FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2022 - Above & Beyond (AAB) today announced a strategic global hotel partnership with the world’s largest network of independent travel agency franchises, Lufthansa City Center (LCC), which becomes effective as of 1st January 2023. The agreement paves the way for all LCC members to access preferred rates in over 40,000 hotels world-wide.
LCC in Germany access the hotel programme through the GDS’s. International LCC agencies book either through the GDS’s or the oneWURLD platform, which creates an additional technology benefit as simplified marketplace outside Germany.
With the creation of this partnership emerges one of the largest global hotel distribution opportunities for participating hotels, connected to LCC and AAB, to seamlessly distribute their content to 500 LCC travel agencies and more than 4000 LCC employees around the world through GDS and the oneWURLD platform. LCC in turn benefit from preferred rates, greater flexibility, expanded cancellation policies, value added benefits and amenities for customers, last room availability and hotel loyalty programme points available. In addition, all connected hotels will have access to AAB’s cutting edge technology that enables hotels to directly market to all LCC agencies. In addition connected hotels will have instant access to not only past data but more importantly real time, future rate shop market data to help maximize their yields.
“The AAB Hotel programme perfectly meets the requirements of our global LCC customers: Luxury, flexibility, excellent rates, global coverage and easy to use booking channels create an optimized workflow and efficient processes”, says Martina Groenegres, Managing Director of Lufthansa City Center International.
Riaz Pisani, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Snowstorm Technologies comments: “It is very rare to be able to create a partnership that combines technology, content and distribution that disrupts the marketplace and delivers value to the entire ecosystem in which we operate."
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Lufthansa City Center
Lufthansa City Center (LCC) is the world's largest independent franchise company in the travel agency market with 500 offices in over 90 countries and a total turnover of 5.43 billion Euros (business year 2019). LCC is active in the Leisure (tourism) and Corporate (business travel) segments. The chain of owner-operated medium-sized travel agencies includes 270 offices with around 2,000 employees in Germany alone. Worldwide, the travel agency network employs about 4,300 people.
Above & Beyond, Hotel Division - Snowstorm Technologies UK LTD. https://aabhotels.com/
The Above and Beyond hotel division provides hotels with the ability to distribute their content to leading Travel Networks around the world. Prior to the partnership with LCI and LCR, AAB generated over 4 million Bookings Annually generating 8 plus million room nights booked through 60,000 plus travel agents across 5 continents – both Leisure and Corporate.
oneWURLD, Technology Division - Snowstorm Technologies UK LTD. https://onewurld.com/
oneWURLD allows Travel Agencies – both Leisure and Corporate to compete, grow, pivot to stay relevant, and drive improved sales and profits utilizing a fully integrated travel retailing solution. Our disruptive platform consists of numerous technology components that have been built by travel professionals from around the world to fit the needs of the new travel landscape.
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For further information please contact: Sallyanne.heywood@snowstormtech.com