripside Assistance (CAP) service plan at their recent ribbon-cutting ceremony inaugurating their new 22, 000 square foot South Florida headquarters and Crisis Response Center (CRC) located in Plantation, Fla.
The launch of this domestic travel protection package under CAP for vacations and excursions for Americans traveling within the USA is a result of the success of their international service plan. CAP offers advanced, international and domestic travel assistance and immediate response to stranded, in-crisis travelers
or those encountering merely the threat of crisis.
“Our goal is simple: to encourage international and domestic travel, and give peace of mind and security that allows our customers to enjoy the moment, create memories, and connect with the cultures and places they’ve planned for, We’ve long enjoyed success in servicing corporations and are now in a position to expand our market share by reaching leisure consumers all around the globe.”
-Greg Pearson, founder and CEO of FocusPoint International and CAP
CAP is fully indemnified by Lloyd’s of London. It is a full-service international and domestic travel protection for Americans traveling within the USA. It provides medical, and security assistance plans to cover different situations, either for short or extended periods, including, but not limited to:
24/7 unlimited live assistance with the Crisis Response Center (CRC) Assistance Hotline
Destination-based health, safety and security information via the CAP Advantage app
Home hospital of choice medical evacuations
Referrals to medical and legal experts, language interpreters, legal services, and prescription advice and assistance
Security evacuation services due to riots, strikes, civil commotion and more
Vehicle return for those requiring immediate evacuation back to their country of origin
Support for lost luggage or critical documents such as passports or visas
Hospital-to-hospital transfers and mandatory quarantine expense coverage due to COVID-19
Mortal remains repatriation services to your country of origin
FocusPoint was founded in 2011 and has served over 13 million customers across its network. It has been the choice of corporations, their C-suites, government dignitaries and other entities. They have 19 offices on five different continents and over 5, 000 proprietary and affiliate personnel in medical, security and crisis services.
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