HOSPITALITY TRENDS
Highgate | January 23, 2023
Highgate, a company involved in hotel management, investment, technology, and development, has announced the launch of HG Portugal, as well as the relaunch of the Dorsett City London Hotel. HG Portugal opens with a portfolio of 18 hotels in several Portuguese markets, including Lisbon, Algarve, and Porto.
The portfolio includes hotels under the Hilton and IHG brand families and many notable independent hotels, such as Salgados Palace, Cascade Resort, and Sao Rafael Atlantico. In addition, the portfolio spans urban full-service hotels, waterfront luxury resorts, lifestyle boutique hotels, and large convention facilities, all drawing from core competencies across Highgate's global footprint.
Highgate has selected Alexandre Solleiro as Chief Executive Officer of HG Portugal as part of its efforts to build a best-in-class operating capability in Portugal. Alexandre Solleiro brings more than 30 years of hospitality leadership expertise in Portugal, and he is supported by a dedicated leadership team from all disciplines. The team will leverage Highgate's existing resources and platforms in Europe, the Caribbean, the United States, and Latin America while also bringing specialized Portugal-based experience.
Highgate brings global experience as an owner/operator in leisure destination markets and lifestyle, branded, and city-center hotels to the Portugal market. It adds unique value to its managed hotels via a platform designed to optimize distribution, operational efficiencies, and hotel concept development.
The launch of HG Portugal follows the October 2021 announcement of two portfolio additions in the UK market: Grosvenor House Suites in London's Mayfair District and the Dorsett City London Hotel. As part of a more extensive repositioning, Highgate will also begin running the Dorsett City London Hotel using a relaunched concept on March 1, 2023.
Arash Azarbarzin, Chief Executive Officer of Highgate, stated, "The launch of HG Portugal complements Highgate's recent re-entry into the UK management space, furthering the application of our proven business towards strategic global opportunities." He added, "Honed over the last 30 years, we will apply our innovative approach to operations, distribution, food and beverage, branding, and positioning during a remarkable moment for Portugal, as more travelers are discovering its magnificence as a prime destination."
(Source – PR Newswire)
About Highgate
New York-based Highgate is a leading hospitality management and investment company. It is a prominent figure in the US gateway markets, which include Boston, Honolulu, Miami, San Francisco, and New York. It is also expanding its presence in Europe using properties in Barcelona and London. Highgate offers professional guidance at every stage of the hospitality property cycle, from development and planning to disposition or recapitalization. Highgate is a trusted partner for major hotel brands and top ownership groups, with an executive team comprised of some of the industry's most experienced hotel management leaders.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
SUNRATE | January 10, 2023
SUNRATE, recognized as a leading financial solutions provider, collaborated with Visa, a world leader in digital payments. The partnership is to enhance the travel solutions offered by SUNRATE.
In the past, SUNRATE's stakeholders had only one way to pay for travel-related expenses with their travel partners. Now with the partnership, they will have a virtual corporate card that makes this process much easier and more streamlined.
SUNRATE, at the end of last year, shared news of a strategic alliance with Agoda, the world's largest online travel agency. In 2021, the company was accepted into the Visa network as a primary participant.
SUNRATE’S corporate cards will help its travel partners to have control over spending track and allocations. In addition, a corporate card will ensure the security of the transactions and the data for the users. Technologies like Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) have made it difficult for shared card information to be misused by imposing a time limit on each transaction.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Level 1 is an international standard for financial data security. SUNRATE has been certified to meet this standard.
"The launch of Visa virtual corporate cards is a monumental step for SUNRATE as we cement our leadership as a one-stop B2B payment partner, especially for the travel industry. Since our partnership announcement with Agoda, we have worked with many other travel stakeholders, including other OTAs and we take pride in being able to solve their overall business needs. The Visa virtual corporate card will be a key solution for our customers and beyond,"
-Shawn Qin, Head of Card Business, SUNRATE.
(Source: Cision)
About SUNRATE
SUNRATE is an advanced global payment and treasury management platform for international businesses. Having global headquarters in Singapore and offices in China, Indonesia, Japan, and the United Kingdom, SUNRATE collaborates with Citibank, Standard Chartered, and Barclays and is the leading member of MasterCard and Visa. The company has facilitated local and global growth for over 130 firms since its establishment in 2016.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY,AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS
Fareportal | December 30, 2022
The Dominican Republic's newest national carrier, Arajet, is now being offered for flights by CheapOair and OneTravel, the first online travel agencies in the US to do so.
Arajet is the newest low-cost carrier in the Dominican Republic. It began operations on September 15 and has already launched a route network that spans a wide range, with 18 destinations in 11 different countries. With plans to transport more than 7 million passengers over the next five years, the airline will contribute to an increase in tourism throughout the region, which will result in the creation of thousands of jobs in the area. There are currently flights departing from Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, Jamaica, Aruba, St. Maarten, and Curacao that arrive in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. More flights are scheduled to depart from other countries in the near future.
Fareportal is of the view that Arajet selected these brands as the OTA platforms to introduce their expanding route network to U.S. travelers, knowing that Fareportal will support them with industry-leading technology and an unwavering dedication to exceptional customer service.
Arajet stated that it is pleased to collaborate with Fareportal as well as its online travel agencies, CheapOair and OneTravel. In order to provide the Dominican diaspora with the most affordable travel options to see friends and family, the company plans to open 17 new destinations in the United States in the upcoming months. Additionally, the company thinks this alliance will propel its vision.
Experts in the aviation sector believe that low-cost carriers (LCCs) are ideally placed for growth. In 2021, three new carriers debuted in the United States, and more than 20 are anticipated to do so globally in 2022.
AboutFareportal
Fareportal, developing industry-defining technology since 2002, has emerged as a travel technology leader. With offices in New York, Canada, India, Las Vegas, Mexico, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom, the company caters to over 2,500 people across nearly five time zones.
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