HOSPITALITY TRENDS
Rakuten, Cloudbeds | August 04, 2021
Cloudbeds, the fastest growing hospitality management platform today, announced a partnership with Rakuten Travel Xchange, the hotel wholesale and travel technology division within the Rakuten Group. The collaboration connects Cloudbeds with Rakuten Travel, the highly ranked OTA in Japan, and 400+ B2B partners connected worldwide through API connections, travel agent portals, and websites. The unique and diverse distribution channels allow Cloudbeds to extend its reach to the extensive Rakuten Travel Xchange customer base through a single connection. In addition, Rakuten Travel Xchange adds the Cloudbeds inventory of properties that use its award-winning technology platform to manage all aspects of their business, from booking engines to payments.
“We are always seeking high-value partners to complement our expanding platform, “says Anna Tsujihata, Head of Hotel Contracting and Connectivity, of Rakuten Travel Xchange. “With Cloudbeds now part of our global distribution platform, we expand our offerings to travelers seeking unique properties with superior guest experiences.”
“As global travel reopens, we want our properties to be available to the largest customer base possible,” says Sebastian Leitner, VP of Partnerships for Cloudbeds. “By partnering with Rakuten Travel Xchange, a major global player and distribution channel in Japan; we significantly increase our global footprint. We are excited to partner with them.”
The announcement comes as the pandemic wanes and travel demand is increasing. Since the beginning of the year Rakuten Travel Xchange has seen bookings increase month after month, with strong demands coming from the United States and Mexico in particular. As restrictions have started to lift in other markets, travel in these geographies has followed similar trends. What is clear is that there is a large amount of pent-up demand. Rakuten Travel Xchange is seeing this demand in real-time across its global distribution network.
About Rakuten Travel Xchange
Rakuten Travel Xchange is a hotel distribution service providing travel retailers around the world owned by the Rakuten Group, Inc., a global leader in Internet services. It enables accommodation partners to distribute their inventory through an extensive global distribution network that includes Rakuten Group’s branded sites, other online travel agents, wholesalers, airlines, app-only players, loyalty programs, and an assortment of offline retailers including travel agents and call center operators.
About Cloudbeds
Founded in 2012, Cloudbeds is the fastest-growing hospitality management platform in the world. Its SaaS platform provides tools to manage better properties of all types and sizes, allowing property managers and owners more time to focus on their guests while building revenue, driving bookings and increasing operational efficiencies. Trusted by more than 20,000 hotels, hostels, inns, and alternative accommodations in more than 157 countries, the Cloudbeds suite is a fully integrated platform of capabilities designed to help properties unify their management, reservations, and booking systems, grow revenue, and automate workflows with confidence and ease. For more information, visit www.cloudbeds.com.
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CRUISE
Princess Cruises | October 12, 2021
Princess Cruises today celebrated its return to San Francisco with the maiden call of Majestic Princess, the first cruise ship to visit the City by the Bay since the industry global pause of operations. Guests onboard Majestic Princess experienced the iconic attractions of San Francisco during a port call on a seven-day Classic California Coast voyage, sailing roundtrip from Los Angeles.
Long-time partners from the Port of San Francisco welcomed Princess Cruises back, recognizing the beneficial financial impact to local businesses.
"Princess has a long history of visiting the iconic Port of San Francisco with our guests marveling at the bucket-list experience of sailing underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Our guests remain eager to be back on board enjoying a safe and real vacation."
Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president
"The Port of San Francisco is excited to welcome back a safe return of Princess Cruises and all cruises to our renowned waterfront and city."said Elaine Forbes, Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco."The city has worked with cruise lines to ensure all CDC guidelines have been met or exceeded. The return of cruise is an important milestone for San Francisco's economic recovery and will support our small and family-owned waterfront businesses."
Majestic Princess offers a MedallionClass vacation, delivering the ultimate in effortless, personalized cruising. It begins with OceanMedallion, a quarter-sized, wearable device that enables everything from touch-free boarding to locating loved ones anywhere on the ship, as well as enhanced service like having whatever guests need, delivered directly to them, wherever they are on the ship.
Princess Cruises sailings onboard Majestic Princess are available for guests who have received their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise and have proof of vaccination. All fully vaccinated guests must also produce a negative, medically observed COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken within two days of their embarkation on all Princess sailings.
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Viking | October 06, 2020
Viking has again been voted the Best River Cruise Line by Condé Nast Traveler in the publication's 2020 Readers' Choice Awards. With the #1 winning score, Condé Nast Traveler readers voted Viking higher than any other river cruise line. Also, after five years of operating ocean cruises, Viking was again named one of the Best Ocean Cruise Lines.
More than 715,000 readers submitted ratings and tens of thousands of comments as part of the 33rd annual Readers' Choice Awards survey. Viking will also be featured in the November issue of Condé Nast Traveler US and UK print editions; the full results of the awards can be found at www.cntraveler.com/rca.
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