Passive Regressive Behaviour
For GDS-centric TMCs, NDC has caused huge disruption as they struggle to source content via disparate channels. But another less-discussed conundrum is the unmitigated reliance of these TMCs’ back-office systems on the GDS, which will become even more challenging for two reasons:
- delivery and booking of non-GDS content via multiple channels will continue to increase, whilst GDSs try to modify their commercial models to incorporate this content.
- GDSs are charging TMCs to store these passive PNRs meaning TMCs need new ways to capture and store the data. This downward pressure will only continue.
All this is adding cost to a TMC’s business – and who is ultimately going to pick up the tab – the corporate client?
The back office GDS reliance is exacerbated by our industry’s complex invoicing and BSP structure. If a new tech-led TMC was being created from scratch today, it wouldn’t build a complicated invoicing system, but adopt a new age fintech payment solution. But TMCs have also been reluctant to adopt new payment models due to their back-office systems’ interdependency on the GDS to manage all transactional data, whether created in the GDS, or entered as a passive PNR.
How can TMCs tackle these challenges? Here are 3 options:
- Ensure the back-office system can consume and manage bookings from multiple channels in a structured, normalised manor, ultimately switching the reliance on data consolidation to the back office as opposed to the GDS
- Licence or build their own data processing layer with connectivity to all suppliers, which then feeds their back office
- Overhaul how they receive payments from customers and make payments to suppliers.
Separating content distribution and post booking data consolidation is the key to understanding how our industry can evolve at pace and catch up with other sectors where fintech payments are the norm (think Deliveroo and Uber). It’s time to end the post-booking dependency on GDS providers, in a world where supply and demand are currently shackled by it, and allow the GDSs to evolve as content distributors.
This blogpost was written by Jack Ramsey, CEO, TripStax. Visitors to the TripStax stand K51 will be able to interact with a two-metre, high definition, touch screen to experience TripStax’s dynamic tech in action.
TripStax announces strategic partnership with Lufthansa City Center
The agreement with the Frankfurt-headquartered global independent TMC network means TripStax has been selected to provide its market-leading Analytics solution and The Core data processing powerhouse to multinational corporate clients managed centrally by LCC.
TripStax is a fully connected modular stack of industry-leading proprietary business travel applications, powered by The Core, a central data storage engine that consumes, enriches and manages all business traveller booking, profile and invoice data across the entire TripStax eco-system. As the sole source of a TMC’s corporate client data, The Core is the ‘nerve system’ that determines how this data is used across each module in the stack as well as a plethora of third-party technologies used by TMCs. TripStax is also built on a ground-breaking, cost reducing commercial model. Unlike legacy technology providers, TripStax only charges TMCs charged one single transaction fee for ingestion of data, regardless of how many times that data is processed within one of the modules in the stack.
TripStax Analytics is a comprehensive suite of reporting tools, enabling users to interact with travel data from the most aggregated to the most detailed level. AI technology and natural language interaction capabilities support behavioural and financial analytics in real time. It enables users to have completely transparent access to all data, from multiple sources because the TripStax Core operates as a data warehouse that unifies profile, booking, invoice and third-party data, normalising it to create consistency across reporting and analytics. Users can create self-service dashboards for example analysing the total cost of trip by expense type, purpose, region and individual traveller. Natural language can query data using terms and phrases as if spoken. Actual spend can be tracked against budget values and project whether budget values would be exceeded. Other features include rate cap analysis, sustainability reporting, and peer benchmarking.
David Chappell, Chief Strategy Officer, TripStax commented: “We are excited to partner with LCC who are such a large and well-respected TMC network. This is a significant step for TripStax to demonstrate the market-differentiating strength of The Core and our cutting-edge Analytics module for global customers. We are delighted to be working closely with LCC to deliver an exception reporting and analytics tech experience for their multi-national clients, as well as exploring further opportunities for cooperation with the LCC network in the longer term.”
Martina Groenegres, Managing Director, Lufthansa City Center International said: “LCC was looking for a cutting-edge analytics solution that would suit the very specific needs of our multinational clients. We are pleased to be working with TripStax and have been particularly impressed with the Analytic’s module which is easy to use and highly customizable according to our needs. The TripStax team are experts in their field and have helped in a relatively short time to tangibly streamline our processes. Their flexibility to find solutions for challenges is very refreshing and has been a crucial part of the implementation process.”
Markus Orth, Managing Director, Lufthansa City Center Germany added: "We are delighted that we have already migrated 10 international customers to TripStax. With our new partner on board, we will be even more formidable and competitive in international bidding processes. More companies will consider LCC as their TMC."
TripStax appoints Chief Strategy Officer
David Chappell joins TripStax from Midoco Group where he was UK Country Director for the last three years focusing on growing the visibility of Midoco’s suite of products within English language markets. Prior to that he was Director of Technology at Fello Travel. He also spent four years as Head of Technology at Gray Dawes Group.
He brings extensive commercial experience gained during an impressive career over the last decade in the business travel industry in diverse senior management roles. He reports to TripStax CEO Jack Ramsey.
Jack Ramsey, TripStax CEO commented “I am delighted to welcome David to TripStax in this new role. As TripStax continues to expand globally, understanding the ever-evolving needs of customers in a rapidly changing technology landscape and aligning the commercial proposition to that, is our number one strategic priority. David’s expertise will be very valuable in supporting this priority as he brings a wealth of business travel technology and experience from both a product and commercial perspective.”
David Chappell added: “I am excited to join such a dynamic business which is making waves as a tech innovator and disrupter in the business travel space. I am looking forward to applying my tech background to further drive the commercial direction of the business and support Jack and the leadership team’s overall vision for TripStax’s future growth.”
Focus Travel Partnership appoints TripStax as preferred data analytics provider
Visibility of data is critical to enabling Focus to understand the buying patterns, revenues and booking trends of its 51 TMC partners. This allows the consortium to negotiate commercial supplier deals on behalf of its collective membership, as well as deliver an extensive air fare programme.
Currently, Focus collects air booking data, but as the consortium continues to expand, after becoming an independent business in 2019, it aims to replicate this model across multiple sectors. Focus set up a Data Working Party in May 2022 which consisted of a selection of TMC partners and head office staff to ensure a thorough RFP process took place, leading to the decision to appoint TripStax.
Data from Focus Travel Partnership’s partners, such as booking source, content type, supplier and booking trends will be collected and fed into the TripStax Core, powering a bespoke version of the TripStax Analytics platform. TripStax Analytics is a comprehensive suite of reporting tools, enabling Focus to interact with travel data from the most aggregated to the most detailed level. AI technology and natural language interaction capabilities support behavioural analytics in real time. The TripStax Core operates as a data warehouse that unifies profile, booking, back office and third-party data, normalising it to create consistency across reporting and analytics. Focus can create self-service dashboards, for example analysing the total cost of trip by expense type, purpose, region and individual traveller.
Abby Penston, CEO of the Focus Travel Partnership said: “Data is vital for achieving our forward strategy and whilst TripStax is a younger company, their values, drive and vision very much match our own. TripStax stood out from the beginning during the RFP process and impressed our Data Working party at every stage. They also passed every due diligence check including the important aspect of the data collection from our TMC partners being anonymised.”
Mathias Andersson, Chief Commercial Officer, TripStax commented: “We are incredibly excited to start the journey together with the team at Focus Travel and all its TMC partners. We look forward to supporting Focus Travel’s continued business success by providing access to one of the key innovative TripStax modules, TripStax Analytics.”
TripStax appoints Head of Product Management
He joins from global travel technology provider Amadeus where he has spent the last eleven years in senior sales engineering, product application and account management roles, latterly as Global IT Account Manager, where he was heavily involved in large scale IT global projects.
Aymeric’s career began in the hotel industry spanning nine years in diverse corporate sales and account management positions at Marriott International and Concorde Hotels, before moving to Amadeus and honing his skills in the travel technology sector.
As Head of Product Management, he is responsible for bringing a strong strategic approach to how TripStax plans and develops product innovations to meet the future needs of customers, as well as optimising the efficiency of existing TripStax solutions. Together with a team of product managers, Aymeric will lead and develop roadmaps, support product marketing and define customer communications. He reports to Bruce Hanna, Chief Operating Officer who joined TripStax in August this year.
Bruce Hanna, COO TripStax commented “I am delighted to welcome Aymeric to TripStax in this new role. He brings extensive experience in strategic product and customer service-related roles in the technology sector, as well as expertise in end-to-end product application. This will be extremely valuable to TripStax as we continue to implement and service existing clients, consolidate our operations and ensure we develop visionary products based on customer needs.”
Aymeric De Bergevin added: “I am excited to join TripStax and have great respect for the way that this disruptive new business is shaking up the technology landscape. I am looking forward to leading the team of product managers as well as working closely with other cross-functional teams in engineering, design, sales and marketing, and the TripStax management. This is a great opportunity for me to apply my experience in a way that can support the evolution of TripStax with a strategic approach to customer-focussed product management and development.”
TripStax set to acquire Hotelzon
TripStax, the dynamic business travel technology disruptor, has signed an agreement to acquire Hotelzon as of 1st December 2022.
Established in 1972, Hotelzon is a leading B2B hotel booking platform providing efficient tools for over 370,000 users globally, including travel agencies, corporations and event management companies, to simplify the corporate hotel booking process. Over 1.5M properties are available on Hotelzon from multiple content sources including Booking.com and Expedia. Since 2014 Hotelzon has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Travelport.
The strategic acquisition of Hotelzon will enable TripStax to bolster its tech offering of connected proprietary business travel modules with a fully integrated hotel booking tool for TMCs and corporates direct. Furthermore, the acquisition will mean TripStax can consume and manage hotel booking data from multiple channels within its existing TripStax Content module for the first time. This module already aggregates and normalises air content from GDS and non-GDS sources via a single API.
Launched to market earlier this year, TripStax is a fully connected modular stack of proprietary travel tech tools for TMCs. It is driven by ‘The Core’, a central data processing powerhouse which consumes, manages and enriches profile, booking and finance data across each module. Hotelzon will be integrated as an additional module complementing the existing cutting-edge applications used by TripStax customers, which include Analytics, Approve, Content, Docs, Mobile, Portal, Profile, and Track.
Hotelzon is the second acquisition made by TripStax, following its purchase of TapTrip earlier in the year. Both deals form part of an ongoing strategy to continually improve the TripStax ecosystem and support growth ambitions.
The agreement also establishes a long-term strategic relationship between TripStax and Travelport whereby Hotelzon will continue to generate hotel bookings on Travelport+.
Jack Ramsey, CEO TripStax commented: “Since its conception, TripStax has been on the look-out for acquisitions which add relevant and complementary tech to its already powerful stack of business travel management modules. We are excited about the acquisition of Hotelzon as it gives us a solid opportunity to fully integrate a hotel booking module within the TripStax proposition, as well as add a serious hotel flavour to the TripStax Content module, over and above its existing air content.
“We are also excited to welcome the hugely experienced Hotelzon team to the TripStax business and plan to further invest in the team to strengthen existing customer and supplier relationships and realise the full potential of this joint opportunity,” continued Ramsey. “Our priority first and foremost though is to ensure continuity for existing customers and suppliers, making sure they have what they need, and so we will be focusing consolidating and integrating Hotelzon as smoothly as possible.”
For further media information: Vanessa Aves, PR Consultant, email: VanessaAvesPR@aol.com, tel: +44 (0) 7721 413358
TripStax Lands at Phocuswright Conference in Phoenix
Our mission to take TripStax’s tech proposition into new orbits continued in November when we headed to the USA and touched down at the Phocuswright Conference in Phoenix, Arizona
The annual Phocuswright Conference is renowned for being the platform that inspires innovative and smart thinking for global travel leaders and innovators. The event attracts decision makers and C-level executives from top travel and hospitality businesses from over 40 countries around the globe. The theme of the 2022 conference was based around the theme ‘Travelers, Titans and Trailblazers assemble to chart the future of our steadfast but always-evolving industry’.
TripStax was proud to be chosen as a presenter at this year’s Innovation Launch, which provides a stage for global innovators to demonstrate new ideas that are intended to change the travel industry.
TripStax expands management team with appointment of Chief Operating Officer
Bruce brings extensive travel technology industry experience and has an impressive track record of establishing new teams and operations across different organisations, countries and cultures in Europe, Middle East, Africa, India, Asia Pacific and the USA.
His career includes some 20 years in diverse senior executive roles at Travelport including Country Manager – Kingdom Saudi Arabia and Vice President Commercial – Southern Africa. He also led all aspects of Travelport’s largest market in India as President and CEO of local GDS partner Interglobe Technology Quotient.
Most recently Bruce served as Regional Director EMEA at the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), and General Manager EMEA of YAPTA, a leading airfare and hotel price tracking technology provider. In the latter role, he helped prepare the company for global expansion and future sale. Prior to YAPTA, Hanna was Vice President Global Customer Success at Antenna International, a digital media and audio guide provider.
In addition, since 2017 Hanna has volunteered as a Business Mentor at youth charity The Prince’s Trust (founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2006), where he has supported young entrepreneurs aged 16 to 30 with their professional and personal development.
As Chief Operating Officer Bruce reports to Jack Ramsey, CEO of TripStax and will be responsible for implementing organisational processes and driving operational excellence. He will play a key role in customer success, service and communications, as well TripStax’s revenue growth and performance management.
Jack Ramsey, CEO TripStax commented: “I am delighted to welcome Bruce Hanna to the TripStax management team. His extensive experience in the business travel technology industry particularly in organisational and structural design and management, coupled with his passion for a customer-focussed approach, will be of huge benefit to TripStax and a crucial component as we accelerate the next stage of our evolution and revenue growth.”
Bruce added: “I am excited to join such a dynamic global business which only launched in March this year but has already made such a big impact on the business travel tech space as an innovative disrupter of travel management technology. I am looking forward to bringing to bear all my experience in the travel tech industry within this role, particularly my expertise in establishing new teams, supporting rapid growth, focussing on customers and delivering outstanding results.”
TripStax adds SME online booking solution to tech offering following TapTrip acquisition
TripStax, the dynamic business travel technology start-up, has announced the acquisition of online booking platform TapTrip. The strategic development enables TripStax to enhance its eco-system of travel management applications for TMCs to offer an online booking solution.
Launched to market three months ago, TripStax is a fully connected modular stack of proprietary travel tech tools for TMCs. It is driven by ‘The Core’, a powerful central data processing architecture which consumes and manages profile, booking and finance data across each module. TapTrip will become an additional module within the TripStax offering, complementing the existing cutting-edge applications used by TMCs post-booking (Analytics, Approve, Content, Docs, Mobile, Portal, Profile, Track).
Founded as a tech-start up in 2018, TapTrip’s easy-to-use award-winning platform has been built with SMEs in mind, delivering a seamless travel booking and management tool across mobile, web and app. TapTrip has approached this largely unmanaged, yet influential segment of the market by avoiding the trap of over-engineering the platform to compete with the larger mainstream business travel OBT providers. Consequently, TapTrip is a B2B application with the simplicity of a B2C experience. In addition to its SME corporate booking platform, TapTrip has developed Vessul an innovative crew and group booking management solution aimed primarily at the shipping and energy sectors.
TapTrip co-founders Tom Young and Jack Timblin are joining TripStax in senior management and development roles. All other existing TapTrip staff are also joining the TripStax business.
Neil Ruth, also one of TapTrip’s founders made the decision to leave the business prior to the acquisition. Neil was the brainchild behind the TapTrip and Vessul brands and led the business to successfully signing a long term and ground-breaking agreement with a global bank for the use of TapTrip by their business banking customers.
Jack Ramsey, CEO TripStax commented: “Our vision for TripStax from the outset has been to continue enhancing and developing our tech proposition, both organically and by acquisition. We are excited to bring TapTrip on board as part of that journey and be able to offer our TMC clients an innovative online booking solution designed to suit the needs of their SME clients. The acquisition is also a great fit for TripStax’s business culturally because like TapTrip, we are aiming to bring a fresh, disruptive approach to the business travel landscape. We are also delighted to welcome Tom, Jack and TapTrip’s staff to our business as their skillset will help us scale up our tech innovation and growth."
TripStax exclusive interview with astronaut Tim Peake
Question: “That capsule behind you looks pretty small and cramped, what was it like?”
Answer: “That is the exact one I went up in and came down in, and it is very crammed indeed. You’re packed-in like sardines into a tin can, but it’s a really robust spacecraft. It’s very basic. When it comes down to Earth, it just falls like a brick and it gets up to about 1700 Celsius outside the spacecraft, but it really works. It’s good technology and got us there and back safely.”
Question: You spent six months aboard the International Space Station, what was that like? What sort of experience was it for you?
Answer: Going into space is an incredible experience. I mean there are two things which really strike you, and that’s; weightlessness, and the effect it has on the body and how much fun it is to work and live in weightlessness; and the view, the view of Earth from space and looking the other way out into the universe. They are two experiences that are very hard to replicate back here on Earth, and your training doesn’t really prepare you for that. It’s an incredible privilege to be up there in space.
Question: What was the most memorable experience? If you could go back and relive part of that experience, what would it be?
Answer: I would relive the five hours that I had outside the space station on the spacewalk. They were absolutely incredible, a very surreal experience.
Question: Now a space walk, I mean that’s quite a special thing. How did that feel just floating out into space? I know you are grabbing onto things, some people say they feel like they are falling, but what did you experience? What was that like for you?
Answer: You’re very very aware of the level of exposure when you go outside the space station. The space station becomes your sanctuary. It’s your home and when you go out of the hatch, you get vertigo by looking down at Earth, sure it’s 400km, it’s a long way down, but you get vertigo in all directions. It’s the feeling of the enormity and blackness of space surrounding you, and that takes a few moments to just really get your mind around, to get used to it.
Question: I mean there are huge advances that are taking place in space technology. What are the sort of missions and concepts coming through that are capturing your attention?
Answer: Yes, the pace is moving very rapidly now. We’ve got missions to the Moon coming up in the next few years, and we’ve got commercial companies working alongside the major space agencies to make that happen. So for example, SpaceX is building the landing system that will take astronauts from lunar orbit down to the surface of the Moon and back again. At the same time as we are doing the lunar expansion, you’ve got commercial expansion of low Earth orbit, so a couple of space stations under development; the Axiom Space Station and the Orbital Reef Space Station. These are going to be after the International Space Station, so an awful lot is happening, and then of course the focus is also on Mars, and I think realistically, in the 2030’s is when we can expect those human missions to Mars.
Question: And would you like to go back into space? Make it to the Moon or even to Mars?
Answer: I haven’t met an astronaut yet who doesn’t want to go back into space. It’s an incredible place to live and work, so yes, I mean for me, I think the ideal mission right now would be a lunar mission. Mars is going to be a three year mission, that’s a long time away when you’ve got two teenage children, so for me a lunar mission would be absolutely perfect. That would be a dream come true.
Question: Now, we’re also seeing technological advances in space spinning off into travel on Earth with some promises of some amazing things coming up. What do you think we might see there?
Answer: Well in the long-term I think what we will see is some advances in transportation, maybe a sub-orbital transportation system. At the moment, you’ve got a couple of companies which are looking at flying space tourists up into space and dropping back down again. There is no reason why you have to drop back down in the same location, fly up into space and drop down on another continent and cut down that travel time. So potentially, that’s where some of the technologies that are being explored right now could lead us to in the future – very rapid transportation systems around the globe.
Question: And when you travel on Earth, how do you like to travel?
Answer: I love to travel on a motorbike. I just love the feeling of being in the fresh air. I love the excitement of being on a bike. It’s about the journey, it’s not about the destination, so biking’s all about that.
Question: While you’re waiting for your next space mission, you’re keeping yourself busy and you’ve become quite a prolific author, including some children’s stories. Does that take a lot of your time? What are your ambitions there?
Answer: It does take time, but I really enjoy it. I’ve got a series of science fiction books going on. It’s like an adventure tale about aliens coming to Earth. I’m having a lot of fun writing that with Steve Cole, who is a brilliant children’s author as well. I’m also writing a non-fiction book about the universe, about how we got here, from the Big Bang to right where we are today. That’s been a lot of work, but a lot of fun too.
Question: I guess that begs the question, do you believe in aliens? Do you believe we are not alone?
Answer: Oh completely yes, the trouble is, the scale of the universe in time and distance, will we ever make contact, who knows…