Travel Weekly Group Ltd

🛫 Preferred Hotels & Resorts launched a Travel Advisor Portal to aid travel agents in booking and managing reservations at over 600 luxury independent hotels worldwide, including Al Habtoor Palace in Dubai and Dusit Thani in Abu Dhabi. The platform provides priority access, allows for quote preparation, commission claims, and showcases exclusive offers. Cheryl Williams, Chief Revenue Officer, anticipates the portal will drive business success. Preferred Platinum agents receive dedicated search pages and special rates for up to 15 rooms.

🏖️ NaviSavi appointed Sam Lindner as head of growth and product, leveraging his 20+ years of leadership experience across travel and digital media industries. Lindner specializes in AI and Web3, aiming to scale the platform globally. NaviSavi is expanding its content pipeline in 2025 for better monetization and to become a travel content marketplace. CEO Sally Bunnell emphasizes the importance of Lindner's expertise to accelerate growth and expand services.

📍 HBX Group and Minor Hotels expand their B2B distribution partnership globally, adding 181 properties across Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Middle East. Minor Hotels plans to include nearly 300 additional properties in the next three years. The partnership strengthens following success in Europe and the Americas, streamlining strategies and reaching high-value markets. Minor Hotels hosted MarketHub Europe 2023 and will host the 2025 edition at the Tivoli Marina Vilamoura Algarve Resort from April 1-4. MarketHub discusses trends such as AI-driven personalisation and sustainable travel.

🚢 Traveltek partners with Aurora Expeditions, enhancing agent access to expedition cruises, a sector with a 71% passenger increase from 2019 to 2023 according to CLIA. The new collaboration allows for integration of pricing, itineraries, and ship content on Traveltek's platform, catering to the growing demand for educational and sustainable travel adventures. This partnership expands Traveltek's comprehensive cruise supplier network, which already includes various travel options.

🏖️ In 2024, global tourism recovered by 98% according to the UN's World Tourism barometer. Virtual card transactions are projected to reach a volume of 175 billion, amounting to $13.8 trillion by 2028. Online travel agents (OTAs) have benefited from virtual cards through instant payments and reduced fraud. However, 91% of European OTAs and travel intermediaries don't see improvements with current payment methods. The future of virtual cards in travel may involve more flexible fee structures and deeper integration with payment platforms for enhanced efficiency.

📍 TPConnects, majority-owned by Flight Centre Travel Group, integrates FlySafair's low-cost content on Iris platform, enhancing travel options for agencies. Kirby Gordon, CMO of FlySafair, and Eric Dumas, CEO of TPConnects, emphasize expanded reach and distribution, particularly in the South African market, facilitating seamless access for corporate and leisure travel sectors. Sue Garrett of Flight Centre highlights the strengthened travel solutions offering.

📌 Shaun Shirazian, former chief product officer of Pipedrive and experienced leader in SaaS and technology, has been appointed CEO of Lodgify, aiming to expand the market presence and enhance product offerings for hosts worldwide. Lechá, with a background in scaling SaaS companies, joins as chairman of the board. They target empowering small to mid-sized vacation rental hosts with advanced property management tools, fostering growth and innovation in the evolving short-term rental industry.

🏨 Personalised travel experiences, a growing demand, are hindered by challenges like real-time decision-making, data privacy, and scalability, with AI playing a pivotal role in refining recommendations. Travel agencies face inefficiencies due to varying workflows from different content sources, including traditional GDS, NDC, and low-cost carriers. Sabre aims to solve fragmentation with a multi-source marketplace for a consistent and scalable delivery of content. Effective personalisation in the travel industry also requires understanding customer data and intelligent technology, with AI used to predict traveller interests and bridge the gap between airlines and intermediaries. Industry collaboration is crucial for achieving seamless personalisation.