Amadeus has renewed its distribution agreement with AccorHotels for another three years to ensure that the hotel’s full inventory is made available to Amadeus-connected travel agencies and travellers worldwide. AccorHotels covers all market segments, from economy to luxury accommodation, and Amadeus currently exclusively distributes ibis Budget hotels, AccorHotels’ benchmark budget brand and a European leader in its category. Comfortable, no frills accommodation is increasingly relevant for both leisure and business travellers, and Amadeus currently distributes 150 Ibis Budget properties, with more soon to become available.“The industry is dramatically changing due to the growth of large online players, so hoteliers now more than ever need to retain ownership over their distribution strategy. In response to this, we have seen an increase in demand from hoteliers to distribute their hotel inventory through the GDS channel,” says Peter Waters, Director, Hotel Distribution at Amadeus. “We are delighted to renew the distribution agreement with AccorHotels and look forward to supporting them meet the needs of both business and leisure travellers.”

MakeMyTrip announced the launch of Instant Refunds, that allows immediate refund and notification to the customer about the same instantly after the booking is cancelled. The company has already started processing instant refunds on hotels and domestic flights and will be extending this to its other offerings shortly. On an average, it takes about three to four days to process refunds and till then customers keep speculating whether or not will they get their money back and whether it will be the correct amount or not. With MakeMyTrip’s new feature of Instant Refunds, as soon as the customer cancels his or her booking, the company processes the refund, and confirms the refund instantly. The customer is offered two refund options upon cancellation of the booking. For those who immediately need the refund amount they can opt to transfer the refund to their MakeMyTrip wallet, which will be processed and transferred instantly in the wallet for immediate use and for customers who are not looking at refunding the amount to their MakeMyTrip wallet, the refund will be processed instantly by the company and the amount will be reflected back in their bank accounts as per the bank’s policy. Speaking about the new feature, Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and CEO – India, MakeMyTrip said, “At MakeMyTrip we have always focused on enhancing the overall customer experience and therefore have constantly developed customer friendly innovations relevant to their travel needs. Refund processing is an area of concern that needs an overhaul in all segments, especially eCommerce platforms. With the new feature of Instant Refunds, we are taking the lead in eliminating a key pain point for customers transacting online. We believe that this initiative …

Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Culture and Tourism has said that the state governments/UTs must declare ‘Selfie Danger Zones’ at tourist sites to prevent any untoward incident. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Sharma said, “Provision of safety to tourists for various activities of tourism including safety-precautionary measures to prevent any un-toward incident including declaring of ‘Selfie Danger Zones’ at tourist sites is the primary responsibility of concerned State Governments/UT Administrations.” However, the state governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra have informed that they have taken measures to create awareness through signages indicating danger zones including selfie danger zones. The Ministry of Tourism also takes up the issue of ensuring safety and security of all tourists, domestic and international, with the State Governments and UT Administrations from time to time, Sharma said.

Air India is planning to double its direct non-stop flights between Delhi and San Francisco (USA) from three times a week to daily in the winter schedule. According to a news report, a senior Air India official said, “This flight has clearly proved that it does not take years to develop a route. We are flying planes with average 88 per cent loads and are also meeting the total cost of the flight. We are going to make it a daily flight most likely from November.” Air India, which launched this flight last December, is the only airline that flies direct on this route. (Source: Economic Times)

Monarch Cruise has enrolled two cricketers from India’s playing XI in its already start-studded line-up for its themed cruises. And the good news for the trade is that agents can now partake in these experiences. Somesh Jagga, CEO, Monarch Cruise, in an exclusive to TravTalk revealed that Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and K.L. Rahul from the current Indian team have now signed up with Monarch to sail will the travellers onboard. He says, “We take special care of our travel agents and PSAs and hold events where they can meet the celebrities we have onboard, which is something they cherish for life. We also give them exclusive signed merchandise and certificates that they can exhibit in their offices. Special lunch and dinner opportunities with celebrities are provided to high performing agents. Monarch is all about experience, not only for its customers, but for its travel agents as well.”

ibis Navi Mumbai has been awarded the Best Economy Hotel at the West India Travel Awards, held on August 5, 2016 at the Novotel Pune Nagar Road. Ashutosh Ruia, Director of Sales, ibis Navi Mumbai, received the award on behalf of the property. Situated in the centre of the city, the property boasts 196 rooms and caters to the needs of both business and leisure guests.

Novotel Pune Nagar Road has been named the Best Business Hotel at the West India Travel Awards 2016. Bandish Mehta, General Manager, Novotel Pune Nagar Road, received the award held on August 5, 2016. Rohit Chopra, Executive Assistant Manager- Rooms, Sales and Marketing, Novotel Pune Nagar Road, received the Best Hospitality Professional at the ceremony. With 223 rooms and 11,000 sq. ft. of banqueting space Novotel Pune Nagar Road offers state-of the art facilities for business professionals, and is well connected to all the business hubs as well as the airport.

Rajiv Duggal, CEO, Lavasa, won big at the third West India Travel Awards held at Novotel Pune Nagar Road on August 5, 2016. Besides being declared the Best Marketing Professional of the year for his contribution towards promoting Lavasa as a destination in its own right, Duggal also picked up the awards for Lavasa International Convention Centre which won the Best Convention Centre; and Lavasa Tourism which was named the Best All Seasons Destination. Talking about the sweeping victory at the event, the CEO of Lavasa, said, “It’s an overwhelming feeling to receive the three trophies and I am glad that the awards recognise the effort we’ve put behind the development and promotion of the destination.”

Ajay Chhabria, Managing Director, In-Time Travels, has been awarded the Most Trending Personality of the year at the West India Travel Awards held at Novotel Pune Nagar Road on August 5, 2016. Chhabria not only has been a part of the travel trade for a long time, but has also been instrumental in using social media and technology to promote the business widely.

Rajiv Duggal, CEO, Lavasa Corporation Limited, has been named the Best Marketing Professional at the West India Travel Awards, held at Novotel Pune Nagar Road on August 5, 2016. With a career spanning 27 years in the travel, hospitality and retail industries in India and South East Asia, Duggal has been a stalwart in the travel industry and has been instrumental in putting Lavasa on the map of Indian tourism.