ACQUISITIONS HOTELS


American Express GBT to buy HRG


AMERICAN EXPRESS GLOBAL BUSINESS TRAVEL (GBT) has announced it will acquire Hogg Robinson Group (HRG), subject to anti-trust and shareholder approval. The agreement is a recommended


all-cash acquisition, according to American Express GBT. It is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018.


The TMC says the combined


group will be able to offer clients and travellers a more comprehensive range of products and services. Both companies will be able to combine their technology and development platforms, create cost savings through synergies and leverage each other’s infrastructure to “maximise efficiencies”. HRG has also announced that it will sell its software-as-a-service technology business, Fraedom, to Visa for £141.75 million. This is expected to be completed in March.


PASSPORTS


Postal passport application fees increase proposed


THE HOME OFFICE HAS PROPOSED changes to passport fees that could see the price of postal applications rise by 17 per cent. If the plans are approved by Parliament, postal applications for UK passports could increase from £72.50 to £85 for adults and from £49 to £58.50 for children. The changes will come into effect on 27 March if given the go-ahead. However, online applications will only be subject to a marginal increase to £75.50 for adults and £49 for children.


The Home Office says the hike in postal fees is designed to encourage the use of online application services.


The department also insists


the proposed fee changes are unrelated to the announcement that UK passports will be changing back to blue in October 2019.


BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM


An artist’s impression of the Virgin hotel in Edinburgh


Virgin Hotels’ first European property set to open in Edinburgh


VIRGIN HOTELS HAS ANNOUNCED plans to open its first European property in Edinburgh in 2020. The hotel will be located on Victoria


Street in the city’s Old Town within the India Buildings, which will undergo redevelopment works.


The hotel will feature 225 rooms and suites, multiple food and drink outlets –


TECHNOLOGY Google Flights predicts delays


GOOGLE HAS ADDED NEW FEATURES to its Google Flights search engine that will predict delays – sometimes even before airlines report the information.


Using historic flight status data, Google claims its machine- learning algorithms can predict delays before information becomes available from airlines. However, it will only flag the possibility of late-running services if the system is “at least 80 per cent confident in the prediction”. To check for delays, passengers can search for their flight number using Google Flights, or check by airline and route. However, Google warned that travellers should still plan to arrive at the airport with time to spare and added that its predictions should only be used to manage expectations.


BBT March/April 2018 9


including the brand’s flagship Commons Club – and meeting spaces. Gavin Barrie, housing and economy convener at City of Edinburgh council, said the hotel could provide a £5 million boost to the local economy. Virgin Hotels says the Edinburgh property is expected to be part of an expanding portfolio of European hotels.


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