TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
prnewswire | April 27, 2023
Trip.com, an international one-stop travel service provider, today announced it will build a joint innovation lab with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world's most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud. The joint lab aims to use experts from AWS and Trip.com to develop new technologies that will improve the online travel provider's travel and services. Trip.com and AWS will combine technology resources and knowledge in cloud computing and artificial intelligence to identify and develop new ways to support Trip.com customers.
Trip.com, with its unique value proposition, offers an all-in-one suite of diversified travel products and industry-leading customer service, via its mobile-first app to users around the world.
Chen Zhang, Executive Vice President of Trip.com Group, said: "We are excited to sign an MoU with Amazon Web Services to build the innovation lab. Trip.com has worked hard to consistently develop technology to improve services and offerings for customers. The innovation lab aims to make travel more accessible and provide the ultimate experience for travellers, using the latest technology, renowned experts, and leading researchers from Trip.com and AWS."
"Trip.com is the world's leading one-stop travel service provider and a role model of global development," said Gu Fan, General Manager of Growth Acceleration of AWS Greater China. "We are honored to empower Trip.com through the joint innovation lab with our cloud services and successful practices in the fields of big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to continuously help Trip.com expand its existing business, uncover new growth opportunities and fulfill its mission to 'achieve the perfect journey' for global travelers."
The joint lab will focus on five programmes, including Artificial Intelligence, Flight Business, Hotel Business, International Business, and Cloud Technology.
In recent years, Trip.com has strengthened collaborations with AWS to improve marketing capabilities and service qualities through its advanced technology.
Trip.com has migrated more than 400 of its international business micro services to AWS, proving the model for more departments and mature business component tools to follow suit.
After migrating to AWS, Trip.com saw a significant improvement in its air ticket booking system, and reduced overall total memory consumption by more than 96%, achieving major cost savings.
During the pandemic, Trip.com successfully launched its innovative live stream campaign 'DreamNowTripLater'. By leveraging AWS services, Trip.com has a robust, high quality, and engaging live stream to showcase true travel destination experiences to customers.
AWS has also allowed Trip.com to improve connections with flight and hotel partners, by providing increasingly reliable service for users with a faster and more stable system that reaches millions of global users.
In addition, as part of the collaboration, Trip.com leverages AWS to provide training and AWS Certifications to its employees in various fields, such as cloud computing architecture, development, operations, containers, data analysis, database, security, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, which will help them upskill and innovate using cloud computing. AWS and Trip.com also collaborated to develop a four-year training plan and are expected to train approximately 2,000 employees through comprehensive training courses supported by AWS's customer service team.
About Trip.com
Headquartered in Singapore, Trip.com, a global online travel agency, offers services for flights tickets, hotels booking, train tickets, and the internet. It enhances the travel experience from a short trip to a nearby city to a long adventure across the continent, helping travelers at every step of the journey. It has connected about 1.2 million hotels and over 500 airlines in approximately 200 countries to travelers. With a committed customer service team, it offers services non-stop 24/7 and assists travelers worldwide. It also provides an all-in-one travel application with features like trip coins, app-inclusive deals, easy trip planning, the latest travel updates, and worldwide coverage.
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BUSINESS TRAVEL
globenewswire | May 12, 2023
Today, Hotel Equities (HE) and National Hospitality Services (NHS) announced they have formed a strategic alliance. The NHS portfolio of 38 hotels will integrate into HE’s management platform creating strategic growth opportunities for associates and optimizing systems to create a more dynamic and powerful operations and sales engine. The alliance leverages efficiencies and resources to drive elevated performance across the combined portfolio of approximately 300 hotels and resorts throughout the United States and Canada.
“Since opening our first hotel in 1996, we have lived our promise to maximize earnings and value for the ownership groups we represent. Our partnership with Hotel Equities allows us to take that commitment to the next level," said founder and President of NHS, Norman Leslie. "The synergies and shared cultures of both companies ensure that our stakeholders will continue to see strong and growing returns for our ownership groups. This is an exciting time for our industry – but management must perform at a pinnacle level to deliver the returns that investors are seeking. That’s exactly what we will be able to do with this partnership."
“This alliance has been forged from a shared vision for future growth and a commitment to foundational values,” said HE’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Brad Rahinsky. “NHS’s track record of success and its stellar associate-centric reputation are well established in our industry. This alliance enables them to stay independent while honoring their legacy and unlocking the added scale, support and resources of HE’s collective platform.”
A key benefit from the alliance is the focused efforts on labor concerns, recruitment and retention with the added proprietary training and development resources and benefits HE has available to all of its associates and partners. NHS’s nearly 1,200 associates will bring HE’s total to more than 9,000 with access to additional perks including a sabbatical program, daily pay option, HE Marketplace and peer management training programs to spur and support continuous career growth.
“Not only will our team members have added growth opportunities by being part of an expansive portfolio but they also have the ability to tap into additional benefits and training programs to catapult their careers,” said Sarah Koustrup, Chief Strategy Officer for NHS. “Partnering with a group that invests heavily into its people was a huge deciding factor in moving forward with an alliance; it’s what we are most proud of.”
“Our people-focused and performance-driven model creates immediate value add for all of NHS’s stakeholders,” added HE’s Chief Operating Officer, Bryan DeCort. “As all new NHS associates are fully integrated into the HE ecosystem, owners will also experience real performance lift.”
“We continue to look for scale with the right groups where we both add value to the relationship in many ways,” said HE’s Chief Development Officer, Joe Reardon. “The alliance makes everyone better not only from cost savings to ownership groups but even more on the people side of the business. We are particularly excited about the growth opportunity this allows us in the Midwest.”
“The best-in-class systems, operations management and buying power of our combined efforts will not only elevate the guest experience at all of our hotels but also allow us to intensify our focus on NHS’s owner and asset management services with even more opportunities for property acquisitions, financing and enhanced operations management,” Leslie added.
About National Hospitality Services, LLC
National Hospitality Services (NHS) is a nationally recognized, award-winning hotel real estate investment and development company with a portfolio of 38 assets throughout the United States. NHS was founded by President Norman Leslie in 2001 and is led by Leslie and Chief Strategy Officer Sarah Koustrup. More information about NHS can be found at www.nhshotels.com.
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HOSPITALITY TRENDS
prweb | April 20, 2023
East West Hospitality, a leading hospitality services company that actively manages a portfolio of high-end properties in sought-after resort destinations across the U.S., has been selected to provide property management services for The Cape on Kiawah, a highly anticipated new enclave of 78 oceanfront condominium residences and penthouses set to open on Kiawah Island in November 2023. Located on the last available oceanfront parcel on the island, The Cape is also home to The Cape Club, a new beach club in Kiawah Island’s west end neighborhood.
An industry leader in property management, association management and vacation rental homecare, East West Hospitality will provide a suite of services to ensure the residences and amenities at the 14-acre year-round retreat deliver the highest quality experience for owners and their guests. From care and maintenance of the residences, common spaces and building exteriors to professional management of The Cape’s homeowner association, East West Hospitality’s South Carolina-based team of experts in engineering, finance and asset management will oversee all operational aspects of the luxury development.
“The Cape is a stunning addition to the East West Hospitality portfolio of managed luxury properties, and we are delighted to deploy our Charleston-based team’s considerable experience on behalf this iconic new destination,” said Colleen Weiss-Hanen, President and Chief Executive Officer, East West Hospitality.
The Cape joins other South Carolina properties under East West Hospitality management, including the Waterfront on Daniel Island, the Tides IV in Mount Pleasant, and Anson House, 71 Wentworth and the Gadsden in Charleston. East West Hospitality now manages more than 130 homeowner associations and more than 7,300 residences across South Carolina, Colorado, California, and Hawaii, from condominiums and townhomes to luxury private residences, resort hotels, restaurants and retailers.
About East West Hospitality
East West Hospitality is a leading hospitality services company that actively manages a $6 billion portfolio of properties, including hotels, resorts, private luxury residences and vacation rentals, along with restaurant, spa, fitness, retail and commercial properties, in the most desirable leisure destinations. The company also provides in-depth asset and financial management services for more than 130 homeowner associations at high-end residential communities.
With more than 35 years of experience managing hotels, resorts and private residences, East West Hospitality’s vacation rental, resort operations, vacation homecare and asset management services are unparalleled. The company supports more than 7,334 vacation rental residences with boots-on-the-ground teams in every location, enhanced by a 24/7 call center providing personal assistance and destination expertise to guests.
Decades of experience managing hotels, resorts, vacation rentals and iconic private residences have earned East West Hospitality its reputation among guests and property owners as one of the most trusted names in the hospitality industry.
East West Hospitality was named the Vail Valley’s “Business of the Year” in 2018 by the Vail Valley Partnership, Colorado’s “Best Property Management Company” by ColoradoBIZ Magazine and honored as one of the “Top 50 Best Places to Work in 2019” by Outside Magazine.
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