SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–March 30, 2007–Sabre Travel Network, the world’s largest and most rewarding marketplace for buying and selling travel, today announced the launch of VacationStudio powered by MySabre, a comprehensive leisure travel site that will allow any travel professional in North America, including agents that do not currently utilize the Sabre GDS, to shop and book vacation packages and cruises. VacationStudio, the latest addition to Sabre’s end-to-end leisure collection, provides convenient access to a broad range of commissionable leisure travel products through such solutions as Sabre Cruises, TripTailor, Agent59 and more.
“VacationStudio gives travel professionals easy access to more of the popular tools, suppliers and products they need to book customized vacations for their clients, “said Dan Westbrook, vice president of travel merchandising, Sabre Travel Network. “With VacationStudio any agent, including home-based agents, can book commissionable vacation packages from any of the 13 cruise lines and more than 40 tour operators, as well as create their own packages dynamically using TripTailor. All of this can be accomplished through one streamlined, comprehensive travel site.”
Registration for VacationStudio is free and no contract is required. Agencies that are not currently Sabre Connected can follow an easy registration process at www.vacationstudio.net to establish secure access to the industry’s leading leisure travel suppliers. Current Sabre Connected customers automatically have access to the site within MySabre under the tab titled VacationStudio.
Powered by MySabre and available to all travel professionals in the U.S. and Canada, VacationStudio provides agents the ability to access to shop and book vacations using Sabre Cruises, TripTailor, Agent59, Sabre Vacations and Sabre Travel Extras. Sabre Travel Protection is also available to travel professionals through Vacation Studio. Sabre Connected agents can also utilize Sabre Virtually There to send itineraries, travel information and ticket receipts via e-mail to their customers.
While VacationStudio is available to all travel professionals in North America, Sabre Connected agents will continue to receive exclusive benefits from Sabre. “Our Sabre Connected travel agents will continue to receive exclusive benefits including leading airline and hotel content, advanced shopping and pricing tools, intelligent notification of special promotions and package offers right from the air booking screen, vacation reservation merge back features and more,” said Westbrook. “VacationStudio will enable them to further streamline their shopping and booking process, allowing them to book more travel, and in turn, make more money.”
VacationStudio also includes special supplier promotions, easy site navigation, sticky notes for agent memos, an agent toolkit, and a streamlined support system.
“As we talked to travel professionals, it was clear they have two key objectives – maximize their income and reduce the amount of time required to book travel,” said Westbrook. “Sabre’s VacationStudio accomplishes both of those goals by providing a streamlined, comprehensive booking tool that provides access to commissionable, leisure travel products.”
VacationStudio also provides extensive support and training resources for leisure agents. Online training courses are free and include self-paced training tutorials, agent communities and a library of reference materials on topics ranging from booking cruises to creating custom vacation packages through VacationStudio. Additionally agents receive toll-free support for assistance in using the booking tools.
With the addition of VacationStudio, Sabre’s end-to-end leisure collection becomes the most comprehensive, compelling solution for any leisure-focused travel professional by providing:
- The best travel product selection, including unique opportunities to make more money
- Advanced customer service tools to build lasting relationships
- The most popular accounting and reporting solutions to better manage the business
- Powerful marketing programs that generate qualified, quality leads
- Extensive opportunities to network and expand one’s expertise
Sabre Travel Network, a Sabre Holdings company, provides the most comprehensive end-to-end solutions for corporate and leisure travel. The Sabre GDS is the foundation for these solutions, providing a ready-built efficient marketplace that connects travel suppliers, including hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels, with more than 50,000 travel agency locations.
Key brands of Sabre Travel Network include GetThere, for corporate travel reservation technology; Jurni Network, a consortium of leisure travel agencies providing marketing and promotion services; Nexion, a host agency; SynXis, for hotel reservation management, distribution and technology services; and TRAMS, mid- and back-office solutions and marketing services for travel agencies. Sabre Travel Network also markets TripTailor, a travel wholesaler providing dynamic packaging for the travel agency marketplace.
Sabre Holdings (NYSE: TSG) connects people with the world’s greatest travel possibilities by retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
CONTACT: Sabre Travel Network Rebecca Jackson, 682-605-4098 rebecca.jackson@sabre-holdings.com or Brooks & Associates Public Relations Anna Hobbs-Little, 903-532-9714 anna@brooksandassociatespr.com SOURCE: Sabre Travel Network
