TRAVELPORT has outlined plans to invest in a new, in-house support function for its hotel and car supplier customers as part of its ongoing commitment to grow hotel and car bookings through its two GDS platforms, Galileo and Worldspan, as well as its online leisure portal, Travelport Leisure. Two new dedicated helpdesks will be established to work closely with more than 230 hotel and car customers to ensure their content is distributed as widely and effectively as possible to travel retailers across the globe. The announcement follows other recent hospitality-focussed updates from Travelport, including news that a team of dedicated hospitality business development managers has been recruited to support travel agencies across key regions, including the Middle East. Based in Dubai, Assita Kone has joined the group as hospitality business development manager for the region, working closely with travel agents to help them realise the potential of the hotel sector and provide on-the-ground training and educational support to help them quickly earn new incremental revenue. Rabih Saab, president and managing director, Travelport Middle East and Africa, said: 'There is significant scope for Travelport to play a pivotal role in this area and create real value for our hotel and car partners. With Assita’s appointment, along with a specialised hotel and car helpdesk in the pipeline, I’m confident that we can offer an industry-leading hotel and car support function to travel agents and suppliers alike.' In 2010, Travelport generated a 12.1 per cent growth in hotel bookings through Galileo and Worldspan compared to 2009 and recent industry figures, provided in the latest Pegasus View report, indicate that corporate hotel bookings made through the GDS channel will continue to grow by more than 20 per cent through the second quarter of 2011.