INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS PARTNER WITH AMADEUS FOR BETTER SERVICES
(Posted 01st April 2014)
The InterContinental Hotel Group, represented in the Eastern African region through the InterContinental Hotel Nairobi as well as franchised Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn operations, has yesterday announced a new strategic technology partnership with Amadeus, the world’s leading CRS.
Consumer technology has become an increasingly important part of being able to anticipate and meet changing consumer needs and IHG is committed to maintaining its industry-leading position in this area.
The combination of IHG’s industry insight and expertise with Amadeus’ technology capabilities and broad travel experience will ensure IHG continues to offer the most innovative and efficient technological solutions at all stages of the Guest Journey (Dream, Plan, Book, Travel and Share) to enhance guest experience.
The first phase of the strategic relationship between IHG and Amadeus will be focused on planning and development. This will involve scoping out and creating a roadmap for potential technologies and solutions that will drive innovation in the industry.
Eric Pearson, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of IHG was quoted to have said when making the announcement: ‘IHG is a brand and consumer driven company. We use insight to anticipate consumer trends and behaviour. We also have a long track record of investing in relevant technologies to support our brand promise and build a closer relationship with our guests. Partnering with Amadeus will help us continue to do just that. We look forward to working with them’
In turn did Jeff Edwards, Head of Hotel Business of Amadeus respond by saying: ‘IHG has a deep understanding of guests and how technology can enhance their experience and adapt to their changing needs and could not be a better partner for us. The marriage of IHG’s unique insight and world class guest care with Amadeus’ technology vision and infrastructure capabilities has the potential to deliver a step change in hotel solutions’.
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is a global organisation with a portfolio of nine hotel brands, including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE™ Hotels & Resorts. The group manages IHG® Rewards Club, the world’s first and largest hotel loyalty programme with over 77 million members worldwide. The programme was relaunched in July 2013, offering enhanced benefits for members including free internet across all hotels, globally.
IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,700 hotels and 687,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. With more than 1,100 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG expects to recruit around 90,000 people into additional roles across its estate over the next few years.
Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For the latest news updates visit: www.ihg.com/media or follow them via www.twitter.com/ihg, www.facebook.com/ihg or www.youtube.com/ihgplc.
Amadeus meanwhile is a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail and ferry operators, airports, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and travel management companies).
The Amadeus group, which has its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, employs around 10,000 people worldwide, with 71 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations globally including Amadeus East Africa. In 2013, Amadeus reinforced its vision and position in the Hotel IT business with the acquisition of Newmarket International. Newmarket International is a leading provider of cloud-based group and event IT solutions to the hotel industry with more than 40,000 installations and 150,000 users in over 154 countries worldwide
Amadeus is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under the symbol "AMS.MC" and is a component of the IBEX 35 index. To find out more about Amadeus simply click on www.amadeus.com.
