Hospitality Management
globenewswire | July 26, 2023
Sonder Holdings Inc a leading next-generation hospitality company that is redefining the guest experience through technology and design, has launched its first hotel collection, Powered by Sonder.
Powered by Sonder is a collection of uniquely designed boutique hotels, powered by Sonder’s technology and operated by Sonder. These hotels are infused with local flair, and have their own distinctive design aesthetic.
In common with Sonder’s wider portfolio of hotels and multi-unit apartment properties, Powered by Sonder hotels are located in the center of key travel destinations and provide app-enabled modern service, thoughtful amenities, and consistent high quality.
23 Sonder hotels across 13 markets are part of the Powered by Sonder collection, with new properties expected to be added. Among them are Atala in Paris, Chambers in New York City, and Yelo Jean Médecin in Nice.
“Hotels make up a significant and growing part of our portfolio. The Powered by Sonder collection offers authentic, local stays in the heart of vibrant neighborhoods – at global scale and with the consistency and quality that our guests expect. Each hotel has a strong design perspective, which is distinct from Sonder’s core design aesthetic, while featuring our seamless, app-driven service. Many have unique features for our guests to discover, including on-site food and beverage outlets,” said Francis Davidson, Co-Founder and CEO at Sonder.
Powered by Sonder hotels can be booked on Sonder.com, in the Sonder app, and via online travel agent partners in the same way as Sonder’s wider portfolio.
“Hotels in the Powered by Sonder collection benefit from our proprietary technology and operational expertise, and existing boutique hotels can be efficiently integrated into our portfolio. We’re continuing to expand and diversify our portfolio, with hotels and resorts in both our Powered by Sonder and wider collection, in addition to multi-unit apartment properties,” said Martin Picard, Co-Founder and Chief Real Estate Officer at Sonder.
Sonder operates in 40+ markets across ten countries, and has approximately 18,200 live and contracted units worldwide as of Q1 2023. The company distinguishes itself in the hospitality industry through modern design and by using technology to deliver a frictionless guest experience at a lower cost structure. The Sonder app puts guests in full control of their stay – from booking, to interacting with guest services, to check-out – via their own mobile device.
Sonder recently announced expansion in EMEA and Florida, and shared that over a third of its properties are in the top 10% of Tripadvisor listings.
About Sonder
Sonderis revolutionizing hospitality through innovative, tech-enabled service and inspiring, thoughtfully designed accommodations combined into one seamless experience. Launched in 2014, 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
prnewswire | July 31, 2023
Omega World Travel now offers even more extensive options for the busy business traveler -blended travel! Through blended travel, Omega provides an enhanced experience that combines the best of business and leisure. Business travelers can make the most of their valuable time by adding a vacation before, during, or after a work event.
Tim Wrigley, Omega's Director of Business Development, explains the growing demand for blended travel: "When working with our corporate and government customers, I am always asked 'Can our employees book their personal trips with Omega?'. While the answer has always been yes, we can now help business and government travelers in a much more compelling way. What excites us most about our new vacation portal is that Omega World Travel is truly a single source for all travel, regardless of travel purpose. Business, government, groups and meetings, vacation -at some point it all becomes blended travel."
Omega's Leisure Travel Experts plan specialized experiences ranging from America's national park tours to national and international luxury cruises. Travelers can explore the majestic sights of the western US, hiking on our most iconic trails, including Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and the Grand Canyon. These all-inclusive tours allow business travelers to relax and enjoy a stress-free vacation during which they are fully supported by Omega's experts.
As a leader in the Internet retail travel marketplace, Omega provides luxurious excursions at heavily discounted rates. Through Cruise.com, a wholly owned Omega subsidiary and one of the largest online cruise sellers, LuxuryTravelTeam.com, HomesAndVillasInternational.com, and TourDeals.com, we provide low-cost, high-quality vacations around the world. In fact, our clients can benefit from negotiated group savings of up to 70%. And when it comes to adventure, the options are limitless: whitewater rafting, scuba diving, mountain climbing, biking, jungle treks, and zero-gravity flights.
With Omega's Customized Vacation Portal, we have consolidated the best of our leisure services capabilities: Cruise.com, highly experienced Vacation Travel Counselors, online hotel booking, global destinations, tour packages, and local in-country excursions. Omega's Portal also offers travelers around-the-clock travel support and self-booking options.
Omega can further tailor the portal for each individual company. Each client can receive their own URL branded with their company or organization's name which will be linked to their company site. Omega is also able to tailor leisure marketing materials, such as fliers and brochures, to highlight discounts and special programs that clients can offer to their employees.
Whether it's an African safari or a Caribbean cruise, Omega's blended travel options provide the best of both worlds -a unique, personalized, combined business and leisure experience. Let the Omega Leisure Travel Experts plan your blended travel adventure within the US or abroad!
AboutOmega World Travel
Omega World Travelis a Woman Owned travel management company, a full-service travel agency, and a leader in the internet retail travel marketplace. The largest woman-owned travel management company in the U.S., Omega designs customized travel management programs for corporate, government, and nonprofit clients. Omega's travel service offerings include its wholly-owned meeting, conference, and event management services. Omega also owns Cruise.com, one of the largest sellers of cruises online, and Travtech, a technology development company.
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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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