BTA Industry Partner Newsletter - February

INDUSTRY PARTNER UPDATES

Accor is deeply committed to sustainable value creation, and plays an active role in giving back to the planet and the community The Group strives to act for “positive hospitality” and has set ambitious objectives, structured around four strategic pillars: working with our teams, involving our clients, innovating with our partners, and involving local communities And two key areas of focus: food and buildings

Because the hotel is the heart of our business, Accor has made it the focus on “Acting Here” commitments. Because everyday lives are made up of contact and interaction with all the men and women who live the hotel experience and make it possible it is with and for them that they have chosen to act

Accor commitments:

- be an inclusive company and ensure the welfare of our people

- encourage guests to act as multipliers of the positive effects of our actions

- establish a lasting relationship with partners, who share their commitments and are working to produce innovative solutions that have a positive impact

- work hand-in-hand with local communities, because their commitment does not end at the hotel door

- Finally, because of the increasing pressure on the environment and in light of the Group’s development priorities, they have chosen to pay special attention to two specific issues: healthy and sustainable food, with a ban on food waste amove towards carbon-neutral buildings

AMERICAN AIRLINES TO RESTART THREE DUBLIN ROUTES THIS SPRING

American Airlines is set to restart seasonal Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Charlotte (CLT) and Chicago (ORD) routes to from Dublin Service to Philadelphia (PHL) will continue to operate year-round

With demand for flights between Ireland and North America continuing to grow, the return of American’s additional three seasonal daily flights, alongside its year-round service to Philadelphia (PHL), provides over 1,000 daily seats for customers flying to the U S Returning earlier this year than before, the routes launch on:

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): April 4, 2023

Charlotte (CLT): May 4, 2023

Chicago (ORD): June 1, 2023

The seasonal routes will operate until October 27, 2023, with American’s DUB-PHL route continuing throughout the year

“We’re thrilled to be bringing back flights between Dublin and three of our key hubs, providing travellers with the perfect summer gateways in the U S and beyond,” said Kyle Mabry, American Airlines Vice President of Operations and Commercial, EMEA and APAC “As we continue expanding our European network, we hope travelers are able to discover new destinations around the world, from the Stockyards in Fort Worth to the beautiful beaches in the Caribbean ”

This summer American will operate more than 800 daily flights at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), 600 daily flights in Charlotte (CLT), and 350 daily flights in Chicago (ORD), connecting Dublin with more than 200 destinations around the world

Travel is changing: will you be an Excited Experientialist or a Travel Tech-fluencer in 2033?

How will we travel in 2033? Our latest global research study – Traveller Tribes 2033 – the third in a series that launched in 2007, identifies four Traveller Tribes that will develop in the next 10 years It does so by examining the future forces of change transforming travel, alongside emerging traveller traits, behaviours and preferences, to understand exactly what it is that travellers will want a decade from now

The research findings allow us to explore five key questions when it comes to travel in 2033.

What will it be like? How will travelers respond to future developments? Will this reaction be universal and consistent? Who are the Traveller Tribes of 2033 and where do we go from here?

Traveller Tribes 2033 identified four broad Traveller Tribes: Excited Experientialists have a “try it and see ” approach to life, with mid- to high-income and few commitments, they are well positioned to explore the world.

Memory Makers are comfortable with themselves, putting emphasis on people and on-trip experiences, but with less time for sustainability

Travel Tech-fluencers are the young business travelers of today Currently on modest incomes, they are confident it will rise as they travel the world in search of opportunity

Pioneering Pathfinders are on above-average income, which lets them live a progressive, fastpaced life, always looking for their next big adventure.

Go Green, Go By Rail

Avanti West Coast is making major investments into its fleet this year that will provide significant improvements for business customers travelling across the West Coast Main Line. A new fleet of Hitachi trains are set to replace the diesel-only Voyager trains later this year on routes from London to the Midlands, Chester, North Wales and the North West Bimode technology means 13 trains in the fleet can switch from diesel to electric power, cutting carbon emissions by 61% Onboard enhancements include reliable free Wifi, plus lots of plug and usb sockets

In addition, Avanti West Coast is well underway with its £117m investment into refurbishing its Pendolino fleet. This will deliver best in class comfort and is using sustainable materials wherever possible, including tables made from recycled plastic bottles This upgraded Pendolino fleet offers 25,000 brand new seats, free Wifi, onboard recycling and much more All 56 Pendolinos will be upgraded by 2024, ready to get customers to their destination in the best possible shape to do business

easyJet Large Cabin Bags

Large Cabin Bags are now available as a standalone product for customers booking through the Amadeus Travel Platform, via Light Ticketing Flow Customers can also bring a Large Cabin Bag onboard their flight if they book an Up Front or Extra Legroom seat, a FLEXI fare, or are an easyJet Plus member An updated Amadeus guide for booking easyJet can be found on the easyJet website

And, did you know easyJet Plus memberships are currently 15% off for the first 1000 orders using the promo code WLCMBACK

Whether you ’ re discovering your new out of office or zooming across the sky to your next meeting, flying with an easyJet Plus membership really helps you soar above the rest Enjoy the benefits of an easyJet Plus membership:

Select Upfront & Extra Legroom seats free of charge

Bring a Large Cabin Bag onboard

Beat the queues with dedicated Bag Drop desks

Speed through Fast Track Security at selected airports

Be among the first to board with Speedy Boarding

Get an earlier return flight on the same day at no extra cost

Receive a 10% discount on food & drink from Eat Drink Shop onboard menu

The annual easyJet Plus card membership is just £215 for unlimited use (£182 75 with promo code WLCMBACK) To join or find out more, check out our dedicated easyJet Plus website

Corporate Travel Management – What?!

Corporate travel management is a facility that some companies use to organise and book travel for business requirements, ranging from business trips to employee travel to and from places of work

Corporate travel management can be a bit of a minefield to navigate Businesses need to have systems, policies, and procedures in place to make sure travel is monitored, employees are looked after as well as managing costs

What are the benefits of using a travel management company like First Travel Solutions?

1 Dedicated travel management company, we can deal with requests of any shape and size!Whether it’s many people travelling across the country to a few employees travelling between offices.

2.Our Taxi Online tool is easy to use and available in the palm of your hand. We can set up accounts for your employees to book and track their travel whilst your business’ travel management can track journeys and ensure everyone gets where they need to be along with our hassle-free invoicing system

3.FTS has 3 ISO accreditations in quality, health & safety and environmental management

Give our expert team a call today on 0345 528 0270

HotelREZ has over 2,500 independent properties worldwide in 100+ countries We are proud to present to you Sarova Hotels, a group of independently owned hotels and health clubs in the UK At Sarova Hotels you will find 4-star luxury coupled with professional service and relaxed atmosphere

The Rembrandt: A favourite of independent business and leisure travellers from all over the world, this 4-star hotel gets the details right: free WiFi free English breakfast a popular lounge bar and restaurant

The Abbey: The hotel is situated right in the heart of the traditional English countryside, at the foot of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire

The Bull: Opened in 1688 as a coaching inn, this 4-star hotel combines warm British hospitality with modern comforts

Sir Christopher Wren: Sheltering beneath the ramparts of Windsor Castle, the hotel enjoys a spectacular setting, overlooking the River Thames at Eton Bridge

Available to book on the GDS under the HO chain code

The Rembrandt

Apollo/Galileo: HO 10978, Worldspan: HO LONRM, Amadeus: ΗΟ LONREM, Sabre: HO 10699

The Abbey

Apollo/Galileo: HO 87026, Worldspan: HO 2003, Amadeus: ΗΟ BHXABB, Sabre: HO 16996

The Bull

Apollo/Galileo: HO 87051, Worldspan: HO 2002, Amadeus: ΗΟ LHRBUL, Sabre: HO 6604

Sir Christopher Wren

Apollo/Galileo: HO 95105, Worldspan: HO 40753, Amadeus: ΗΟ LHR300, Sabre: HO 43762

Situ releases whitepaper on the Impact of rising energy charges in the business accommodation sector

77% of all extended stay accommodation operators replying to a Situ survey say they are putting in place awareness programmes to encourage guests to be mindful and efficient with energy usage

Based on recent research with accommodation partners across their global supply chain, the serviced accommodation agency Situ has released a white paper on the impact of rising energy costs on the extended stay accommodation sector

In response to a survey, 75% of accommodation partners stated that they are at risk of having to increase rates, with the estimated rise being between 10% and 25%. Rate increases are the preferred method for 70% rather than a possible energy surcharge

When asked about creative and collaborative ways to tackle the challenge, suggestions included the collective negotiation of rates with energy providers; seeking support from the government in terms of VAT reductions; tax breaks; energy caps for businesses of all sizes; and overall clarity on the way forward

Phil Stapleton, MD of Situ, says, “Although increased accommodation costs are a possibility in 2023, Situ is furthering our commitment to our operations both through sustainable & costcontrolled programmes throughout this year and into the future ”

The survey also revealed other impacts that accommodation operators are dealing with. Top of the list was lack of labour and resources, as cited by 50% of respondents; while 32% said that assisting staff with the cost of living was affecting their business.

TripStax adds ground transport tech capabilities with Jyrney strategic partnership

TripStax is continuing to bolster its travel management tech proposition with the addition of a significant ground transport component after announcing a strategic partnership with Jyrney

Jyrney’s proprietary platform consolidates the traditionally fragmented booking and management of multi-modal ground transport options, including taxi, ride-hail and chauffeur within a single solution Jyrney works with travel management companies, online booking tools and GDSs through white label solutions and APIs, as well as connecting suppliers with corporate customers

The move to integrate ground transport is part of TripStax’s strategy to build out its tech proposition with relevant and complementary solutions and content. This approach has already been demonstrated by the recent acquisition of Hotelzon, which adds significant hotel content into the TripStax offering

Jyrney is integrated via API to the TripStax Portal module, which is a TMC and corporate client portal offering a single access point to the different TripStax modules, as well as third party content providers, that are relevant to the customer and the user Mutual TMC clients of TripStax and Jyrney can access Jyrney’s ground transport content via Portal to book and manage their corporate customers’ mobility requirements Data from Jyrney bookings can be seamlessly included in traveller itineraries, tracking and approval processes.

Scott Wylie, CTO, TripStax commented: “We were looking to bring a ground transport component to TripStax to support our TMC customers’ needs Jyrney was the obvious provider to partner with as they are rapidly becoming the go-to tech platform for ground transport ”