The majority of consumers prefer to use self-service tools when researching travel options, according to a study by online accommodation giant Booking.com. The survey of 18,500 people from more than 25 countries revealed that 80% of holidaymakers prefer to self-serve to get the information they need. While 50% of…
There are some words we use so often that we wear down the lines of the text to tatters, the phonics become mere warbles, and the very meaning of the word comes into question as readers and listeners roll their eyes at another cliché. Innovation is one of those…
Air New Zealand is partnering with augmented reality spatial computing platform Magic Leap to develop a virtual travel experience to inspire visitors to head for the destination. Magic Leap has developed technology which superimposes digital imagery on live environments resulting in a hyper-realistic mixed-reality interaction which has potential to…
This is a viewpoint from Caroline Camilli Gay, from SITA Lab. “This is the year Virtual Reality goes mainstream” has been the mantra for several years now, probably starting as far back as 2014 when Facebook bought Oculus Rift. Since Apple announced ARKit, and Google announced ARCore, you can…
SAP Concur has put together an in-depth report on the factors that will drive corporate travel between today and 2030, including an analysis of the technology advances required to progress towards a genuinely seamless journey. The report looks at how predictive technology will help anticipate and better manage travel…
This is a viewpoint from Adam Blackford-Mills, head of digital at MRS Digital. In order to stay competitive in an Airbnb world, hotels need to be making the most of every revenue stream. Pay-per-click is just one of many parts of a hotel’s digital marketing strategy, but it is…
Legacy agreements signed with the global distributions systems (GDSs) are giving business airline bmi a headache. Antony Price, director marketing & customer, bmi, says it is currently stuck in some difficult negotiations to amend “ridiculously long” contracts that were signed five years ago. Price did not say which of the…
Hotel operations system Alice is integrating voice requests made by guests through Amazon Echo devices located in their rooms. Alice is working with Volara, which specialises in voice-based engagement software for the hospitality industry, to allow requests made through Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant to be synced into Alice’s task…
This is a viewpoint from Maureen O’Hanlon, partner at Prism Partnership. Loyalty programs are still all the rage for the major global hotel chains and online travel agencies. While the consumer side of the programs are clear – one must earn points on paid stays to burn points on…
Dutch carrier KLM has created a new AI-based range of tools to help improve the operational efficiency of airlines. KLM has launched a partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to offer a set of AI-enabled solutions and tools that have been developed over the past 18 months. These tools…