SAP Concur shuts down metasearch engine Hipmunk

PhocusWire | January 14, 2020

SAP Concur is shuttering metasearch engine Hipmunk, which the company acquired in 2016. SAP Concur says it is “retiring” both the consumer-facing Hipmunk product as well as travel and expense product Concur Hipmunk and will stop supporting the brand on January 23. The company says it notified employees of the decision this morning (January 14) before communicating the news to its customers and partners; SAP Concur says there will not be layoffs, and “employees who are currently working on Hipmunk will be moving to similar roles based on their skill set, level and job profile.” With the folding of Hipmunk, in particular Concur Hipmunk, which was designed for the small- and midsize-business segment, SAP Concur will focus its efforts on its other products including itinerary manager TripIt Pro and Concur TripLink, which offers direct, managed business travel bookings.

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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY

Everbridge Research Finds Only One-Quarter of Surveyed Organizations Have Solid Travel Risk Management Program

businesswire | April 26, 2023

Everbridge, Inc. the global leader in critical event management (CEM) and national public warning software solutions, revealed findings today that only 24% of surveyed organizations have a strong Travel Risk Management (TRM) program in place as defined by TRM Standard ISO 31030. The results come from the company’s year-long study of more than 200 global C-suite executives. Additionally, only 21% of those surveyed feel that their organizations have adequate measures in place to meet the standard’s key requirements for travel safety. “Addressing potential gaps in a company’s travel risk management program is critical to successfully building a more resilient workforce,” said Tracy Reinhold, Chief Security Officer at Everbridge. “The good news is that the introduction of ISO 31030 has removed much of the guesswork in how to do that. But there is still plenty of room for improvement as organizations seek to mitigate risks and fulfill their duty of care. Even those in the top category should ensure continuous reviews of their programs and policies as risks consistently evolve.” ISO 31030 is the officially recognized International Standard for travel risk management, providing guidance on how to manage risks to organizations and travelers. To help organizations benchmark their travel risk programs against this standard and identify any shortfalls, Everbridge developed Measuring Up Against ISO 31030 – The Travel Risk Management Standard, an online survey measuring the seven key areas of the standard: Understanding risk context; Managing travel risk effectively; Travel risk assessment and treatment; Incident response; Specialist support; Communication and consultation; and Program monitoring and review. Among the survey’s key findings: Only 24% of respondents have a solid travel risk management program in place as defined by ISO 31030 Only 27% of respondents have a clear understanding of their organization’s risk profile Only 36% of respondents feel that their TRM policies are aligned with other organizational policies Only 21% of respondents feel that adequate measures are in place to safeguard travelers Only 19% feel that policies and procedures have been effectively communicated and understood 81% believe their organization needs to improve the way their TRM program is evaluated and reviewed Adds Reinhold: “While risks associated with the global pandemic dominated the attention of travel professionals for the last three years, severe weather events and civil unrest now pose the biggest threats to business travel. ISO guidance is a boon to travel managers as it gives them a chance to evaluate their own programs against industry standards. It is also a terrific opportunity to review and refresh established TRM programs.” To take the survey and see how your organization measures up against ISO 31030, click here. Upon completion of the survey, respondents receive an instant score and a personalized report. Everbridge will present the survey’s key findings and best practices at The Security Event in Birmingham, UK this week, in a session entitled “Regulation & Governance: New ISO 31030 Standard and its Impact on Travel Risk Mitigation.” About Everbridge Everbridge empowers enterprises and government organizations to anticipate, mitigate, respond to, and recover stronger from critical events. In today’s unpredictable world, resilient organizations minimize impact to people and operations, absorb stress, and return to productivity faster when deploying critical event management (CEM) technology. Everbridge digitizes organizational resilience by combining intelligent automation with the industry’s most comprehensive risk data to Keep People Safe and Organizations Running™.

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HOSPITALITY TRENDS

1 hotel mayfair, the sustainable hospitality brand's uk flagship, is now accepting reservations

SH Hotels & Resorts | May 29, 2023

1 Hotels, the nature-inspired luxury lifestyle hotel brand founded by hospitality visionary Barry Sternlicht, announces that its UK flagship and first European destination, located in the heart of London's historic Mayfair, is now accepting reservations with an anticipated opening date of July 13, 2023. The nine-story sustainable sanctuary overlooks the stately trees and verdant lawns of magnificent Green Park, just steps away from the world-class galleries, sophisticated boutiques, first-class restaurants and renowned emporia of Bond Street, Berkeley Square and Piccadilly. 1 Hotel Mayfair consciously creates an unexpected fusion of sustainability and luxury in the fashionable heart of London's most exclusive hospitality district. The hotel brings a fresh breath of air enlivened by a deep love of and respect for nature within easy strolling distance of capital highlights such as The Royal Academy, the West End theatre district, and Buckingham Palace. "We are delighted to bring nature and our mission of sustainable luxury to Mayfair, the very heart of London, one of the most important travel markets in the world," said Barry Sternlicht, 1 Hotels Founder and Chairman of SH Hotels & Resorts. "We are thrilled to bring our unique fusion of fresh comfort, conscious sustainability, exceptional bespoke service, understated elegance, wellness and nutrition to London." "We've reimagined the traditional luxury hotel experience for Mayfair by infusing our love for nature with effortless sophistication," said SH Hotels & Resorts Chief Executive Officer Raul Leal. "With this opening we celebrate our distinctive brand's entry into Europe and the dynamic and culturally rich city of London." Opting for reconstruction over new construction, this urban oasis, built to BREEAM Excellent standards, utilised 80% of the existing structure, which was repurposed to minimise adverse environmental impact. Living green-trellised exterior walls transform former hard surfaces into natural vertical landscapes. A freshly cobbled and pedestrianised previous parking lot creates a harmonious outdoor public space, now gifted to the neighbourhood, where passing Londoners can connect to nature and the surrounding community. Atop the building, two new complete floors were added and introduce 35 stunning suites with floor-to-ceiling windows and expansive outdoor spaces, inviting guests to entertain or relax while overlooking Green Park, one of London's eight Royal Parks. The double height Green Park Penthouse Suite features a sprawling footprint of 274 square metres which makes it the largest 1 Bedroom Suite in Mayfair. The Green Park Penthouse can be further expanded to 2 bedrooms at 304 square metres and 3 bedrooms at 340 square metres. It features a wrap-around terrace and retractable sliding doors that open fully to sweeping and dramatic park views. All 181 rooms including 44 suites invite guests to rest, revive and restore in an enveloping nest, warmly welcomed by walls lined with native British moss and more than 200 local and regional plant species thriving throughout the property. At every interior turn, guests encounter works exclusively commissioned from nature-influenced local artists designed to provoke a sense of closer connection to the venerable landscape of Britain. Dovetale, the ground-floor restaurant from internationally renowned two Michelin starred chef Tom Sellers will feature seasonal, organic, locally sourced quality fare from hand-dived scallops to farm-raised lamb. The signature cocktail bar is named after Dover Yard, which has been painstakingly revitalised as part of the project. The menu offers creative concoctions rooted in local traditions. Neighbours Cafe offers light snacks and barista-made ethical fair-trade coffee at a central communal table. The Bamford Wellness Spa offers the best of bespoke treatments following in full faith Lady Bamford's holistic approach to health and wellness. 1 Hotel Mayfair effortlessly fuses the finest natural sources, resources and artisanal products inspired by British heritage with the buzzy creativity and contemporary charm of 21st Century London's most vibrant neighbourhood. ABOUT SH HOTELS & RESORTS SH Hotels & Resorts, an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, is a sustainable hotel brand management company that operates 1 Hotels, a nature-inspired lifestyle brand that launched in 2015 with properties in South Beach and Manhattan and now includes Brooklyn Bridge, West Hollywood, Sanya (China), Toronto, San Francisco, Nashville and the recently opened Hanalei Bay flagship property with projects in development in London, Cabo San Lucas, Paris, Elounda Hills (Crete), Austin, Copenhagen, Riyadh and Melbourne; Baccarat Hotels & Resorts, a luxury brand that made its debut in March 2015 with the opening of its flagship property in New York, with projects under development in Brickell (Miami), Florence, Riyadh, Dubai and Rome; and Treehouse Hotels, which premiered in London in 2019 and with projects under development in Manchester, Sunnyvale, Brickell (Miami) and Riyadh. Leveraging its marketing, design, operational and technological expertise, SH Hotels & Resorts is the force behind some of the most groundbreaking and dynamic hotel brands in the world.

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COMMERCIAL TRAVEL

South East Travel signs strategic, long-term technology agreement with Sabre to drive operational efficiency and support business expansion

Sabre Corporation | May 17, 2023

Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry, today announced a long-term technology renewal with one of Taiwan's biggest travel agencies. The agreement means that South East Travel will continue to benefit from advanced Sabre solutions to support business expansion. South East Travel has chosen to continue to deploy an extensive suite of Sabre products, including Sabre Red 360, which unlocks a full spectrum of bookable content to enable agents to create, sell, and service tailored trip experiences. The Taipei-headquartered agency is also using Sabre's Ticket Express, Automated Exchanges, Automated Refunds, and Bargain Finder Max. It will continue to use Sabre technology to automate repetitive tasks, increase productivity, reduce operational costs, understand customer preferences, and help agents to create optimum offers for both leisure and corporate travelers. "We're delighted to extend and expand upon our strategic technology agreement with Sabre," said Joe Huang, General Manager, Ticketing Division of South East Travel. "Sabre has been our valued travel technology provider for more than 30 years, and we've already seen the benefits to our own business, and to our travelers, brought by a combination of technology and local support. It is essential for us to have continued seamless access to the advanced Sabre solutions we need to support our business expansion plans." South East Travel was established more than 60 years ago. The group's services include domestic and international group travel, independent travel, air tickets, cruises, and business travel. It has more than 70 outlets across Taiwan, China, Japan and the United States. "As Taiwan accelerates its recovery to pre-pandemic levels, we're thrilled that Sabre products will continue to support South East Travel so it can play an important role in the recovery and growth of the travel ecosystem in Taiwan, and beyond," said Brett Thorstad, vice president, Sabre Travel Solutions, agency sales - Asia Pacific. "This strategic agreement will support South East Travel to meet its diverse customer needs while scaling its business, and is a testament to its confidence in Sabre, and the ability of our advanced technology and our team to drive agency growth." "Given the long-term relationship between South East Travel and Sabre Taiwan, we are incredibly excited by this expanded cooperation between the two companies. Sabre Taiwan will continue to work with South East Travel to optimize their operational efficiency and business growth with Sabre's automation solutions and localized products as well as our rapid and high quality service level," added Simon Lee, General Manager, Sabre Taiwan. About Sabre Corporation Sabre Corporation is a leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, serving a wide range of travel companies including airlines, hoteliers, travel agencies and other suppliers. The company provides retailing, distribution and fulfilment solutions that help its customers operate more efficiently, drive revenue and offer personalized traveler experiences. Through its leading travel marketplace, Sabre connects travel suppliers with buyers from around the globe. Sabre's technology platform manages more than $260B worth of global travel spend annually. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world.

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