Tech news: GDS, hotels, booking engines
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News from GDS systems, hotel technology and booking engines.
Travelodge extends content with Sabre
Travelodge has extended its content agreement with Sabre Travel Network to include more hotels. More than 475 Travelodge properties in the UK and Ireland are now included on Sabre’s GDS and GetThere tool, with the systems said to be a ‘valuable revenue stream’.
Home ticket printing with thetrainline.com
Agents booking with thetrainline.com will now be able to send clients tickets they can print at home. The train travel booker has become the first B2B supplier to offer the barcode service, which has been ATOC accredited and means clients can print their own tickets at home or in the office. “Investing in new ticketing technology and driving innovation within the rail industry is really important to us, to continue helping customers to save money on train travel. This development for the B2B market means that business customers can save even more time and money by booking with thetrainline.com,” said Ian Cairns, head of distribution at thetrainline.com.
Legacy Hotels and Resorts has launched a cloud-based wedding planning programme for its venues. Couples can arrange invites, seating plans, manage budgets and RSVPs through the system, which can be integrated through Facebook. Each couple receives a code which they can use to access the tools, with hotels and suppliers able to market and manage aspects through the Moposa system. “We are delighted to be the first hotel group in the country to launch the Moposa software at our hotels, starting with the Legacy Botleigh Grange Hotel in Southampton,” said Kevin Skeet, operations director at Legacy. “The fact that many couples in Ireland are now choosing their wedding venues based on if hotels offer Moposa tells you everything you need to know”.
Investment planned for Starfish engine
Travesse Lifestyle has announced it is to invest £1.3 million into industry booking engine Starfish following its recent acquisition. The investment will be put into the site’s functionality and content during the next two and a half years to make the site faster and increase aggregators. It will also increase its affiliate network. “We are investing time, effort and technology in improving the Starfish system. It’s an established industry search engine so we’re starting from a good base, but our aim is to take it to the next level,” said Amir Azulay, CEO of Travesse.