The Wrap is a round-up of news in the travel and technology industries, and to keep track of developments in these sectors as the green shoots of recovery slowly take root.
Headout introduces ‘Safe Experiences’ to build trust and boost travel among consumers
The coronavirus has led to a proliferation of new tools or measures by hotels, airlines and industry players to provide information, keep track of safety measures or implement health guidelines to instil confidence among traveller to hit the road again.
Mobile-first entertainment marketplace Headout has launched ‘Safe Experiences’, which it describes as “a safety protocol designed to build trust and ensure the well-being of travellers.”
The company said a Safe Experience has multiple safety measures in place that have been verified and displayed to users in real time. Five safety protocols are approbated to ensure traveller safety from multiple touchpoints. These include:
- Contactless visits: Contactless entry and exit, minimal touch-services, mandate of online tickets
- Safety rules: Mandate of face masks, temperature checks and social distancing measures
- Crowd control: Capacity restrictions and time-slotted entry
- Sanitation facilities: Sanitation, disinfection, and deep cleaning practices on-site, sanitisation of audio guides and transfer vehicles (if applicable)
- Trained staff: Trained as per World Health Organisation guidelines
According to Headout, it has awarded the Safe Badge to 1900+ experiences in 25 countries including Vatican Guided Tour, Sagrada Familia and Burj Khalifa. It will be roping in more partners to meet these new safety standards.
“Today, safety and trust are the need of the hour to get back to the world as we knew it,” said Varun Khona, CEO and co-founder of Headout. “With Safe Experiences we have pioneered a massive data project to ensure our users get accurate and updated information on safety measures around the world.”
Headout has offices in New York, Bangalore, London, Dubai, Hong Kong and Berlin.
Travelport’s new tool tracks airline health and safety measures
Travelport has launched its free-to-use Airline Health & Safety Tracker that highlights the safety measures being undertaken by more than 80 of the world’s largest airlines at a glance.
Both online and offline travel agencies can access the tool through the Travelport Covid-19 Smartpoint Plugin, Travelport’s API-based merchandising solution, Branded Fares Data File, and the company’s Covid-19 Resource Hub, which is also available to the general public.
The new tracker tool monitors the use of seven safety measures – mandated use of face masks, socially distanced seating, temperature checks before boarding, improved air filtration, enhanced cleaning programmes, reduced onboard food and beverage services and mandated traveller health certification or declaration. The data is presented in a simple visual format and is updated by Travelport on a weekly basis.
In the Travelport Covid-19 Smartpoint Plugin, which can be downloaded from Travelport Marketplace, the information is available alongside details on government restrictions, lockdowns and safety measures – updated on a daily basis by global travel safety intelligence provider, Safeture.
As the airline safety information is also available through Travelport Branded Fares Data File, the technology’s company’s online travel agency, corporate booking tool, and travel meta-search customers can easily integrate Travelport Airline Health & Safety Tracker data into their own booking tools.
Additionally, all of the information is available on the Covid-19 Resource Hub along with comprehensive information on travel restrictions across the world; airline, hotel and car policy trackers; direct links to Travelport support services, and guides to the best way to use technology during the crisis.
Kyle Moore, global head of customer strategy and marketing at Travelport, said the tool using the company’s technology “will help travellers to match their travel needs with the safety measures they expect, bringing back confidence in travel and supporting a strong industry recovery.”
Amadeus chatbot Amanda can now answer queries in Chinese
Amadeus has added traditional and simplified Chinese language capabilities to its virtual assistant, Amanda.
The chatbot, the first interface from Amadeus Selling Platform Connect, was launched in 2017 to offer real-time help 24/7 to Amadeus customers in more than 90 countries. It can also also chat in English, Brazilian Portuguese, French and Spanish.
Using machine learning and artificial intelligence Amanda provides guidance on frequently asked questions such as ticket refunds, reissues and EMD vouchers,
“During these uncertain times our customers are facing an influx of COVID-19 related inquiries, including around ticketing,” said Pierre Giordano, vice president of customer service at Amadeus. “We are constantly improving Amanda’s content to help our customers maintain high standards of customer service during the crisis.”
According to Amadeus, last year in an average month the chatbot had more than 9,700 active users and 23,300 chat sessions.
“Amanda’s popularity with our customers shows that there is high demand from travel agents for a more flexible approach to customer service. This underpins our broader vision to create a Live Travel Space where our customers can access the expertise and technology they need on their terms and at their moment of need,” added Giordano.
The technology company is planning to roll out more languages for the chatbot.
Travala.com and Agoda partner to boost travel with cryptocurrencies
Digital travel platform part, Agoda, part of Booking Holdings, and cryptocurrency-friendly accommodation booking platform, Travala.com, have joined forces to boost travel with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies
With this partnership, more than 600,000 Agoda hotels worldwide are now available via Travala.com. Travellers can book trips on the site using more than 30 different forms of cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Binance Coin (BNB) and AVA, Travala.com’s native cryptocurrency.
Juan Otero, CEO at Travala.com, said the partnership with Agoda “puts Travala.com in a league of its own”, and with growing demand for non-hotel accommodation “the launch of Travala.com Homes couldn’t come at a better time.”
Damien Pfirsch, vice president of strategic partnerships and programmes at Agoda, stated the collaboration with Travala.com helps the company enhance its accommodation offering, provides its customers with an improved travel experience, as well as easy access to rates and variety of inventory.
Travala.com said since its inception in 2017 it has secured several partnerships with travel companies to offer a one-stop-shop solution for its users while also facilitating more ways for consumers to book travel with cryptocurrencies.
• Featured image credit: Headout
