Amadeus Enhances Travel Payment Solutions with Voxel Acquisition

Amadeus Enhances Travel Payment Solutions with Voxel Acquisition

By Author

Published on March 14, 2024

Travel technology giant Amadeus has announced its acquisition of Voxel, an innovative provider of electronic invoicing and B2B payment solutions for the travel industry. This acquisition marks a significant step forward in Amadeus' efforts to offer a more integrated and seamless travel payment experience, complementing its existing Outpayce payments business.

Voxel, known for its advanced technology in managing electronic invoices and payments, will bring a wealth of solutions to Amadeus' portfolio. This integration will provide travel sellers, including hotels, tour operators, travel management companies, and hotel aggregators, access to an expanded range of payment services. Additionally, it aims to automate and streamline electronic invoice management, making the payment process smoother and more efficient.

Decius Valmorbida, President of Amadeus Travel, emphasised the importance of this acquisition, stating, "The acquisition of Voxel brings a complementary portfolio of solutions to enrich Amadeus’ end-to-end offering, leveraging smart technology to benefit the wider travel ecosystem and industry. Payments are present at every stage of the travel experience. To make the experience of travel better, it’s crucial we ensure smooth, integrated and even invisible payments."

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The acquisition is poised to enhance Amadeus' capabilities in catering to corporate clients by automating the entire business travel experience, from reservations and payments to expense management. The integration of Voxel’s technology promises to offer a more seamless end-to-end process for all stakeholders involved.

Àngel Garrido, CEO of Voxel, shared his enthusiasm for the integration, noting, "The combination of our technology, teams, strong cultural fit, and our connections will no doubt bring us one step closer to smoother travel payments."

Voxel's Bavel Platform, which includes Bavel Pay, Bavel Billing, and Bavel Procurement, orchestrates an end-to-end electronic payment process. It is currently utilised by more than 50,000 hotels and over 1,000 tour operators and travel companies across 100 countries, handling more than 100 million transactions annually.

This strategic acquisition by Amadeus underscores the company's commitment to revolutionising the travel industry's payment landscape, making it more efficient, transparent, and user-friendly. As Amadeus continues to expand its services into the leisure travel market, the addition of Voxel's technology and expertise is expected to significantly enhance the travel payment experience for both sellers and consumers worldwide.


Kiğılı Selects Centric Software to Power Digital Retail Transformation

Kiğılı Selects Centric Software to Power Digital Retail Transformation

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on May 30, 2025

Leading Turkish menswear brand Kiğılı has partnered with Centric Software to transform its retail planning and support its growth ambitions through digital innovation. Kiğılı has chosen Centric Planning, an AI-powered platform that offers end-to-end merchandise planning capabilities tailored for the fashion retail industry.

Founded in 1938, Kiğılı has built a solid presence in the menswear space with over 180 stores in Türkiye and more than 50 points of sale across 15 countries. With customers shopping across a mix of physical stores, e-commerce platforms, marketplaces, and wholesale channels, Kiğılı sought a digital solution to optimize its planning operations.

Until now, Kiğılı relied on Excel sheets and internal tools to handle store segmentation and SKU planning. However, managing these tasks manually limited the brand’s ability to scale efficiently. With Centric Planning, Kiğılı will now move toward a centralized, intelligent system that enhances allocation, store planning, and supply chain decisions.

 “Planning is the cornerstone of our business operations, and with Centric Planning, we are setting a solid foundation for future growth,” said Hüseyin Deveci, Supply Chain Director at Kiğılı. “This project is at the center of our digital transformation strategy.”

 The brand’s aim is to bridge pre-season planning with in-season execution, ensuring accurate purchasing, better product positioning, and timely replenishment. “This integration will allow us to respond more strategically and dynamically to market shifts,” Deveci added.

Following a rigorous evaluation of over 15 solutions, Kiğılı selected Centric Planning for its ability to unify planning workflows into one adaptable structure. “What impressed us was how Centric connects all planning phases seamlessly. It frees our teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than manual tasks,” Deveci noted.

 “Kiğılı will benefit from a unified, intelligent platform that simplifies planning from start to finish,” said Fabrice Canonge, President of Centric Software. “We are proud to support Kiğılı in their transformation journey.”

The partnership marks a significant milestone for Kiğılı as it accelerates into a new era of digital retail excellence.


IIHM Launches NamAIste – The World’s First Hospitality GPT, Proudly Made in India

IIHM Launches NamAIste – The World’s First Hospitality GPT, Proudly Made in India

By Nishang Narayan

Published on May 26, 2025

The hospitality world just said NamAIste to a revolutionary innovation from India. NamAIste – IIHM Hospitality GPT was officially launched in Kolkata, proudly claiming the title of the world's first generative AI-powered knowledge engine tailored exclusively for the hospitality industry.

The launch marks a milestone moment—not just for India but for the entire global hospitality ecosystem. Built under the visionary leadership of Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman of IIHM and a prominent AI evangelist, NamAIste is a game-changer in the way hospitality professionals, students, and educators will learn, research, and make decisions in the future.

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“This is not just a tech marvel—it’s the dawn of a new mindset,” said Dr. Bose during his address at the global launch event at the IIHM Global Campus. Broadcast live across countries and time zones, the unveiling resonated deeply with hospitality leaders, educators, and students. “If the US can have Google and China can have DeepSeek, India can — and now does — have NamAIste,” he added.

Proudly Made in India, this first-of-its-kind Hospitality GPT was developed in partnership with Entiovi Technologies, using a Large Language Model (LLM) built specifically for hospitality. It offers real-time insights, global best practices, service innovations, and curated content from over 60 countries—all in a customized, AI-powered interface. The system even demonstrated a query in Bengali returning answers from Japanese culinary documents—earning a thunderous applause from attendees.

Sanjoy Chatterjee, Chairman, NASSCOM Regional Council (East) and Co-founder of Entiovi, emphasized that NamAIste’s uniqueness isn’t just in its technology, but in the depth of its domain-specific knowledge. “The real achievement is building a platform where a student from Bengal can ask about Japanese hospitality and get an accurate, translated, deeply-researched response instantly,” he said.

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The platform is designed to empower students, educators, faculty members, and industry stakeholders alike. With features like access to SOPs, training materials, and trend forecasts, NamAIste is set to revolutionize hospitality education and workforce readiness.

Key benefits of NamAIste include:

  • Revolutionizing hospitality education and training

  • Enabling smart, data-driven decision-making for professionals

  • Providing instant access to global best practices and innovations

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Beyond the data and tech, Dr. Bose reminded everyone that hospitality will always be a people-first industry. “AI can assist, but it cannot replace the human smile,” he said, striking a perfect balance between technology and tradition.

This launch wasn’t just a product release—it was a proud “Greeted in India” moment. With IIHM campuses erupting in celebration, the initiative has been hailed as a shining example of Viksit Bharat and Make in India, reaffirming India’s growing influence in global innovation.

IIHM has long been known for redefining hospitality education. With NamAIste, it goes beyond preparing students for the industry—it’s equipping them to lead it.

As Dr. Bose aptly summed it up, “This is India’s gift to the world of hospitality.”


Carnival Cruise Line Taps Cantaloupe to Power Cashless Dining at Celebration Key

Carnival Cruise Line Taps Cantaloupe to Power Cashless Dining at Celebration Key

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on May 12, 2025

Carnival Cruise Line has announced a new partnership with Cantaloupe, Inc., a global provider of self-service commerce technology, to enhance guest experiences at Celebration Key, Carnival’s exclusive upcoming destination on Grand Bahama, opening July 19, 2025. The collaboration brings self-service kiosks powered by Cantaloupe to the island, enabling cashless, quick, and seamless ordering at all food and beverage outlets.

Using Cantaloupe’s advanced point-of-sale (POS) solutions, guests can simply scan their Sail & Sign cards, extending Carnival’s onboard cashless payment system to this new off-ship location for the very first time. This move is aimed at creating a frictionless and familiar environment for travelers, allowing them to enjoy the destination without the hassle of cash or physical credit cards.

“Cantaloupe is excited to power this experience by providing a frictionless, technology-driven solution that will simplify guests’ dining and service experiences,” said Tom Lapham, Senior Vice President of Cheq at Cantaloupe, Inc. He noted that the technology is designed to handle high volumes of transactions with real-time updates, ensuring reliable and efficient service even during peak demand.

Celebration Key, designed as a premier cruise destination, will feature multiple dining and beverage venues where Cantaloupe’s kiosks will be installed, giving guests complete control over their food and beverage purchases.

Richard Morse, Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage at Carnival Cruise Line, shared, “Our collaboration with Cantaloupe is critical to making Celebration Key a destination that is full of fun and takes the worry out of carrying cash for our guests. Through this partnership, we’re able to offer an experience that extends the ease and familiarity of onboard dining to our exclusive destination.”

Cantaloupe’s POS solutions are already known for their high performance in high-traffic venues. With this partnership, the company is marking a significant step in its expansion into the travel and hospitality sectors, reaffirming its commitment to delivering world-class digital and self-service solutions tailored for large-scale operations.

As guests explore the vibrant offerings at Celebration Key, they can now do so with greater freedom and ease, thanks to this strategic technology-driven alliance.

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