Travel Blog
The latest news and notes from the Travel team
Welcome to the Google Travel Blog
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Welcome! The ITA Blog is now the
Google Travel Blog
. We’ve got a new name and home, but you’ll still get all the latest news from Google in the travel space.
Here, you can read about the latest news, product updates from ITA Software and our other travel initiatives, announcements about our partners and business customers, as well as get tips from our travel experts. Check back often and don’t forget to update your bookmark or your
RSS feed
.
In addition to our
blog
, you can also follow us on our
Travel Google+ page
and
Twitter
. Travel on.
Posted by Cara Kretz, Sr. Manager, Travel
Giving back in 2012
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
In the spirit of giving, we wanted to take a moment to reflect upon some of the charitable efforts our Boston Googlers have made over this past year.
Provided local grants to
MIT’s MITES and MOSTEC
programs,
Science from Scientists
,
CodeEd
,
Breakthrough Cambridge
,
Digits
,
Citizen Schools
,
hack/reduce
and many more
Over 220 Boston Googlers joined more than 5,000 Googlers across the globe to give back to our local communities during the week of
GoogleServe 2012
Hosted over 1,000 K-12 and university students for tours of the office, and to learn about computer science and online marketing careers
Donated time and talents to train 366 nonprofits on Google tools for nonprofits, 70 teachers on Google EDU tools and 701 small-medium business on Google small business tools. Check back
here
for future local training events
Trained more than 75 Boston senior citizens on basic internet tools, search and email through our
Age Engage program
Donated time and talents to more than 130 students from Boston Public middle schools, through our partnership with
Citizen Schools
Raised over $8,600 and collected 240 non-perishable items for the
Greater Boston Food Bank
Raised funds to help care for local Boston women and children at
Rosie’s Place
, a sanctuary for women in need
Hosted Google’s
Computer Science Summer Institute
, a three-week program that boosts the computer science skills of 30 rising college freshmen from underrepresented backgrounds
Partnered with the Community Charter School of Cambridge and the Kendall Square Association to host a
Third Thursday
event for the Kendall Square community
Delivered meals to the critically ill and homebound through the annual Thanksgiving
Pie in the Sky
fundraising event
Donated more than $2,000 to
New York Cares
to benefit Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, by selling hundreds of shirts across multiple Google offices
Donated over 80 gifts to families in need through our annual
ABCD Headstart
gift drive
Assembled Thanksgiving baskets for the
East End House
, which delivered over 850 baskets to needy families in the Massachusetts area
While this represents only a small portion of the charitable efforts made by Googlers around the world, we wanted to acknowledge the kind hearts and minds of our Boston-based team!
You can find out more about the global grants and Global Impact Awards we host on the
Google Giving
page and the
Official Google Blog
.
Posted by Liz Schwab, Cambridge Community Affairs Lead
Work hard. Serve hard.
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
Each year Googlers across the globe participate in
GoogleServe
, in an effort to give back to the communities that help us grow and thrive. This year GoogleServe took place between June 8-15, with more than 5000 Googlers across the globe participating in 350+ projects. We also expanded the program to include skill based projects like analytics support, resume workshops and scientific training that will give our employees a chance help individuals and corporations year round.
Cambridge based Googlers came out in full force. More than 200+ Googlers participated in 24 projects, covering a wide range of needs in the greater Boston area. Projects took place from Concord to Cambridge, Belmont to Boston and further afield, at great organizations like
Mass Audubon
,
EMARC
,
Gaining Ground Organic Farm
,
Greater Boston Food Bank
and more.
Feedback from recipients and the Cambridge Googlers who participated was enthusiastic. Adam, who attended our ‘Help a Hero Get Hired’ resume workshop, said “I appreciate the time you took to help me on Friday. In 90 minutes working with you, my resume improved more than it had in a week long class... It's nice to know that there are people like you and companies like Google.”
Elizabeth Mills, one of the Google volunteer site leads, said "I loved leading our GoogleServe project at the
Women’s Lunch Place
because we provided extra hands for an organization that helps women in Boston, no questions asked, day in and day out. We couldn't believe the scope of the services this organization offered and were thankful both to be able to give back and learn more about such a great non-profit."
GoogleServe really gives us a chance to revitalize and deepen our connections with the local communities where we work -- and it also helps us build a stronger sense of community with our fellow Googlers. Check out some of the pics from our projects across the globe on the
GoogleServe Google+ page
.
Posted by Jonah Berman, Account Executive, Online Sales | GoogleServe Boston Site Lead
Customer relationships are key
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Each year we interview our QPX™ pricing and shopping customers to find out what we do well and where we need to improve. Since we started the survey in 2007, we’ve seen satisfaction with our products and service climb. We were especially pleased that this year’s survey yielded strong results. 100% of participants were somewhat or very satisfied with our QPX pricing and shopping products, and 96% were somewhat or very satisfied with the service we provide. One customer said that while there is always room for improvement, the service gets better every year -- from the engineers to the technical support staff to the customer-facing team.
While it’s great to hear the positive feedback, the real value is in what we do with the suggestions for improvement. Our internal teams look forward to hearing the survey results and are focused on coming up with creative solutions to address any suggestions identified by our customers.
My hat’s off to all the teams that focus on making our products even better and giving our customers the tremendous support that keeps them so happy. We’re committed to listening to what our customers want and partnering with them to make them successful. I think that’s what makes these relationships so strong.
Posted by Eli Sanders, Director, Technical Account Management and Customer Support
Boston Googlers give back in 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
In the spirit of giving, we wanted to take a moment to reflect upon some of the
good deeds
our Boston Googlers have done over this past year.
Held a bone marrow registration drive with the
Gift of Life
Hosted a charity drive to benefit
Japan earthquake and tsunami relief efforts
Designated a week to
GoogleServe
where Boston Googlers joined 8,000 Googlers company-wide to do good in our local communities
Provided national grants to
MIT’s OEOP MITES program
, to the
Boston Museum of Science
and to
Citizen Schools
Collected non-perishables, and donated time and money to the
Greater Boston Food Bank
Worked with
Bikes not Bombs
to promote the use of bicycle technology as an alternative to war and environmental destruction
Worked with the
Charles River Conservancy
to help keep the Charles River clean
Fed our veterans at the
New England Center for Homeless Veterans
Educated kids on the math behind the Rubik’s Cube at the
Cambridge Science Festival
Sponsored the
MIT KBPS
, a music and engineering student organization that restores, documents and maintains the musical installation/sculpture at the Kendall T stop
Raised funds to help care for local Boston women and children at
Rosie’s Place
Delivered meals to the critically ill and homebound through the annual Thanksgiving
Pie in the Sky fundraising event
Donated time and talents to
Citizen Schools
Launched Age Engage where Boston Googlers trained Boston seniors on Internet search and email. Watch the
Age Engage Google Ireland video
to learn more about this program
While this represents only a small portion of the charitable efforts made by Googlers around the world, we wanted to acknowledge the kind hearts and minds of our Boston-based team! You can find out more about
Google giving in 2011
on the Official Google Blog.
Posted by Sarah McManus, HR Business Partner
Welcome to our blog
Friday, September 30, 2011
It’s official. The ITA Software by Google Blog is now the only place you need to check for all ITA news.
Starting today, this blog will be our primary source for making customer and product announcements, providing company updates, offering guest essays, and giving you unique tips from our experts. So if you’re curious about ITA Software -- please check back often or subscribe to our RSS feed.
Posted by Cara Kretz, Sr. Manager, Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs, Travel
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