Travel Weekly Group Ltd

💻 Boom, the world's first AI Property Management Software (AiPMS), expands into the boutique hotels sector. Developed by CEO Shahar Goldboim, Boom introduces AI-powered operational software and an autonomous workforce to small and medium-sized hotels. The platform offers cost savings, efficiency, and enhanced guest experiences by automating tasks like rate negotiation, room allocation, and maintenance dispatching. Boom helps boutique hotels compete with larger chains by reducing reliance on multiple third-party apps and minimizing labor-intensive operations.

📈 By 2024, business travel spend was predicted to reach or surpass 2019 levels. Corporate travel will prioritize efficiency, personalization, and safety in 2025, with industry consolidation and AI adoption on the rise. New Distribution Capability (NDC) will gain wider acceptance. Gen Z, making up 27% of the global workforce, will push for self-service travel management. AI will enhance duty of care, with real-time risk management ensuring traveller safety.

🚀 Sabre Corporation has partnered with Garuda Indonesia, providing fare management solutions to enhance the airline's pricing capabilities and operations. Garuda aims to support its transformation strategy and tackle fare management challenges. Sabre's Fares Manager, Contract Manager, and Fares Optimizer will assist in revenue growth, pricing strategy optimization, and real-time fare adjustments. Garuda operates domestically and internationally and joins over 30 airlines using Sabre's technology.

🌍 European travellers spending €775 on average for weekend trips during winter, with daily expenses reaching €320. Data from Speakspots.com, analyzing over 5,000 travel plans from 15 November 2024 to 15 February 2025, indicates winter city breaks are €121 cheaper than summer. Accommodation costs average €150 per night, with €97 on food and €72 on activities per day. Over half of winter trips are weekends, while 55% are short stays. Northern European countries attract family trips, with 40% of travellers seeking nature experiences, especially in Croatia, Malta, and Greece.

✈ Air New Zealand passengers can now use Apple's ‘Find My’ feature to track lost luggage with an AirTag. Launched in the Air NZ app in September 2023, the service allows both airline and passengers to use a live location link to find delayed or mishandled bags. The airline's Chief Digital Officer, Nikhil Ravishankar, highlights the added security this provides. Users can generate a location link from the Find My app and share it with the Baggage Tracing team for updated location tracking with timestamps.

📅 Global business travel industry projected to exceed $2 trillion by 2028. 💰 Black Box Technologies reveals 100% of corporate travel buyers demand urgent action on fragmentation. ✅ To combat inefficiencies, TMCs embrace AI, automation, and machine learning for optimized productivity. 🚀 Gen A expectations include consumer-grade, personalized solutions as they join the workforce in three years. 📍 Sammit Khanndeparkar of London Stock Exchange underscores TMCs' strategic partnership role. ✍ TMCs focus on ROI, with AI-powered platforms and collaboration to reduce fragmentation and align with future demands.

💻 In the UAE and Saudi Arabia, fewer companies see legacy technology as a barrier to digitalization in 2024 (23%) compared to 2022 (33%), per Eaton's study. This change is attributed to advances in AI and ML. Demand for data centres is rising due to AI, with 42.3% upgrading facilities, 38.6% expanding capacity, and 32.8% improving IT performance. Utilities expect up to 49% more grid capacity needs in the next decade. Manufacturers view AI as key for ESG goals (66%) and energy optimization (55%). Large building owners (54%) plan to install management systems within a year to optimize energy use. Eaton's Brightlayer software aids businesses in digital transformation through AI, ML, and big data.

💰 Qi, in partnership with Ant International, launched SuperQi in July 2024, aiming to digitize financial services in Iraq. SuperQi has 11 million cardholders and 5 million mobile app users, targeting over 15 million users by 2027. It offers a digital lifestyle super app and integrated digital bank, available in Arabic, English, and Kurdish. The platform has over 20,000 POS merchants, 10,000 cash-out agents, and projects to engage over 30% of Iraq's population by 2026. Qi's efforts have increased the banked rate from 5% to nearly 50%.