TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
Mondee | January 31, 2023
On January 30, 2023, Mondee Holdings Inc., a next-generation marketplace driven by technology that enables growth in a $1 trillion sector of the travel market, introduced an innovative affiliate program named Mondee Affiliate Network.
As the travel industry recovers from the pandemic's impact, Mondee acknowledges the need for a new approach to assist travel affiliates, agencies, and experts in resolving their growth challenges. The Mondee Affiliate Network is a unique program created to help gig workers, travel experts, and agencies thrive in the flourishing experiential travel market.
Driven by Mondee's advanced technology, the program offers affiliates an exclusive arrangement with enhanced revenue opportunities and tools to expand their product line-up, increase profitability, and remain competitive in an ever-changing market. In addition, this model benefits suppliers, experts, and travelers. Suppliers will receive efficient management for closed user group content and targeted distribution. At the same time, experts and travelers will gain exclusive access to a broader range of products and improved revenue opportunities on travel content such as hotel stays, airfare, and ancillaries.
Prasad Gundumogula, Chairman, CEO, and Founder at Mondee, shared, "We are excited to introduce the Mondee Affiliate Network, a cost-effective solution for travel agencies, experts and affiliates looking to recover from the pandemic and become more competitive in the ever-changing market." He added, "The program creates an exclusive relationship between Mondee and its customers, accelerates Mondee's market share penetration immediately into the air and hotel industries and positions the company as a leading provider of complete travel content and experiences to travel agents and affiliate groups globally."
(Source – GlobeNewswire)
About Mondee Holdings, Inc.
Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Austin (Texas), Mondee Holdings, Inc. is a group of notable travel service, technology, and content companies bringing disruptive innovation to the leisure, corporate, and retail travel markets. It provides a groundbreaking technology platform of mobile, SaaS, and cloud products and services to a global customer base, handling over 50 million daily searches and billions of dollars in transactional volume each year. Its network includes more than 50,000 gig economy workers and leisure travel advisors, 500+ airlines, and over one million vacation rentals and hotels.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
businesswire | March 23, 2023
Sonder Holdings Inc. a leading next-generation hospitality company that is redefining the guest experience through technology and design, has expanded its business travel segment to include group bookings. Sonder also announced a new partnership with HelmsBriscoe, the global leader in meetings procurement and site selection.
Having formally launched its business travel segment in 2021, Sonder continued to expand this area in 2022, including strengthening its position on GDS platforms, and adding a significant number of corporate travel accounts. This translated into approximately $70 million in booked corporate sales in 2022, roughly 5x growth compared to 2021. The company continues to grow both corporate travel and corporate housing accounts, and is now increasing its share of group bookings within popular verticals such as sports and entertainment, hosting elite athletes and sports teams, as well as film and television production crews. Sonder offers both hotel and apartment accommodations in over 40 markets worldwide, including entertainment hubs and cities that host international sporting events.
“Partnering with an industry leader like HelmsBriscoe unlocks growth in group travel, at a time when corporate travel is still recovering to pre-pandemic levels, and the landscape is evolving with trends such as the blending of business and leisure travel. Sonder accommodations offer short-stay and long-stay groups an elevated experience at a great value. We see exciting opportunities to scale within our existing verticals, including sports and entertainment, and to add others,” said Kristen Richter, Vice President of Global Sales at Sonder.
Sonder’s portfolio now includes properties with on-site amenities and high key counts suited to groups, such as Battery Park in NYC, Business Bay in Dubai, Cielo in Mexico City, Maisonneuve in Montreal, and The Witherspoon in Philadelphia. Sonder spaces provide fast wi-fi, and many offer a comfortable place to spread out and work remotely, with fully-equipped kitchens, living rooms, multiple bedrooms and en-suite laundry.
About Sonder
Sonder is revolutionizing hospitality through innovative, tech-enabled service and inspiring, thoughtfully designed accommodations combined into one seamless experience. Launched in 2014 and headquartered in San Francisco, Sonder provides a variety of accommodation options from spacious rooms to fully-equipped suites and apartments found in over 40 markets spanning ten countries and three continents. The Sonder app gives guests full control over their stay. Complete with self-service features, simple check-in and 24/7 on-the-ground support, amenities and services at Sonder are just a tap away, making a world of better stays open to all.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
Plusgrade | February 23, 2023
Plusgrade, the global travel industry's premier provider of ancillary revenue solutions, recently announced the acquisition of UpStay, a growing upgrade and ancillary revenue solutions provider for the hospitality industry. UpStay supports hundreds of hotels throughout 17 countries by aiding hoteliers in growing ancillary revenue by delivering numerous value-added revenue streams to their guests.
Since its inception in 2019, UpStay has been acknowledged for its innovative technology, receiving the 2021 People's Choice Innovation Award (Phocuswright Travel Awards) and the 2022 World's Best Hotel Tech Startup (World Travel Tech Awards).
Plusgrade's acquisition of Points, the global leader in powering loyalty commerce, brought together two of the largest ancillary revenue solutions under one umbrella. Now, the company has initiated a new phase of rapid expansion. By adding UpStay, which provides hotel upgrades and other ancillary revenue solutions, to its portfolio, enhances its ability to deliver comprehensive and diverse services to its global customer base.
This move positions Plusgrade to make a more significant impact on travel businesses worldwide, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction. UpStay will be incorporated into the Plusgrade brand over the next few weeks and will operate as Plusgrade going forward.
Ken Harris, CEO of Plusgrade, shared, "The acquisition of UpStay is another step forward for our vision and mission of becoming the Global Ancillary Revenue Powerhouse." He adds, "We have been accelerating this mission through a series of innovations, launches and acquisitions, and have come into 2023 as a powerhouse for the global travel industry. We are thrilled to have the UpStay team join us, and look forward to tapping into their expertise and innovative technology to bring even more value to our now 200+ airline, hospitality, cruise, rail and financial services partners around the world."
(Source – PR Newswire)
About Plusgrade
Plusgrade offers a portfolio of premium ancillary revenue solutions that power the travel industry. With over 200 clients from various sectors, including airline, cruise, passenger rail, hospitality, and financial services, the company creates new, meaningful revenue streams by delivering exceptional customer experiences. As an ancillary revenue powerhouse, it has created new revenue opportunities worth billions of dollars across its platform, enhancing travel experiences for millions of passengers and guests. Founded in 2009 with headquarters in Montreal, the organization has a global presence with offices located worldwide.
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