by Ana María Restrepo
Many years ago, reservations for hotels, trips and air tickets had to be made personally, some could be advanced by telephone, but physical contact between the operator and the client was needed to finalize the business. Traditionally, tourism-related companies used the Internet to make themselves known and offer products, as distrust of the global electronic communication system was high due to insecurity in transactions. Since 1998, the demand for online bookings has increased, especially in the United States and Europe.
Today the panorama has been transformed, turning around the reality that was previously known. Tour operators, travel agencies, airlines and hotels have reservation platforms or web programs that allow reservations to be made in real time through the Internet, with encrypted keys and all the relevant security that leaves aside the need to move somewhere so that the business is closed.
One of the possibilities when making reservations through the network is that by eliminating the intermediaries the profits are greater for hotels, airlines, travel agencies, etc; in addition, the price is reduced for the end user. In the same way, the time spent in choosing the destination is reduced because it is only necessary to visit some pages and select the offer that best suits the tastes and budgets of the users. Thanks to the Internet, companies have direct contact with the client and provide services according to what they request, they can innovate and compete through personalized marketing, creativity and interactivity, in addition to being able to be anywhere and at any time through the network of networks and access a large market of tourists.
As mentioned above, there are different software, platforms and web programs that allow the travel, hospitality and restaurant industries to have online reservations that allow their customers to select the destination, flight, hotel and others with just one click.
To talk about these reservation systems we invited two companies that provide these products, in Mexico, VIAJEZ.com, a company that for more than eight years implemented technology for travelers and tourism providers; and in the United States, VIZERGY™, a company that provides Internet marketing services for the hospitality industry.
Benefits for everyone
The VIAJEZ.com system is fed via the "back end" or "control panel" called Vacation Assembler in which all the information regarding the hotels is loaded such as availability, type of rooms, description, seasons, blackouts, types of passengers, rates, etc. Through this module the user with permissions can manage the reservations that are generated through their site (front end) or some other distribution channel connected to the platform.
The information of the hotels is consumed via "Web Services" by the "Front End" which is finally what the end user can see on a website either B2C (Business to Consumer) or B2B (Business to Business), explains Joaquin Ávila, director of technology, of ViajeZ.com.
VIZERGY's ™ Secure-Res solution, web-based marketing, is a comprehensive program of proprietary methods, strategies and instruments, which provide high viability in search engines, increased traffic to websites, measurement and adjustment to companies according to the needs of the company, in order to reach direct potentials, reservations and packaging options, as joel Carver, vice president of sales and marketing of the company.
Although both systems have a different conception and method of work, they provide their customers with the elements they need to make online reservations from their websites. {mospagebreak}
The benefits of these solutions are not only for the companies that implement them, but also for the users of these because in the case of the web-based solution, Joel states that consumers can check rates and availability directly from the hotel website, rates and availability is given in real time and the data is presented in an easy-to-use format. Hotels also feature web-based availability, offer customized packages, reduce dependence on a third party, have access to more than 500,000 travel agents around the world, and have the flexibility to control marketing messages on the site and platforms.
On the platform side, it can be accessed from any computer connected to the network and user companies can modify rates, block hotels or upload information remotely which gives them a lot of flexibility and security. The system publishes rates with different configuration to each of the distribution channels that are loaded. Ávila explains "for example: a hotel chain could publish different prices from the same system both for its call center and for its website or its business to business site, etc."
In the same way, this hotel chain could offer rates to a third party provider with a different configuration through web services so that said provider implements its logic and its look and feel independently. This solution publishes on-demand, over-the-counter and inventory loading rates, where it deducts from availability the reserved rooms and returns that inventory if the room is canceled or when it is automatically canceled for not complying with the last day policies to make the payment.
Meeting needs
The human being has basic needs and created needs that must be supplied in one way or another. In the case of a company, the needs will always be basic, since by satisfying the need of the client is earned, in addition to income, a good level of recognition in the environment in which it performs.
Online booking systems are created by the need to provide users and companies with a simpler way to carry out their negotiations, in addition to putting hotels, travel agencies, tour operators and airlines in the hands of everyone who enters the network.
Carver claims that its web-based marketing program was created in the beginning to find the needs of independent hotels and resorts that didn't have access to brand.com sites. Now, many branded hotels still decide to have secondary booking engines paired with proprietary websites, achieving flexibility in channel management and an increase in their revenue through their most profitable sales channel.
Also in ViajeZ.com they affirm that their platform is established by the growing need of hotels, hotel chains, tour operators and hotel consolidators to publish their rates in various systems, without the need to upload their information several times and manage it in several completely different systems.
Hotels, tour operators, airlines, travel agencies among other companies that implement the online reservation system do so in different ways in order for the solution to suit their requirements. These systems are of vital importance to increase the reach of hotels in relation to the buyer. Online booking engines give them more power and flexibility, are also easy to use and allow owners to monitor availability and promotions. These easy-to-use systems allow owners to control inventory, promotions, and packages on a single web-based platform. {mospagebreak}
Some companies seek to develop the entire package, in this way access is given to web services so that they exploit them to their liking and needs. Also in other cases the functionality has been installed based on graphic layouts that the client grants, where the navigation that is required and the graphic design that will be carried is defined in detail. There are other companies that do not have internal graphic support or much knowledge or experience in sites and we go hand in hand defining both the graphic part and the objective and navigation of the site.
Nothing better to talk about a solution than the comments of those companies that implement it and work daily with it. Here we present two case studies and some customer feedback.
The complement to the Palace Resorts
Palace Resorts needed a hotel reservation portal combined with other online services, which was to be ready for the high season that was approaching in July of this year. Managers evaluated the suppliers and determined that ViajeZ.com through its Vacation Assembler service would allow it to implement inventory for all properties, plus the integration of air services.
The implementation was quite fast, a training was carried out in the service and after this the loading of the inventory began immediately and approximately two weeks later the system was ready to start with the online sale. The handling of this platform is simple. The sales and reservations staff can manage 100% of the information of the different properties from the closing of availability per room to the modification of rates in real time. Likewise, different reports are issued where the inventory you have, the reservations generated, the list of arrivals and the payments are validated.
It should be noted that the Palace Resorts offers the All Inclusive plan, with a personalized and complete service that includes everything from food and drinks to and from the airport, ferry or ferry in the case of hotels in Isla Mujeres and Cozumel, in addition to tours to the Archaeological Zones; therefore, it was also necessary to alert the staff that provides ground transportation services of the arrival of guests and what is achieved in two ways: one is by entering the system for the consultation of reservations and generation of arrivals; the other is the email notification to the staff of that area that is sent every time a reservation is generated on the site.
As advantages, the Palace Resorts ensures that this is an easy navigation solution, in addition the user of the system can make his reservation in a five-step process. Another advantage in the case of properties in Cancun, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres and Riviera Mata is that they provide on a single screen all the information of those destinations, such as hotel generalities, photographs and rates with the description of the All Inclusive.
This system began to be implemented at the beginning of July and although the high season is not yet over, the Palace Resorts ensures that the result has been very satisfactory since reservations have been increased, also allows them to innovate and configure new rates and products.
Support for Sabre Travel Network Mexico
Travel Network, a Sabre Holdings company, is a technology provider to the travel industry, providing products that benefit commerce and services performed by travel agencies, airlines and other travel service providers.
In order to offer tools that allow agencies to make their business more efficient and increase their income through product diversification, NetRates was created, a tool for selling hotel inventory online, developed in conjunction with ViajeZ.com.
This solution provides travel agencies with exclusive access to hotel operators' inventory, quote negotiated rates, booking exclusive content, online shopping with the ease of selecting between various forms of payment, electronic notification of changes in booking status, sales control and commission tracking.
Although it has not yet been launched on the market, the reservation system is fully integrated into the operating flow of the travel agent by being incorporated into its MySabre desktop tool, it also allows to incorporate the sale of the hotel made online, to your air reservation; in this way the flow is not interrupted. Currently the solution is in the introduction phase, but it is estimated according to studies and research carried out in the market, which will allow travel agencies an approximate increase of 20% of their hotel sales.
Satisfied customers
"In August 2006, we launched our new website, built and sponsored by VIZERGY ™ with a fully integrated search marketing program. VIZERGY ™ also provides an exceptional quarterly report of critical measures of Internet marketing activities," said Kevin Thorpe, general manager of Best Western, Dobson Ranch Inn.
Basil James Maher, Director of Administrative Resources at Regal Palms Resort said: "VIZERGY ™ provides a wonderful booking engine, it is easy to use for our customers and the entry managers behind the system. Improvements like the multiple feature make it even more attractive to consumers."
