JULY 27, 2014 – TREVOSE, PA – With the summer season in full swing, many people are taking advantage of time off from work and school to travel abroad. To help make sure their trips stay on track, International SOS has compiled advice that every outbound traveler should know.
Magnuson Hotels, the world's largest independent hotel group, announced today the complete rebranding of the Magnuson Hotel and Suites Alamogordo. Formerly the Best Western Desert Aire in Alamogordo, New Mexico, the hotel will upgrade its local, regional, and national market to attract travelers via an affiliation with Magnuson Hotels' global portfolio of nearly 2,000 hotels.
Today Busy Rooms and Apstar Tours, Ghana, announced a partnership that provides 100 hotels across Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Guinea access to more international customers. The deal was discussed and agreed during this year's WTM Africa in Cape Town, South Africa. By using Busy Rooms sophisticated central reservation system Apstar Tours hotels will benefit from connections to a wide range of global distribution partners. With the partnership, the company has furthermore access to revenue, contracting and marketing services, allowing for quicker selling of product to a larger audience.
Australia: Optii Solutions (Optii), the global leader in housekeeping optimisation, today announced the launch of a significant upgrade of its groundbreaking solution, Optii Keeper. Already the world's leading housekeeping management system, Optii Keeper builds on the current strengths of streamlining productivity, dynamically managing labour in real-time and improving the quality and turnaround of clean rooms.
The Knowland Group, the largest data company in the global meeting and event industry, announced today the release of its 1000th Advanced Researcher Profile. In addition to the 1000 profiles already released, Knowland has over 1000 more profiles currently being researched.
Magnuson Hotels, the world's largest independent hotel group, announced today the complete rebranding of the Magnuson Hotel and Suites Baytown. Formerly franchised by Choice Hotels as the Rodeway Inn Baytown, the hotel will upgrade its local, regional and national market to attract business, group and leisure travelers via an affiliation with Magnuson Hotels' global portfolio of nearly 2,000 hotels.
The findings of a new Amadeus report show that in an environment where investment in business travel is rising again, travelers prize efficiency and productivity above all else. As part of this drive for efficiency, travelers expect to be able to do exactly what they want at the click of a button.
Magnuson Worldwide, the world's largest hotel services organisation, today launched an online cost calculator to help hotel owners compare costs of leading hotel brands.
Christopherson Business Travel has announced the acquisition of All Seasons Travel, forming one of the largest travel management firms in the country, expanding Christopherson's footprint beyond the western United States, where it currently ranks as the largest travel agency in the Rocky Mountain region.
With approximately a third of all marriage engagements occurring between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, 2014 wedding plans are well underway. For brides, one of the most important considerations is the wedding venue. Luckily, one-of-a-kind independent hotels around the country are stepping in to help by offering their own unique proposal. As part of Stash Hotel Rewards – the nation's largest point-based rewards program for independent hotels –some of the most idyllic wedding destinations in the country are now rewarding brides and wedding planners with points.
OKIDOKEYS, part of OpenWays Group, today announced the official launch of its line of smart locks and keys at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. OKIDOKEYS enables consumers to securely and easily manage access to all properties anytime, anywhere, through a complete line of smart devices. Users can lock and unlock any door with OKIDOKEYS – as well as garage doors and electronic gates – using smartphones, cell phones or smart tags, and still have the option of using current traditional keys.
Olery, the leading provider of guest experience management tools for the hospitality industry, announced today that is has signed a deal with the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority to provide them with the technology behind their recently announced next step in in their hotel classification system.
The Lane Hotel, one of New England's most historically unique hotels, announced today that it has partnered with Stash Hotel Rewards, the nation's largest point-based rewards program for independent hotels. As a result of this partnership, Stash members are now able to earn and redeem points at The Lane, the first independent hotel in the state of New Hampshire to offer a rewards program to its guests.
Airport averse and sun burn shy? Why not plan a Toronto staycation this fall? When planning a trip to Toronto the Vaughan hotel, Homewood Suites by Hilton Toronto Vaughan, is offering a family fun staycation option that highlights Toronto's renowned diverse culture, legendary hospitality, and chic urban personality. Homewood Suites by Hilton Toronto Vaughan provides the perfect accommodation for families, large and small. And guests can rest easy knowing they are staying with the Homewood Suites by Hilton brand, recognized as highest ranking in the J.D. Power 2013 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM in the upper extended stay segment.
The Ramada Plaza has unveiled a collection of all new Niagara Falls hotel packages featuring the best in food and fashion the region has to offer, and in perfect time for back to school shopping. "The Niagara Region offers a bounty of options to shop, wine and dine. Our new packages combine exceptional value and convenient access to Canada One Outlet Mall.
American Express today announced new technology capabilities to help make travel easier for today's well-connected corporate traveler while also encouraging alignment with a company's strategic travel and expense program. The capabilities announced today include a new platform that leverages social gaming mechanics to reward policy-adherent traveler behaviors; an integration with TripCase; a new capability that updates Corporate Card charges in near real-time so travelers can manage expenses on-the-go; and a new traveler-facing mobile interface for American Express's duty of care solution, AX CONNECT.
Are you confident that you got the best hotel rate at GBTA? Think again. tripBAM™, a new service launched earlier this year, automatically searched a cluster of 21 user-selected hotels a total of 136 times to find the best rate at four star hotels near the GBTA convention site. The search only looks for flexible rates and the reservations were created without any risk or financial commitment. The system shops up to 250 hotels in a cluster within a user-defined radius and star level every day to take advantage of market fluctuations.
RobertDouglas announced today that it advised DeBartolo Development in its recently-completed acquisition and financing of the leasehold interest in the Aqua Waikiki Pearl Hotel. The financing was completed with a domestic debt fund. Situated in the heart of the Waikiki Beach market, the Aqua Waikiki Pearl is located one block from the world-renown Waikiki Beach and is across the street from International Marketplace, a major retail development.
Egencia®, the business travel company of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), today unveiled a preview of its next generation native iPhone application, Egencia® TripNavigator that dramatically improves the in-trip experience of business travelers, provides step-by-step navigation, and offers integrated access to Egencia Travel Consultants.
Egencia®, the business travel company of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), today released its first Mid-Year Hotel Review to help travel and procurement professionals and corporate stakeholders identify opportunities in a company's preferred hotel program that can be leveraged for additional savings.