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Archive Category: Travel

Starwood ties up with Chinese location-based social mobile app

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has formed a partnership with Chinese location-based social mobile app, Jiepang, in order to offer Chinese Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) members check-in rewards.

China continues to be a major source of new loyalty travellers for Starwood as evidenced by the 71 percent jump in Chinese enrollment in SPG last year. The group says this initiative marks a new digital extension to its loyalty programme specifically designed for Chinese travellers.

Starwood is to provide a localised social networking platform tailored specifically to Chinese travellers. The partnership will pave way for hotels to engage with guests and reward SPG members for their geo-social behaviour, leveraging Starpoints as a form of social currency.

“SPG’s new partnership with Jiepang localises and redefines the `check-in’ for our Chinese SPG members, enabling rewarding experiences beyond their hotel stays,” said Janice Chan, director, Digital Distribution & Marketing, Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts.

Now guests can earn Starpoints and Free Weekend Night Awards for Jiepang activity at over 200 Starwood hotels and resorts in Asia Pacific. From December 1, 2011 to January 31, 2012, SPG members can now earn bonus Starpoints by checking in via Jiepang with a confirmed reservation.

Every month, the SPG member with the greatest number of Jiepang check-ins across all Starwood hotels in Asia Pacific will be declared the SPG Mayor. In addition to status and special SPG perks, the Mayor will be interviewed and featured within the specials landing page and will also be asked to contribute travel tips to the SPG Jiepang tips page, www.jiepang.com/spg.

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Barrhead Travel launches new rewards smartcard

Scotland-based-travel agency Barrhead Travel has launched a new rewards smartcard. The card will offer a five percent cashback reward for any travel booking made, with additional discounts offered to existing sQuid account holders.

The scheme will initially be piloted in Barrhead Travel’s Dundee store with a view to rolling it out across other branches in the near future.

“Our innovative smartcard-based rewards programme is another way of giving a little extra back, while acknowledging and maintaining a great relationship with our clients,” said Mark Brock, director, Barrhead Travel.

The company has tied up with sQuid, the eMoney payments network, for this initiative.

The contactless smartcard-based scheme will be operated by sQuid, which already provides a number of smartcard services in Dundee.

The company mentioned that loyalty cards cost £5, but give back £10 to the customer’s loyalty purse once registered online with sQuid. Cardholders are then rewarded with five percent of the booking value of all overseas holidays, which is credited to the customer’s card loyalty purse and can be redeemed against future bookings.

sQuid’s low cost pre-pay model enables contactless transactions in retail, digital and virtual commerce, bypassing bank and credit card networks, with its own FSA-compliant eMoney platform, featuring bank-grade security.

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UK’s CAA seeks advise on Thomas Cook’s financial problems: report

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority has reportedly hired US turnaround and restructuring firm Alvarez & Marsal to advise it over Thomas Cook.

According to a report filed by the Sunday Telegraph, the Authority has taken this decision over concerns surrounding the tour operator’s ability to pay a customer- protection bond and fulfill its obligations on aircraft safety should the financial strength of the company worsen.

Late last month Thomas Cook Group reached agreement with its banking group to provide it with a new facility that significantly improves the “robustness” of the group’s financial position. The group’s banks, led by Barclays, HSBC, RBS and UniCredit, agreed to provide a new £200m facility available until 30 April 2013, which replaces the £100m short-term facility finalised in October. In addition, they agreed on a further relaxation of the financial covenants under the existing facilities.

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European Travel Commission targets travellers from China, launches portal

Brussels-based European Travel Commission (ETC), a non-profit organisation focused on marketing and promoting tourism to Europe from long-haul markets, and European Commission (EC) have announced the launch of Travel Destination Europe and the portal in China.

This launch marks the first step in the recently strengthened cooperation between ETC and the EC to promote Europe as a travel destination in long-haul emerging markets and the recognition of China as one of the most important opportunities for outbound travel to Europe in the coming years.

“With the launch of our new Chinese web portal, visiteurope.com, today we declare our common initiative to focus on the Chinese market promoting Travel Destination Europe,” said Petra Hedorfer, president of ETC.

Promotional activity will begin in China through the visiteurope.com portal, with a series of campaigns initiating in 2012 focused on ‘Europe’s Ultimate Journeys’, designed to promote the most relevant pan-European tourism products to Chinese visitors.

Pedro Ortún, Director for Tourism, CSR, Consumer Goods and International Regulatory Agreements at the EC, said that the approval of the Visa Code for the Schengen area and the recent adoption of a harmonised list for supporting documents to be presented by visa applicants in China will certainly help in attracting more Chinese visitors to Europe.

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Thomas Cook Signature targets youth/budget traveller market

Thomas Cook Signature has partnered with YHA Australia to offer budget accommodation throughout its UK’s high street travel retail network.

With this move, the company is targeting youth/budget traveller market for the first time.

The pact allow Thomas Cook, Co-op and Going Places agents to tap into this growing market, which was previously only the realm of youth/budget travel specialists, highlighted the companies. It was also mentioned that over 128,000 British backpackers visit Australia each year, each staying an average 68 nights and spending $7,660 AUD per trip making this the highest yielding segment, spending nearly twice as much as the average international traveller.

Mandy Monk, YHA Australia’s marketing manager for Europe, said the budget and backpacker segment is continuing to grow and despite common misconceptions these travellers have disposable income, a strong propensity to travel and are generally less effected by issues such as the Global financial crisis, making them an ideal target group in these more difficult times.

“We welcome the foresight shown by Thomas Cook Signature to tap into this lucrative segment through its independent agent partners,” said Monk.

Thomas Cook Signature’s 2012 brochure launches on 15 December.

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Direct mail most preferred for receipt of brand communications: study

A study in the US has indicated that despite direct mail’s reputation for being “old school” or expensive, it is the top choice of U.S. and Canadian consumers for the receipt of brand communications.

According to Epsilon Targeting’s 2011 Channel Preference Study, titled The Formula For Success: Preference and Trust, direct mail continues to deliver as consumers’ preferred means of receiving marketing messages from brands.

Suggestion

The study suggests that brands should use a variety of mediums to build relationships, starting with trusted channels like direct mail, then layering the message to re-enforce it through other channels.

Marketers need to understand which channels resonate most at various points in the consumer purchase cycle and incorporate a cross-channel strategy that leverages data and technology to communicate on a one-to-one basis

Findings

There has been 66 percent growth in U.S. consumers’ use of Facebook in the past year to research and review consumer product information. In response to an annual Epsilon Targeting survey of consumer channel preferences, 10 percent of U.S. respondents said they used Facebook for consumer product information, a jump from six percent in 2010. At the same time, roughly a third of U.S. and Canadian survey respondents (33 percent U.S. and 31 percent Canadian) said they don't find ads on social media sites useful.

Key findings:

• 26 percent of U.S. consumers and 30 percent of Canadians said direct mail is more trustworthy than email;
• 50 percent of U.S. consumers and 48 percent of Canadians said they pay more attention to postal mail than email;
• 60 percent of U.S. consumers and 64 percent of Canadians said they enjoy checking the mailbox for postal mail, highlighting an emotional connection;
• 30 percent of U.S. consumers said they’re receiving more mail that interests them compared to a year ago, and just 50 percent (down from 63 percent in 2010) said more information is sent to them in the mail -- indicating marketers are improving targeting efforts;
• The perception that reading email is faster declined among U.S. email account holders to 45 percent in 2011 (from 47 percent in 2010), suggesting clogged inboxes are draining time.

The 2011 Channel Preference Study also found:

• 37 percent of U.S. consumers and 29 percent of Canadians use TV daily to get consumer product information, down from 43 percent and 35 percent respectively in 2010;
• The least trustworthy channels are social media and blogs, achieving only six percent trust among U.S. consumers and 5 percent among Canadians;
• The number of U.S. respondents who said Internet use “is more anonymous” declined to eight percent in 2011 from 11 percent in 2010;
• Personally addressed mail is greatly preferred to unaddressed, with numbers in the insurance category showing a 31 percent to 5 percent gap;
• 34 percent of U.S. consumers who prefer email over mail cited “saving on paper” as the main reason, up strongly from 21 percent in 2010;
• In 2011, 39 percent of U.S. consumers claimed awareness of group deal web sites, lagging behind the 53 percent awareness level among Canadian counterparts.

The study is based on completed surveys from 2,226 U.S. consumers and 2,574 Canadian consumers.

Travel industry

Interestingly, another recent study indicated that digital content is a top priority for travel companies, with 83 percent reporting a planned increase in budget for 2012.

According to EyeforTravel’s Travel Distribution & Marketing Barometer – Edition 2 (released in October), looking towards the next quarter in the most recent data for both suppliers and intermediaries, the largest proportion of companies are increasing budgets for website design or re-‐design; 59 percent in the September barometer. Social media ranked at the top in February (from the first edition which was published in May this year), but in September a lower but still significant 57 percent are planning an increase. The investment area with the smallest proportion in September was group buying; 15 percent are planning an increase in the next three months and 22 percent are keeping their budgets the same.

As convergence between online and offline marketing continues, budget fluidity is also expected to increase. There’s no doubt that digital marketing has become an essential marketing tool – especially when paired with off-line. Global recession made this even more apparent as brands cut back off-line marketing budgets and had to do more with less.

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Google to enhance the airport experience with indoor map navigation

Google has shared that now Google Maps for Android enables users to figure out where they are and see where they might want to go when they’re indoors.

The development has emerged as the company announced the next generation of Google Maps for Android, which is first to get indoor Google Maps.

“With Google Maps’ “My Location” feature, which shows your location as a blue dot, you can see where you are on the map to avoid walking the wrong direction on city streets, or to get your bearings if you’re hiking an unfamiliar trail. Google Maps also displays additional details, such as places, landmarks and geographical features, to give you context about what’s nearby,” wrote Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering, Google Earth and Maps on a company’s blog.

“When you’re inside an airport, shopping mall or retail store, a common way to figure out where you are is to look for a freestanding map directory or ask an employee for help. Starting today, with the release of Google Maps 6.0 for Android, that directory is brought to the palm of your hands, helping you determine where you are, what floor you're on, and where to go indoors.”

Detailed floor plans automatically appear when you’re viewing the map and zoomed in on a building where indoor map data is available. The “blue dot” icon indicates your location within several meters, and when you move up or down a level in a building with multiple floors, the interface will automatically update to display which floor you’re on.

Google initially partnered with some of the largest retailers, airports and transit stations in the U.S. and Japan, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Narita International (NRT), among others.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, too, confirmed that it has tied up with Google to become one of the first airports in the world to give Android phone users access to indoor maps in Google Maps.

Airport’s aviation general manager Louis Miller said, “To us, good way-finding means the customer never has to ask for directions and easily can find a restaurant, a gate or the nearest restroom.”

Users of Android devices will need to update the Google Maps application in order to access these indoor maps, but no updates will be required after that one-time installation to get new or updated indoor maps.

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Orbitz’s contest to let “fans” nominate favourite do-gooder on Facebook

Online travel company Orbitz has initiated its Gift It Forward Facebook contest, letting its Facebook fans to nominate others for the good things they've done.

The contest allows Orbitz Facebook fans to nominate a deserving neighbour, co-worker, family member, or friend for a luxury vacation to Mexico.

Gift It Forward is a great way for deserving people to be recognised for their actions, said Chris Orton, president of Orbitz.com.

Grand prize winners will be announced on or about December 22.

Contest

To nominate someone for “Gift It Forward”, one needs to visit the Orbitz Facebook page and complete a short form describing why the person nominated deserves to win.

After submitting the form, the nominator must inform the nominee that they need to “Gift It Forward” and nominate someone else for their entry to be valid. Orbitz will award six travel packages to the nominees and their nominators for all-inclusive luxury trips to Mexico. Orbitz will also award fans with pairs of round-trip airline tickets throughout the contest just for submitting a nomination.

Nominations are accepted now through December 9.

Orbitz will select 10 finalists based on a combination of relevance, quality, and creativity. Orbitz Facebook fans will then vote for their favourite story.

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TripCase to integrate with agency systems and policies

Sabre Holdings has stated that TripCase will be the first consumer mobile and web solution that integrates with the systems and policies used by travel agencies, travel management companies, and corporations.

Southlake, Texas-based Sabre has enhanced TripCase to offer travellers a complete on-the-go travel management product. It will offer access to travel documents, expense reporting, agency and corporate messaging, navigational capabilities, in-policy bookings, traveller extras, and trip eInvoices and eTickets in more than 20 languages.

The company expects to bring the first set of capabilities to market through TripCase in Q1 2012 and will deliver additional capabilities throughout the year.

Sabre highlighted that its global research of all traveller types shows travellers are demanding increasing levels of personalisation, convenience and functionality from their mobile devices.

John Samuel, senior vice president of Sabre Studios and Traveller Solutions group, said, “The data tells us that travellers increasingly mix leisure and business trips.” For its part, TripCase allows travellers to do so by allowing attractions, business meetings, and restaurant reservations in their itineraries.

Samuel mentioned that TripCase empowers agents to better serve travellers throughout their trip, providing information and tools at the right time in their trip. Policy reminders, baggage claim information, and thank you messages are examples of the way agencies will be able to interact with their travellers.

Samuel said agents can also use TripCase to proactively respond to anticipated requests like a flight change from a missed connection, often before the traveller has requested it.

As per the plans, TripCase will recognise agency imported trips and these bookings will be credited to the agency. There will be new storage capabilities that will allow agencies to save and retrieve e-invoice and e-ticket documents. Travellers will also have access to this documentation via TripCase.

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How private charter flights become increasingly affordable during chaos

Online private jet booking network, PrivateFly.com, reported a 74 percent increase in European flight searches for 30 November, versus data for the previous Wednesday, as a result of the public sector strike action.

The company highlighted trends around private aviation as an alternative for travellers during the chaos. As the company saw during the volcanic ash cloud and snow chaos of last December, private charter flights become increasingly affordable when balanced with the significant time savings.

Some of the key points:

• Bookings are up 45 percent week to date.
• Searches with a London arrival airport show an increase of 82 percent, indicating that those facing arrival into London’s anticipated airport gridlock, are looking for a private aviation alternative.
• Last minute private flights start from Paris – London, from £500 per person, or Dublin – London from £600 per person.

Adam Twidell, CEO of PrivateFly.com, said, “We’re seeing a notable rise in pan-European online search and bookings for 30 November, and it’s interesting to note that many of these bookings are from new customers, both for business and personal flights. For those that cannot afford a 12-hour wait, they might be surprised that they can afford a private charter flight.”

Twidell further explained and said private jet passengers at larger airports go through a separate terminal (known as an FBO) to scheduled or charter flights, and private jets can take-off and land from 1000s of smaller airports worldwide. “Using London as an example, we’re seeing potential gridlock of Heathrow tomorrow morning, and yet there are 14 alternative airport gateways to the capital, that will ensure a much more seamless and stress-free arrival, both during the immigration strikes and also on a normal day,” he said.

He also mentioned that private jet charter passengers still clear immigration; although in most cases private jet passengers are pre-cleared before they fly. Before the flight their passport details are sent to the UK Border Agency staff for thorough clearance. Immediately after private jet passengers disembark their passports are checked by the FBO staff against the pre-clearance; and of course, the UK Border Agency can choose to spot-check private jet passenger passport details at any point, and at any UK airport, explained Twidell.

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