Though travel demand in Europe stalled during the global recession, the pace of technological progress continued unabated. Those hotel and travel companies that seek success must either catch up or risk becoming irrelevant, according to a new report. There was not one game-changing advancement or trend but rather a confluence of subsequent shifts that are changing the overall environment, he said during a news conference. For B2C Travel Software Development – Get a Project Quote – http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html Following are the top 10 technology trends that will help hotel and travel companies leverage innovation in the coming year and beyond. 1. New patterns of content challenge distribution The old model of travel distribution, which saw large intermediaries—such as global distribution systems—aggregate content for booking, is being undermined by new models. Personal clouds, for instance, allow users to access information anywhere, anytime and on any device. The “Internet of things” enables integration of connectivity and objects that can influence a trip, such as real-time baggage location, weather conditions and homeland security advisories. Ubiquitous online communications allow even small hotel companies to connect with customers in real-time, allowing them to shop and book without delay. Those same companies, as well as the individuals they serve, also are better able to collect and integrate itinerary data from multiple sources without a GDS. 2. Too much choice means less is better Giving people too many choices tends to lessen their satisfaction. Online travel agencies used to provide as many options as possible to exhibit their computing clout. Today the focus is on providing relevant results that target the specific needs and wants of each traveler. The new traveler, the millennial as we call him today, embraces technology and embraces all devices, and he wants to be shown the right information for what he needs. Providing such targeted content is even more critical in the mobile arena, where smaller screens require both streamlined offerings and the presentation of those offerings. 3. Social technologies change the shape of travel Facebook alone has more than 1 billion users, while social media in general reaches 85% of the world’s total Internet users. However, travel companies have yet to unlock the true potential. 4. New efficiencies re-energize the customer experience As demand for customer service increases, new technological advances will lower the cost of providing it. But travel companies must consider whether a penny saved comes at the risk of a pound of customer preference. Excessive menu trees or outsourced call centers in foreign countries may cut monetary costs but frustrate customers. Each travel company needs to determine how to use customer service technology in a way that increases customer satisfaction and reduces costs” the report states. 5. Cross-platform data access engages users As customers realize their dreams of accessing desired digital information on any device or platform, hotel and travel companies are facing nightmares in providing the necessary development and support. “Cross-platform data access requires travel companies to track the changing user-interface patterns of their customers to provide the appropriate level of service. This will be a continuing process as new technologies evolve and businesses become less restrictive about the devices their employees can use for particular tasks. The suppliers and distributors that support the most user-friendly, convenient interfaces will enjoy increased market share,” according to the report. 6. A cloudy future beats no future at all
Cloud services are becoming more and more sophisticated Not only do they reduce IT costs and improve time to market, but they allow integration across multiple travel brokerage services, allowing customers to combine hotel stays with airfare or train tickets. The travel industry has been slow to adapt the services, however. 7. Intermediaries require fresh approaches throughout the travel cycle Intermediaries, including travel agents and OTAs, must help consumers break through information overload to stay relevant. “Instead of just selling the best airfare between Point A and Point B, intermediaries will have to provide the best (or lowest-cost) travel experience as a whole. This new imperative requires (sometimes drastic) changes—and investment—in technology, training, customer service time, and service delivery tools. If intermediaries can’t make the needed changes, they will cede shopping to suppliers,” according to the report. 8. Big data makes travel smarter The effective use of big data can really increase your performance and can really be your competitive differentiator Instead of focusing on transactions, companies must focus instead on data to better understand how, when, where and why travelers shop and book the way they do. The report cites efforts by Choice Hotels International, which has set up a master record for every guest and loyalty program member to collect service history, bookings and such on-property selections as food and beverage. It’s working in the case of Choice. The company’s enhanced loyalty program now delivers $1 out of every $3 in revenue, according to the report. 9. Better travel management through predictive analysis The travel industry was an early adopter of business intelligence tools, which allowed it to make sense of and informed decisions about the growing amounts of data at its disposal. But as supplier and distribution channels have evolved, the use of business intelligence to manage those channels hasn’t kept up, according to the report. “Travel companies need to determine their own ‘best practices’ for optimizing content acquisition and distribution,” the report concludes. “Doing so involves acquiring the appropriate tools and establishing business processes and management structures to monitor, analyze and respond to channel business intelligence.” 10. Short-range communications links improve processes “Most people are acquainted with Bluetooth, but fewer know about radio-frequency identification and near-field communications. All three technologies provide limited-range communications capabilities,” the report states. Hotel companies have only begun to tap into this potential, utilizing RFIC and NFC for room entry devices payment delivery. Further opportunities exist in the monitoring of visitor patterns, “as this data can lead to improvements in the visitor experience,” according to the report. RF – HotelNews PROVAB TECHNOSOFT (http://www.provab.com) is an award winning travel technology company, delivering best in class online travel software and CRS systems to global clients. Author: Author is a travel technology expert and has been involved in several travel portal development projects
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Starting a travel business from home is a good idea indeed. You need only a little investment. It is low-risk too. Just that you must be very enthusiastic to offer your clients best in class travel deals. For B2C Travel Portal Development – Get a Project Quote - http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html The first step in your home based endeavor is finding the right host agency. It’s better to have a host agency. It will keep your spending low, give you big commissions, and do your backend office. Moreover, if you are a novice in travel industry, they will train you too and assist you in running the business. Most of the host agencies have their online travel software in place, which you can also get access off. With the host agency, you need not have an ARC, CLIA, or IATAN number which is costly and difficult to get for a startup. The host agency’s accreditation number is enough and it will be your parent company. If you use the GDS, the host will take care of the ARC report which will be time-saving to you. They will also help you to get a travel agent license as required by your region.
Experts recommend to restrict your travel business first to some niche rather than offering all airlines and hotels in the world. It may be for a particular region or a special holiday package. But don’t market just one product, try two or three. Or you can cater to the travel needs of business travelers to a particular country. Or try your luck in booking charter planes for the high-end corporate travelers or billionaires. Name your travel agency accordingly. Try to offer something, which is little different from the generic node. You are in travel business to make money by providing quality, reliable service to your customers. Have separate accounts and track business expenses. To get your home-based travel agency clicked, you must have a working knowledge of travel agency software, customer service experience and experience in traveling to the destinations you deal in. Keep on having very satisfied clients and serve your clients to the max. Word of mouth does wonders in travel business. Regarding Author: Author is a senior business analyst and an expert in travel portal development and marketing strategy implementation. Booking your hotel through online hotel reservation software is easy. The availability of multiple accommodations for each destination, gives end users enough flexibility to choose a right hotel at right cost. Each accommodation option provides a varied range of pricing, facility, quality and availability, using which end users can select and pick a desired option. For B2B Travel Portal & OTA Setup – Get a Project Quote – http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html Top hotel consolidators Expedia, GTA Travel, Hotelbeds, DOTW, Agoda, Hotelspro, WCT, Travco, Tourico, Bonotel, Travelocity, Jac Travels, Miki and others have designed and developed APIs for hotel inventory to share the hotel inventory to global travel agent. The web services of hotel APIs not only sharing the availability but also the room types, pricing as well. The main aim associated with the hotel APIs is travel agents, both small and medium-sized travel agents offer their clients the best of the deals at any corner of the globe. Hotel booking systems equipped with Hotel APIs, makes all the information regarding hotel selection available at the finger tip of the customers, and it is also real time information. API stands for application programming interface. In simple terms hotel API integration provides a legitimate access for one company to get access to the product of the other companies. A travel management company or a travel portal can get access to a huge variety of hotel inventory through hotel APIs integration. Hotel APIs acts as web service with the option of online functionality for searching and booking of the hotels across the world. Hotel API web service provides a broader spectrum to the online hotel booking services. The travel management companies or the travel agencies get the privilege of providing its users with the option of choosing their accommodation as per their need at a particular destination, thus giving a wider enhancement to the business of the travel agencies. The benefits of the top hotel APIs for the travel agencies are as follows:
Features associated with the top hotel APIs are:
The leading hotel APIs include Expedia, GTA API, Hotelbed XML, Hotelspro XML, Tourico API, DOTW API, Travco API, Tourico XML, Expedia API, WCT API, Bonotel XML and booking.com. API based hotel reservation system is a hit at the present as it is accompanied with benefits like 24/7 availability, enhanced client satisfaction, automated system, immediate confirmation, time saving and brings improvement in sales. GDS global distribution system has a history starting from 1960s. First it was a method to track flight schedules, availability and fares. The first landmark in its history was when, Sabre and Apollo installed their GDS technology. This led to travel agencies generating their own flight bookings for their customers, while giving airlines more exposure for sales. Then came the internet, which led to an avalanche of travel portals and travel websites. The main GDS providers (Amadeus, Sabre, Worldspan, Galileo and Travelport) built their own system to consolidate travel related data. GDS – Global Distribution Systems are shared their web services to travel agencies and travel technology companies to develop online travel portals, which can be accessed by B2C users, agents and corporate companies as well. What are the advantages of joining the GDS Global Distribution System network?
It facilitates an unmatched virtual marketplace for travel inventory sellers like hotels, airlines, holiday package providers and car rental systems. GDS gives opportunity to even budget airlines and small hotels unprecedented sales exposure. Since more and more travelers’ book travel products and services online, GDS has acquired a big status in world travel industry. In the present scenario, nearly 700,000 travel agents plug into a GDS daily to book flights, hotels, car rentals and holiday packages. GDS is now an international medium connecting travel bookers and providers. It instantly gives real time information on products, price and availability to travel agents and online booking engines, and facilitates automated transactions. The advent of online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia, Booking.com and Wotif has enhanced the importance and relevance of GDS. A global distribution system can enhance hotel room bookings by corporate as well as leisure travelers, and, thereby, income by placing hotels on more travel supermarkets worldwide. Real-time rates and availability are continuously sent directly to the GDS. It’s a boon to larger hotels and resorts located in attractive regions that offer standard room types such as single rooms, double rooms, luxury suites, etc. The technology behind the GDS is older, there are constraints on the total number of unit types that can be dealt in the system. In addition to GDS, you should also have a well-designed travel website and user-friendly navigation encouraging customers to book online. GDS global distribution system can be the backbone for inventory. Regarding Author: Author is a senior business analyst and an expert in travel portal development and marketing strategy implementation. How to get GDS Global Distribution System (Amadeus / Galileo / Sabre) Integration in Dubai, UAE15/9/2016 PROVAB TECHNOSOFT (provab.com) is a specialized travel portal development company, which has been providing powerful, easy-to-use travel software to travel agencies in Dubai, UAE, with excellent Global Distribution System Integration for travel agencies. We have been fulfilling B2C and B2B travel portal development projects for Dubai travel companies. We have also been catering to software needs of travel operators in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah, Ajman and Umm al-Quwain. Dubai is now an international business hub, with the most advantageous geographical position. People fly to and from Dubai for business purposes. Natives and inhabitants of UAE have surplus income to make luxurious travels abroad. This makes Dubai an ideal place to do travel business. As you know, now no travel agency can survive without making use of latest travel technology. PROVAB TECHNOSOFT (provab.com) provides GDS global distribution system to travel agencies in Dubai which helps them to provide state-of-the-art booking of travel products and services to their clients. Nearly 700,000 travel agents daily plug into a GDS to book flights, hotels, cruises, and holiday packages and other travel products and services.
A GDS connects travel bookers and suppliers. It gives real-time information on live travel products and services to travel agents and online booking engines, and facilitates automated transactions. With the advent of online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia, Booking.com and Wotif, GDS has made the travel world a complex one. GDS is a great opportunity for everyone in the travel field. Catch it with the help of PROVAB. |
AuthorPROVAB TECHNOSOFT is an award winning travel technology company , delivering B2B / B2C travel software, travel CRM, accounting software, car rental software and mobility solutions to global travel & hospitality companies. ArchivesCategories
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