Travelport has added a new Stay Safe feature for agents connected to its API or Smartpoint agency desktop solution.

The searchable amenity enables hotels to highlight to travel agents that they have signed up to industry-wide safety initiatives, within the agent’s booking workflow.

This makes it easier for travel agents to share information important to travellers in their hotel shopping decisions.

Jason Toothman, managing director, sales at Travelport, said: “One of the key imperatives in the industry right now is ensuring our customers feel safe while traveling.

“The information travellers want about the properties they’re considering for hotel stays has changed through the course of 2020.

“Adding a way for hotels to clearly communicate with travel agencies, who can then share this information with their customers, is a simple but important way for Travelport to make the agency workflow more efficient and less frustrating.

“This initiative will also help customers gain confidence in travel.

“As our industry recovers from the impacts of the global pandemic, Travelport is doing all it can to support efforts across the entire travel industry that promote traveller safety.”

Since the pandemic hit earlier this year, several trade and government bodies, including the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), have issued guidelines to support recovery in the hotel sector.

These are designed to define what the necessary health and safety attributes are and to enable hoteliers to communicate them in a consistent way.

These initiatives focus on enhanced hotel cleaning practices, social interactions, and workplace protocols to meet the new challenges and expectations for health and safety.

Travelport Stay Safe is now globally available.