Culture Trip’s Post

Some of the biggest travel brands are transforming their loyalty programs, and there’s a lot we can learn as local tourism businesses. Here’s why it matters: Studies show a 5% increase in customer retention can boost profitability by 25% to 95%, and 83% of customers prefer returning to businesses with a loyalty program. Plus, members spend 12% to 18% more annually. Marriott Bonvoy is leading the way by shifting from transactional to emotional loyalty, partnering with big names like MGM and the NFL to offer immediate benefits. But how can local businesses apply this? You may not have an NFL partnership, but you can collaborate with local breweries, galleries, or museums to offer perks like exclusive access or discounts. It’s all about enhancing the guest experience and creating connections. If you’ve been thinking about a loyalty program, consider focusing on building relationships and delivering a better, more meaningful experience.

Can you #grow your business by improving the #customerexperience? Last week at Collaborate MK , Dominic Marcel gave a great talk about his recent trip to the US and the different hotel customer experiences he'd had, and it got me thinking of my own experiences... My favourite was flying to and fro the US with Virgin. They were the masters in de-stressing those irritating parts of airline travel. A few years later, they did the same with the fast London - Glasgow trains. Creating a remarkable customer experience is all about going the extra mile- and it's the thought that matters. Who remembers the quote - "People forget what was said, they forget what was done, but they never forget how you made them feel". This is great news for #smallbusinesses - they are better placed to personalise their service, pay attention to details, and show genuine care for their customers' needs. They can surprise and delight their customers with little gestures that show they #value their business. By fostering a positive emotional connection, you turn customers into loyal advoca.tes, ensuring they keep coming back and spreading the good word about your business. Make every moment memorable, and #success will follow. If you would to know how we can help you be successful, download our free E-Book here https://lnkd.in/dWev_DSu

As Mystifly unveils the Smart Selling Platform (SSP) to the travel selling world, Costco Travel emerges as one of its early adopters. Successfully implementing our innovative SSP, Costco has prioritized accessing exclusive Hawaiian Airlines NDC content and effectively streamlining post-booking servicing across all content sources. This strategic alignment not only enriches the array of flight options for Costco members but also substantially enhances their overall booking journey. Costco Travel can now offer premium Hawaiian Airlines content without a Distribution Cost Recovery Surcharge. This ensures Costco members get the best deals when booking travel through their website or our call centre. Members will have access to exclusive Hawaiian Airlines flights, including Neighbor Island point-to-point flights, personalized frequent flyer experiences, and dynamically priced ancillaries. Mystifly SSP provides a flexible, agile platform that supports multiple air sources, including GDS, NDC, and proprietary API. This advanced technology ensures seamless selling and servicing across all channels, significantly enhancing the overall travel booking experience for Costco members by offering them a wider range of options and better deals. Rajeev Kumar, CEO of Mystifly, stated, "Our platform offers the flexibility travel sellers need in today's complex distribution landscape. It equips travel sellers like Costco Travel with a future-proof tech stack that shields day-to-day operations from unexpected changes in airline sourcing strategies or APIs." Brent Overbeek, EVP & Chief Revenue Officer at Hawaiian Airlines, added, "Mystifly’s SSP allows us to provide our HA Connect NDC content to key partners like Costco while ensuring seamless integration into their existing business processes. We look forward to growing our agency business together." Want to learn more about how Mystifly SSP can elevate your travel business? Visit www.mystifly.com #Mystifly #Costco #HawaiianAirlines #TravelTech #NDC #AirlineDistribution #MystiflySSP #InnovationInTravel #SmartSelling #SmartAggregator

With the partnership, Virgin Australia will integrate Sabre Corporation’s suite of solutions, marking their joint initiative towards modern retailing and the market availability of SabreMosaic. David Hogarth, chief information officer at Virgin Australia, remarked, "This partnership supports our mission of being Australia's most loved airline by offering our customers choice and a wonderful guest experience.” Garry Wiseman, chief product and technology officer at Sabre Travel Solutions, also said, "This demonstrates Sabre's commitment to ensuring that its approach to Offer and Order evolution meets the real-world needs of airlines. #retail #technologysolutions #artificialintelligence ------ -[Newsletter] To learn more about the latest news, trends and insights in the technology industry, subscribe to UpTech Media’s newsletter by filling out this form: https://lnkd.in/eKr8Se4y

The Rewards Company connects all the moving parts - from flights, hotels, activities and cruises to car rentals, traveler support, and customer loyalty and rewards programs - into one seamless experience for your brand. #therewardscompany #travelclub #loyaltyprograms #rewardsprogram #traveltech #travelindustry

🛫 Exciting News in the World of Airlines! 🌍 We're thrilled to share an article that's set to revolutionize the way we book flights! ✈️ Read all about it here: Revolutionizing Airline Retail: A Groundbreaking Partnership Reshapes the Future of Flight Bookings In a groundbreaking partnership, two industry giants have come together to reshape the future of flight bookings, offering travelers an unparalleled experience. Here's what you can expect from this incredible collaboration: 🌐 Seamless Booking: Say goodbye to the hassle of navigating multiple websites. This partnership streamlines the booking process, making it easier than ever before to find and book your ideal flights. 🌟 Personalized Recommendations: Get tailor-made recommendations based on your preferences, travel history, and more. Say hello to a more personalized and enjoyable booking experience. 💼 Business Travelers Rejoice: For our corporate travelers, this partnership brings unprecedented benefits, including exclusive offers, efficient booking tools, and enhanced support for all your business travel needs. ✨ Innovation at Its Best: Discover how this collaboration leverages cutting-edge technology to deliver a future-ready travel experience that's both efficient and enjoyable. Don't miss out on this game-changing article: https://lnkd.in/e8zKdcm7 #Airlines #TravelTech #FutureOfTravel #FlightBookings #Innovation #BusinessTodayNews

Nice when a project comes out to the public. The teams of all involved parties #Costcotravel #HawaiianAirlines and others did a pretty good job across a maximum of timezones. You can imagine the amount of early morning and late evening calls. One of the big value additions of SSP is that it allows you to work in traditional GDS world as well as in direct connect scenarios. Hence, no hard cutovers and any travel seller can honour their commitments with suppliers like a GDS and at the same time use other sources all orchestrated in one system by #Mystifly.

Our panel at Future Travel Experience Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin explored the collaboration between airlines, airports and service providers to deliver a frictionless customer experience 🤗 Thank you to the four panelists for their expert contributions: 👉 Caroline Bergstroem, SAS - Scandinavian Airlines 👉 Carlos Ruiz, A.A.E., IAP, CVG Airport - Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport 👉 Nick Ashton, Protect Group 👉 Adrian Keating, family man who's worked for two startup airlines 😉 My key takeaways from our discussions: 👉 Customers don't know who does what between the airline, the airport or the service providers, and don't care. They expect a frictionless experience and seamless coordination between all parties. 👉 In case of service disruption, customers expect real-time information about their options and next steps, as well as support and care on site. All parties need to coordinate to fix things when things go wrong. 👉 The inflight experience is a big opportunity for customers to book services at the arrival airport and beyond. Airports and airport services providers need to collaborate with airlines to feature these services in relevant touchpoints. 👉 In the case of environment-conscious travelers, airlines and airports can create "green" offerings that reduce emissions and wastes, e.g. by pre-ordering food or by delivering duty-free shopping on arrival. 👉 Collaboration, coordination and personalization require data sharing within limits of data regulations. Focusing on customers and being obsessed by customer experience should help overcome the natural resistance to sharing information. These panels with positive and open-minded individuals always give me hope that we can make a difference and see improvements by the time we meet again ☀ I let you think about the empty seat on the right, which could have been green 💚 ☘ #customerobsession #collaborationforgood #timetomeetagain

Kudos to Marco for shedding light on the crucial dynamics within the travel retail industry in this insightful interview (see first comment). His foresight into the 'evolved normality' of 2024 and the challenges faced by businesses resonates deeply. The emphasis on delivering a truly tailored and unforgettable customer experience is a refreshing perspective in an era where mere lip service often takes precedence. I wholeheartedly agree with Marco's call for a profound analysis of shopper needs and demands in each location, challenging the industry to move beyond cookie-cutter activations. It's inspiring to witness a commitment to adapting everything—from brand format to digital engagement—based on the unique characteristics of each market. The spotlight on the industry's relationship with pricing is equally noteworthy. Marco's call for a reconciliation between pricing and experience is a powerful reminder of the unique advantages travel retail holds. Dispelling the myth that price advantages and exceptional experiences are mutually exclusive, he rightly challenges the industry to break free from outdated norms. #travelretail Marco Passoni Chris Madden Sergei Bozhok Vittoria Passoni Erika Giannini

Why choose us? Don't ask us, here's what our customers say… Chloe F. IT Director for P&O Ferries says: “We were looking for a system that would improve how we sell tickets, standardising our approach and streamlining processes for our passengers and colleagues. Therefore, user experience and ease-of-use was front and centre for our brief. We have been impressed by how quickly the Expian team got to know the complexities and issues that faced different teams within our organisation and understand what they need from our sales system.” Read more here! #booking #technology #IT #digitaltransformation #ticketing #sales #ferry