ARC has acquired a majority stake in booking application
developer nuTravel, the latest step in ARC’s push to build out its omnichannel
distribution services.
The nuTravel buy follows investments in off-channel data
capture specialist Traxo and blockchain-based booking and transaction
management supplier BlockSkye.
ARC president Mike Premo described the nuTravel investment
as complementary to those deals, bringing nuTravel’s Universal Connect direct
air booking platform under ARC’s umbrella as another service to manage bookings
outside of GDSs.
Universal Connect integrates within airlines’ direct booking
sites and mobile apps -- overlaying corporate travel policy, rates and payment
methods -- while enabling travel managers to track and manage those direct
bookings.
“The line between direct and indirect distribution, in the
mind of the customer, is blurring,” said Premo. “And there’s a lot of gravity
pulling travelers to airline websites, so this is one more piece of the puzzle
for us in developing an omnichannel solution that helps agencies, airlines and
travelers.”
Premo said the deal was for “substantially more than 51%” of
nuTravel, which will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary of ARC.
He declined to reveal financial details of the transaction.
In the longer term, the company sees the potential for
combining nuTravel’s services with those of Traxo and BlockSkye. But for now,
Premo said “task one” is to align strategy and develop a roadmap.
From there, “we’ll integrate them into a more unified
solution that customers can understand and implement seamlessly,” he said.
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Source: Business Travel News