By Bev Fearis, published 18/11/20

Here’s a round-up of other business travel news this week:

NH Hotels has introduced a new digital solution giving guests full control of their hotel stay from their mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. They can access practical information about the hotel and services such as room service and restaurant reservations, request extra amenities and order refreshments from a virtual minibar. Posters in reception, lobbies and rooms will give users access to the content through a QR code. The system is already available in 293 of the 350 hotels the group manages internationally, including both of its hotels in the UK – NH London Kensington and nhow London.

Marriott International has launched Marriott Bonvoy Business Ready, a new travel programme designed to help SMEs across EMEA book business travel more easily and efficiently when travel resumes. Benefits include an 8% discount on standard rates, including breakfast.

Egencia has launched a new duty of care solution, Egencia Travel Advisor, which places alerts and advisories directly into the booking process. The solution provides alerts and advisories delivered to the travel manager and traveller, such as travel restrictions and self-quarantine policies plus guidance on the PPE and health documents needed when arriving into a country, as well as expected hygiene standards.

FCM Travel Solutions has become the latest TMC to give customers in Europe access to Lufthansa Group airlines’ Continuous Pricing via its proprietary or preferred online booking tools, including Concur Travel. Lufthansa Group airlines launched the new pricing last month so they can set fares at an almost unlimited number of price points on most European routes. Traditional GDS pricing only allows airlines to use 26 price points, which can lead to unnecessarily high jumps between fares.

Healix International, the security and health risk management specialist, has developed a new suite of tools to give risk managers vital control to meet their duty-of-care obligations. Called Healix Sentinel, it brings together five solutions including 24/7 access to a team of crisis and risk management experts, a tracking tool, and a portal which displays a concise summary of information relating to ongoing incidents, risk levels and trends.

Hawaiian Airlines is allowing frequent fliers to redeem air miles to pay for a Covid-19 test that would allow them to bypass the state’s 14-day mandatory quarantine. Members can redeem 14,000 ‘HawaiianMiles’ to pay for a test ahead of their departure to the islands, with a turnaround time of less than 72 hours.

Preferred Hotel Group has launched a new sustainable hotel brand, Beyond Green, with 24 properties as founding members. It comes after the owners of Preferred, the Ueberroth Family, bought Beyond Green Travel, owned by ecotourism pioneer and global sustainability expert Costas Christ, in February of this year. To be considered for membership, hotels must undergo biennial on-site inspections looking at a range of sustainability criteria.