The new travel landscape presents innovation opportunities. The announcement of a strategic global partnership between leading international travel management network GlobalStar and travel technology specialist Snowstorm Technologies will enable both organizations to maximize these opportunities.
The partnership includes the launch of Snowstorm’s OneWurld Desktop product, bringing together global distribution with leading edge technology, a huge breadth of content and the combined experience of two established management teams. The partnership is further consolidated by the introduction of a brand new hybrid hotel programme, Above & Beyond.
The OneWurld Desktop includes a SME focused Corporate Booking Tool which is the shared vision of key corporate agency and network executives from around the world headed by GlobalStar’s Executive Director of Information Technology and Supplier Relations, Gonҫalo Fernandes. “We saw an opportunity to create a corporate booking and management tool that was seamless and easy to use for travelers, travel bookers, approvers and agents via desktop or mobile device. An advanced yet simple platform that has all the functionality and comprehensive global content of far more complicated booking tools at a price that we believe will completely disrupt this segment” said Gonҫalo Fernandes.
Utilizing OneWurld’s leading edge technology, the Above & Beyond hotel program is focused on driving competitive rates to its bookers, as well as saving hotel partners money in distribution costs. The hybrid solution comes not just from its mix of leisure / corporate focus but also from the provision of GlobalStar’s G5L hotel rates alongside GlobalStar’s HotelStar including direct connect rates with the major hotel groups and independent chains worldwide.
Steve Hartwell, President & CEO of GlobalStar said “We have partnered with Snowstorm on their hotel booking platform for the last 3 years. As we have worked more closely together we have come to fully understand the value of OneWurld as a complete booking and management travel solution for all our network agency partners whether they offer corporate or leisure or a combination. Snowstorm has been a valuable partner in helping us foresee and navigate the new travel landscape. We are very pleased to be forging a shared vision that will help both companies to better compete, grow and flourish.”
“Covid-19 has provided the opportunity for both companies to step back from the day to day business operations and take a hard look at what travel agencies within the GlobalStar Network will need in the future and fast track the development of the OneWurld Desktop Solution to enable agents to succeed and thrive in the new marketplace. This is the perfect combination of leading edge technology and distribution with an unbeatable breadth of content” said Riaz Pisani, Chief Strategy Officer of OneWurld.