Applications
Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel launch customer self-service app
Mumbai: Building momentum on its digital-first strategy, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd – an omnichannel travel services company and its group company, SOTC Travel, have launched a Customer Self-Service (CSS) holiday app. Available for both iOS and Android users, the app offers customers a seamless end-to-end post-booking experience.
Traditionally, the post-booking process was time-consuming and stressful for customers – involving coordinating various elements including visas (getting details on documents required, visa forms, processing time and tracking), flights, hotel vouchers, itinerary, attractions, invoices and receipts. Hence, Thomas Cook and SOTC’s innovative CSS app will now empower customers with a convenient, easy-to-access interface – making their post-booking experience simple and intuitive.
Having piloted the CSS app in April 2024, the app has seen significant enhancements and currently enjoys a strong customer adoption of 50 per cent.
Key features of the Customer Self-Service app:
1. Comprehensive Booking Details: Customers can view all aspects of their booked trips, including flights, hotel reservations, sightseeing schedules, transportation, guides, and meal preferences
2. Instant Accessibility: Round-the-clock access from any location
3. Travel Documentation: Customers can now access important travel documents such as flight tickets, visa document requirements, process and downloadable forms, hotel vouchers, and insurance details on the go
4. Real-Time Updates: invaluable visa status tracker, updates on weather conditions and other critical travel information significantly reducing the turnaround time for customers
5. Omnichannel advantage: The app is channel agnostic and hence available to customers who have booked online, offline or a combination thereof
MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd president & country head of holidays Rajeev Kale said, “We are consistently exploring ways to deliver a truly seamless experience for our customers. I am hence delighted with the launch of our CSS app – that empowers our customers with simplified post-booking services at their fingertips. With the festive season approaching, this launch is perfectly timed to elevate our customers’ experience for their upcoming holidays.”
SOTC Travel president & country head – holidays Daniel D’Souza said, “With a legacy of 75 years of being an Indian-entrepreneurial brand, SOTC believes that ‘no one understands the Indian traveller better than SOTC’. Whether customers book their trips online or through our stores, we understand that the post-booking phase can be a stressful period. Through the launch of our innovative CSS app, we look forward to providing our customers with the comfort and convenience of a smooth post-booking experience.”
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
