ITB Berlin News 2019 - Day 1 Edition

SPECIAL FEATURE
TRAVEL TECHNOLOGIES
33
The nextgeneration
retailing
opportunity
Technology continues to drive
innovation in the sector
ADVERTORIAL
HUMANITY WILL
ALWAYS BE ESSENTIAL
FOR SUCCESS IN THE
ACCOMMODATION
SECTOR
Clinton Anderson
EVP, Sabre
President, Sabre Hospitality Solutions
THE
ULTIMATE
FREEDOM
WHEN
TRAVELLING
Clinton Anderson, EVP of Sabre and President
of Sabre Hospitality Solutions, is participating
in a keynote panel at the ITB Berlin Convention
on the future of hospitality and tourism in times
of Artificial Intelligence. We asked him what are
the key stakes in the hospitality industry today
and heading into the future in this respect.
Technology has
transformed how all of
us connect to everything
– to friends and family,
businesses, service
providers… you name it.
Obviously, the hospitality
industry is no exception,
and consumers are looking
for new tools to enhance
their travel experiences.
As a result, travellers’
expectations are higher
and more diverse than
ever. This means that an
individual and personal
approach can be a
significant success factor
and differentiator for
hoteliers.
How do you define nextgeneration
retailing?
We define next-generation
retailing as the opportunity
for hotels to shift from
being room-centric
businesses to entities that
sell and monetise every
aspect of a trip, from
meeting spaces to early
check-in, to mugs and
umbrellas as souvenirs.
This transformation is
quite radical for hoteliers.
It demands enablement
through deep retailing
technology to sell any item
or service, just as easily as
selling rooms at different
rates today. A pivotal
element of these retailing
capabilities is to encode
every sellable entity—
room, spa appointment,
dinner package, event
ticket—as a merchandising
unit, just like any typical
retail business.
What will AI bring to hotels
in the coming decade and
how is Sabre working on
this?
Built-in machine learning
algorithms process vast
troughs of data from
reservations, guest profiles,
and purchase history to
dynamically determine
and rollout best offers to
guests via appropriate
channels in the right sort
order. Through machine
learning, hoteliers will
be able to dynamically
optimise pricing and create
packages and offers based
on unforeseen events.
Further combined with
guest personalisation,
hoteliers will be able to
target and engage guests
thoughtfully, at different
stages of their travel
journey, with the most
relevant products and
services to meet their
unique needs
Hall 9 / Stand 207
eTRAVEL WORLD
Category: Marketing
Date: March 7, 2019
Time: 12:00 - 12:45pm
Location: City Cube,
Auditorium A4/A5
Global travel is booming: According to the
UNWTO, international tourist arrivals worldwide
increased 6% in 2018 to 1.4 billion, reached two
years ahead of the organisation’s long-term
forecast of 2010. The trend is likely to continue
in the coming years with further increases of 3%
to 4% annually.
This will also be reflected in the increased use
of travel cash cards and prepaid credit cards
to pay conveniently and securely abroad.
Wirecard is responding to this global megatrend
with a new customisable card product that
supports multiple currencies and can be issued
by companies to both their customers and
employees. The Multi-Currency Travel Card
can be used as a traditional or digital means
of payment and is set to replace traveller’s
cheques.
Wirecard says there are no irritating foreign
exchange fees when paying or withdrawing
money in the destination country, the card
is accepted worldwide as a secure means of
payment and accounting is much easier thanks
to transparent payment processes. Visit the
Wirecard stand at ITB Berlin to find out why
the practical travel card is also an ideal means
of increasing customer or employee retention
over the long term using loyalty bonuses or
attractive discounts
Hall 5.1 / Stand 103
ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2019