Closer co-operation planned
Amadeus has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the UK Hotel Booking Agents' Association (HBAA) to develop new products to support its members.
The travel IT company also said the new deal would give it an "invaluable opportunity to increase its presence in the meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) market."
Amadeus said the new products which could be developed included automation of group bookings which would help HBAA members streamline their processes.
Steve Ockerby, HBAA's chairman, said: "We are the voice of the hotel booking industry and we strive to promote the interests of our members, enabling them to deliver the widest range of services to their clients.
"This new partnership with Amadeus will benefit our members greatly and engage them in the development of cutting edge technology for our sector."
Guillaume Thevenot, Amadeus' business development manager, hospitality for the UK and Ireland, said: "At Amadeus, we are committed to investing and developing hotel technology and believe that a partnership with HBAA is a natural progression in aligning our vision and ideas with hoteliers and agents.
"Partnering with an established and recognised organisation like the HBAA provides us with an invaluable opportunity to share best practice in the travel technology arena which is particularly important in bringing the next generation of hotel booking engines from concept to reality."
www.amadeus.com www.hbaa.org.uk