Hospitality Trends, Hospitality Management
PRNewswire | August 08, 2023
Sojern, the leading travel marketing platform, and Profitroom, a globally renowned award-winning booking and technology platform, announced a new collaboration. In today's era, where hotels closely monitor their budgets, the collaboration aims to equip hotels worldwide with a powerful combination of advanced booking technology and data-driven marketing solutions. This will enable hoteliers to effortlessly reach travellers searching for a place to stay and drive direct bookings on their website, ultimately leading to increased revenue.
"With travellers increasingly relying on multiple digital channels to discover, plan and book their trips, the hospitality industry is undergoing a profound shift," said Josh Beckwith, Managing Director, Global Strategic Accounts and Partnerships, Sojern. "This collaboration between Sojern and Profitroom is perfectly timed to address the evolving needs of hoteliers of all sizes, helping them navigate the complex landscape of digital marketing and guest acquisition, and ultimately drive measurable results while boosting profitability. In an exciting year for Sojern, we are thrilled to partner with Profitroom to empower hotels with the tools and insights they need to succeed in today's competitive market."
As a leading provider of hospitality technology solutions, Profitroom boasts one of the highest-converting booking engines on the market, complemented by powerful marketing automation tools, an advanced channel manager, and a website builder. By integrating these offerings with Sojern's digital marketing capabilities, hoteliers can optimise their online presence, attract high-value guests, and streamline operations. Furthermore, Sojern recently introduced its suite of Guest Experience Solutions through the acquisition of VenueLytics. Sojern's enhanced Travel Marketing Platform now enables hotels to engage with guests throughout their entire journey.
"We are excited to join forces with Sojern and help hoteliers accelerate growth while increasing direct online revenue," said Samantha Williams, Commercial Director, Profitroom. "By leveraging each other's strengths, we will equip hotels with a winning combination of innovative technology and data-driven marketing solutions. This partnership will enable hotels to stand out in a crowded marketplace, increase direct bookings, and boost revenue. Profitroom has already made significant progress in the Polish, South African, LATAM, UK and Nordic markets with among 3,500 hotels and resorts worldwide. This new partnership with Sojern will further enhance our global reach amongst hoteliers."
Sojern recently announced the latest version of its Sojern Travel Marketing Platform, featuring enhanced AI-powered audiences, showcasing the company's commitment to leveraging its deep technological expertise on a global scale. By continuously advancing its platform and investing in partnerships like the one with Profitroom, Sojern demonstrates dedication to innovation and delivering exceptional results to its 10,000 customers annually around the world. Profitroom, at the forefront of hotel technology solutions, assists hotels in adapting to evolving technology landscapes by introducing innovative ways to engage with customers while saving them time. Notably, Profitroom recently introduced an AI-based automatic copywriter, simplifying the process of creating compelling email campaigns. This cutting-edge technology enables hotels to generate tailored messages for guests with just a few clicks.
Sojern is set to join Profitroom at their On Tour event in Johannesburg on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. The series of events, which will be hosted in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg, Hoedspruit and Nelspruit, aims to equip hoteliers with the best hospitality booking technology, offering discussions on the latest trends and highlighting strategies to increase revenue. Providing hoteliers with a networking platform and opportunities to develop industry relationships, the event also offers tools to keep them updated with the latest insights and trends, positioning them at the forefront of the industry. Sojern is among an esteemed group of partners joining Profitroom throughout the tour.
About Sojern
Sojern is a leading digital marketing platform built for travel marketers. Powered by artificial intelligence and traveller intent data, Sojern provides multichannel marketing solutions to drive direct demand. More than 10,000 hotels, attractions, tourism boards, and travel marketers rely on Sojern annually to engage and convert travellers around the world.
About Profitroom
Profitroom powers more than 3,500 outstanding leisure hotels and resorts across the world.
The award-winning Profitroom Suite exposes hotels' full business potential with the complete set of e-commerce tools and industry-leading experience personalisation. Profitroom reservation platform supports all channels and yields direct bookings performance. It's built on the guest-centric foundations to strengthen guest loyalty and retention.
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Travel Technology
prnewswire | July 06, 2023
Trip.com Group, a leading travel service provider and Tourism New Zealand, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote New Zealand as a key tourism destination in Asia Pacific.
Trip.com Group's Vice President of Destination Marketing & Strategy Alliances, Edison Chen, and Tourism New Zealand's Board Chairman, Jamie Tuuta, in the presence of New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, signed the MOU. The Prime Minister is currently on a working visit to China.
As part of the collaboration, both parties will launch a series of joint marketing campaigns to attract tourists from Asia Pacific to New Zealand. The markets include the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Australia. This will involve the creation of appealing and attractive travel itineraries and experiences to meet specific visitor needs, positioning New Zealand as a destination of choice for travellers.
This partnership marks the first Asia Pacific pan-regional collaboration for both sides.
Edison Chen, Vice President of Destination Marketing & Strategy Alliances, at Trip.com Group said, "With the reopening of China's border, we have seen a marked increase in outbound travel-related bookings and searches in the recent months. We look forward to collaborating with Tourism New Zealand to leverage our resources and deep data insights to boost New Zealand tourism development, fully optimising the travel experience for tourists in New Zealand."
"With the resurgence of international travel post-pandemic, this collaboration could not be better for both parties involved."
Data from Trip.com Group's Ctrip and Trip.com platforms show a keen interest in travel in Asia Pacific, including New Zealand.
Specifically, searches for flights to New Zealand have seen a significant increase of nearly 560% year-on-year, and the volume of bookings was up over 570% compared to the same period last year.
The Chinese mainland was the top source of arrivals to New Zealand in the first half of this year, followed by other key markets, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, and South Korea, making the top 10 list.
Tourism New Zealand's Chief Executive, René de Monchy said, "Through the partnership, Tourism New Zealand aims to provide Asia Pacific travellers with more convenient booking methods, personalised itinerary planning, and comprehensive service support. We look forward to welcoming travellers to deeply explore the beautiful landscapes and unique culture of Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as experience our manaakitanga."
About Tourism New Zealand
Tourism New Zealand is responsible for promoting New Zealand in key markets as a visitor destination.Tourism New Zealand is the organisation responsible for marketing New Zealand as a holiday destination. The major tool we use to do this is the 100% Pure New Zealand marketing campaign, a campaign that has evolved over the past decade to make New Zealand one of the world's most well-respected tourism brands.
About Trip.com Group
Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner and Qunar. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services and enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centres. Founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 2021, Trip.com Group has become one of the best-known travel groups in the world, with the mission "to pursue the perfect trip for a better world".
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Business Travel
prnewswire | July 17, 2023
Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry, today announced a new agreement with HRS, a leading software as a service (SaaS) provider, to support airlines on their digitalization journey. By integrating HRS Crew & Passenger Solutions technologies with existing Sabre solutions, the two companies can provide airlines with innovative automation that delivers lodging and financial reimbursement services when disruptions impact passengers.
Sabre's intelligent service recovery solutions are used by airlines around the world to support passenger re-booking challenges, including providing self-service options to allow passengers to choose their own flights, designed to help improve the overall traveler experience.
HRS' Crew & Passenger Solutions compliments Sabre's existing expertise by enabling airlines globally to provide passengers with instantly bookable hotel accommodations, local transportation, meals, and monetary compensation directly when disruption strikes. When a passenger's flight is disrupted, options are communicated via SMS, email, or voice call directly to a passenger's mobile device. Additionally, HRS' reimbursement technology allows passengers to simply take photos of their receipts, upload digital images, and be instantly reimbursed for appropriate expenses such as meals and refreshments. This capability eliminates the need for paper vouchers that typically entail lengthy administrative processes.
"When disruption strikes, an airline is tasked not just with getting its network running optimally again, but with passengers who may face hours in an airport, may need overnight accommodation, or may have missed connecting flights. Traditionally, airlines have had to dedicate an array of people and hard-to-secure resources to handle hotel rooms, taxis, shuttles and meal vouchers for stranded passengers," said Yvo van der Tol, CCO of HRS Crew & Passenger Solutions. "It is vital that carriers have the advanced automation needed to make time-process savings and efficiency gains for airline operations, while quickly turning what is usually a negative experience for passengers into a positive one. That's why this collaboration with Sabre, reaching a broader universe of airlines, represents the right solution for modern air travel."
"Today's travelers have higher expectations than ever before," said Corrie DeCamp, Senior Vice President, Product Management for Sabre Travel Solutions. "So, when disruptions happen, it is important that airlines have the technology they need to swiftly deal with the immediate situation, while converting those service recovery moments into opportunities to enhance passenger loyalty in the future. That's why we're thrilled to announce this new partnership with HRS, to help our airline partners protect their reputations, comply with dynamic regulatory compensation requirements, and provide passengers with what they need, all with a solution they can easily integrate into their existing recovery strategy."
"This collaboration helps close one of the biggest operational gaps airlines have today. While some regulations are already in place globally to protect passenger rights when disruption happens, the issue has risen in prominence in recent years," added HRS' van der Tol. "The need for speed of change is clear. Passengers who reflexively use mobile devices in times of disruption also expect digital answers to their travel challenges. Beyond time and resource savings, airlines will thrive on data transparency that helps steer service levels. We look forward to integrating our solutions."
About HRS
HRS is reinventing how businesses and governments work, stay and pay in today's evolving global marketplace. Our technology brings together hotel procurement, booking, payment and reconciliation data to drive newfound transparency and savings for program management while making everyday business travel better for employees. HRS' unique platform approach to corporate lodging elevates hotel automation to new heights, while the company's award-winning Green Stay Initiative technology helps companies achieve their climate targets. HRS' groundbreaking Crew & Passenger Solutions leverages automation to enhance experiences for air and rail operations.
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 traveller 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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