Sabre Travel Network reports the opening of the virtual doors to its Sabre Red App Centre, the world’s first B2B (Business 2 Business) online application store for the travel industry. The Sabre Red App Centre is the first online marketplace to connect travel buyers, including travel agencies, travel management companies and leisure operators, with application providers from around the world, Sabre says.
Beginning today, travel buyers can access the Sabre Red App Centre and shop more than 60 Red Apps currently in the marketplace, with that number expected to grow significantly in the coming months. After identifying the desired Red App, customers can complete the check out process and then download and provision the app to the individual user. The Red Apps will be available in the agent’s Sabre Red Workspace, which is used to shop, book and manage travel.
“Today marks a milestone for Sabre and for the industry as we open the Sabre Red App Centre to the travel community,” said Chris Kroeger, senior vice president of marketing for Sabre Travel Network. “By creating this new marketplace, our customers can now easily shop for, purchase and install specialized applications that further enhance and customize the Red Workspace to meet their individual business needs.”
Examples of Red Apps currently in the Sabre Red App Centre include:
· Quick Trip Quote: Lets agents easily quote an air, car and hotel trip in one single step. The Quick Trip Red App helps agents quickly and efficiently serve customers who are simply looking for cost estimates for possible trips.
· Event Finder: Allows agents to plan a trip around the events and activities that interest the traveler by incorporating relevant event information into the Red Workspace. With the Event Finder Red App, agents can trigger a search for hotels around the event and, with one click, add the event information into the customers’ itinerary.
· Flight Explorer Express Edition: Incorporates real time flight tracking and airport delay monitoring directly into the Sabre Red Workspace.
· Carbon Emission Calculator: Estimates the amount of carbon that will be burned during a trip including air, hotel and car, allowing agents to help travelers choose environmentally-sensitive travel options.
· To Do List: Brings an easy to use To Do List into the agents’ Workspace, helping them keep track of action items such as customer calls, emails and deadlines.
Sabre also reports a solid response from developers. “We’ve received tremendous interest in the Red App Centre from the developer and agency communities,” said Kroeger. “It is clear that developers and agencies alike see the value in this new marketplace.”
Several third party developers are already working with Sabre to bring their applications to this global marketplace, including apps for flight and preferred seat monitoring, events-based travel planning, shopping and booking of ground transportation, and apps that leverage natural language technology, Sabre says.
This June, Sabre reports it will host the first Sabre Red Appys awards event during its Developer Conference and Technology and Marketing University in Las Vegas. The Sabre Red Appys will highlight the most creative and effective apps. From a group of 10 demonstrators, a panel of judges will determine the top Red App and award the Sabre Red Appy. Startup, emerging and established companies are invited to apply to showcase their innovative solutions. More information on the Sabre Red Appys will be available at sabreredappcentre.com in the coming weeks.
Sabre technology connects 350,000 travel agents to more than 400 airlines, 100,000 hotels, 25 car rental brands, 50 rail providers, 13 cruise lines and other global travel suppliers. More than $100 billion of travel is purchased through this channel annually.
Visit www.sabretravelnetwork.com