travel was measured – two pillars of privacy and policy – it never brought the customer into it. But now there’s a third leg to the stool – travellers are looking for the best way to be efficient when they travel. They are looking for the path of least resistance, so now they’re speaking with their feet and travel managers have to wake up to that. “If you take some of the trends from
outside travel, such as profiling and personalisation, like Amazon does, it’s about the customer. Give the customer the best service. This industry hasn’t given the traveller this. Look at personalisation and design, not just form and function.” Meanwhile, Jordan argues that taking things offline, in some cases, is a way to minimise technology overload. “People make a mistake thinking customer
The question of whether we play master or servant could prove to be a short-lived debate, however. Nick Chiarelli is director of research and analytics at Foresight Factory, which tracks consumer attitudes and be- haviour. He says that currently technology is invasive – “it doesn’t leave us alone” – but recent advancements mean technology will start to fade into the background, and become less intrusive. “Technology overload, or digital
detox, is temporary – it’s a here and now phenomenon,” he says, noting the rise in more “haptic” or wearable technology, and the theme of “causal connectivity”. “For example, on some motorbikes the handlebars can link to a phone’s map app, and vibrate left or right to indicate which
experience is all about online when it should be about the best way, including the ability to make a simple phone call when needed, for example,” he says. For Sarah Marshall, travel and security manager at DAI, this kind of flexibility is important to ease digital stress. “People like flexibility when it comes to booking travel – sometimes they just want to log on and book a regular simple route they have booked dozens of times. Other times they want to pick up the phone and speak to someone who knows what they are talking about whether it’s a hotel or route they have never used before,” she says. “Our travellers are pretty good – they just want a clear policy on what they have to do and when to use the most suitable booking option. If travellers know which app or website to use, they are more likely to be compliant which makes enforcement of duty-of-care processes straightforward.”
way to turn,” says Chiarelli. “There are even shoes that have pads that vibrate in the same way. In the longer term, people won’t have to look at a screen. And in about three to five years, the phone will be our servant, not the other way round.” He also believes in offering the right balance between automation and human interaction, citing the recent revival of Google Glass as a case in point. Google launched the augmented-reality, wearable device in May 2014, but withdrew it eight months later. However, Google announced in July this year that it is planning to relaunch it as Glass Enterprise Edition – and as a business application. “Virgin Atlantic trialled it,” recalls Chiarelli, “and I think that’s a better idea of where technology is going. It’s not replacing human interaction, it’s improving human interaction.”
Concur has
expanded its partnership with Airbnb to allow users to check availability and book within its travel platform. The move boosts Airbnb’s ambitions to engage with business travellers. Concur has also signed a deal to integrate Conferma’s virtual payment solution into the Concur Travel and Concur Expense tools.
Hilton is rolling
out digital room keys across the UK by making them available to members of the Hilton Honors loyalty scheme. The service allows guests to unlock their rooms and other areas – such as fitness centres – with their mobile phones. They can also select their preferred room using digital check-in on their smartphone.
Sabre is
developing an AI-powered chatbot for travel agencies. The new ‘white-label’ service is currently being tested using Facebook Messenger, by two US-based agencies – Travel Solutions International USA in Dallas and Casto Travel in San Francisco.
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