Sabre recognized for being first to implement simple, smart and highly relevant mobile solutions
LONDON, United Kingdom, Feb. 7, 2008 – Sabre has picked up the coveted Gold Innovation Award for its world-first “Sabre Virtually There” mobile solution at this year’s Business Travel Innovation Awards, held in London last night.
“Sabre Virtually There” web and mobile services enable Sabre Connected travel agents to provide personalized travel information to their customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via a website or a web-enabled mobile phone. In addition to providing real-time travel itineraries, travelers also receive flight schedule and notification alerts, gate assignments, TSA security checkpoint wait times, maps and driving directions from MapQuest, destination information on over 200 countries, local city and restaurant guides, weather and a currency converter – everything a traveler needs at their fingertips.
Originally launched in 2003, “Sabre Virtually There” mobile services was significantly enhanced in September last year to meet rising demand from travelers for more comprehensive travel information while on the go. A huge success, “Sabre Virtually There” is now being used by more than 30,000 agencies around the world.
“We are thrilled to be recognized for the innovation we have worked so hard to deliver our agencies and travelers. With more than 3 billion mobile phones in use around the world and the majority now web-enabled, there’s clearly a market for delivering timely and relevant travel services direct to the mobile phone,” said Greg Webb, chief marketing officer for Sabre.
“Travelers benefit by having access to a whole new suite of information on the go, and our agency customers benefit by having the tools to better serve their travelers around the clock.”
The Business Travel Innovation Awards recognize and celebrate business travel suppliers who create highly innovative products, services and processes for buyers, travelers or other suppliers. It is widely acknowledged as the world’s most prestigious Innovation Awards ceremony, with votes cast by travel professionals from all over the world.
Business Travel Show event director David Chapple said: “Combining the needs of the business traveler whilst on the move with the latest in mobile technology is obviously a highly popular innovation and a well deserved winner of the Business Travel Show Gold award. Congratulations to Sabre for producing a product that truly represents the innovative nature of this industry.”
In recent surveys, 42 percent of business travelers indicated their biggest pet peeve with business travel is the delays encountered while traveling. The latest enhancements to “Sabre Virtually There” mobile services help ease this frustration.
“We can’t control the weather, but we can provide travelers information to make it easier to get from point A to point B,” said Webb.
“While we are extremely proud of this recognition, we are even more excited that our technology and solutions continue to push the envelope in finding ways to address real-time issues that impact travelers – especially the corporate road warriors. These awards recognize our commitment to investing in innovative solutions that help our agency customers reinforce their value by providing services that really matter to their customers,” he said.
“Sabre Virtually There” mobile services are easily accessible by travelers and travel agents alike via www.virtuallythere.com from any web-enabled mobile device.
About Sabre Travel Network
Sabre Travel Network, a Sabre Holdings company, provides the most comprehensive end-to-end solutions for corporate and leisure travel. The Sabre GDS is the foundation for these solutions, providing a ready-built efficient marketplace that connects travel suppliers, including hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels, with more than 50,000 travel agency locations. Currently, Sabre collectively handles over 70 percent of the BTN 100 bookings.
Key brands of Sabre Travel Network include GetThere, for corporate travel reservation technology; Nexion, a host agency; SynXis, for hotel reservation management, distribution and technology services; E-site marketing, specializing in online business solutions exclusively for the hospitality industry TRAMS, mid- and back-office solutions and marketing services for travel agencies; and TRAMS Marketing Alliance (TMA), a marketing promotions services for leisure travel agencies. Sabre Travel Network also markets TripTailor Vacations, a travel wholesaler providing dynamic packaging for the travel agency marketplace.
Sabre Holdings connects people with the world’s greatest travel possibilities by retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
