PROVAB TECHNOSOFT is one of the leading hotel software development company, which integrated hotel API for global clients. http://www.provab.com/travelportaldevelopment.html Get A Project Quote : http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html Hotel APIs / Hotel XMLs are web services provided by the leading hotel aggregators like GTA, Hotelbeds, Agoda, Expedia, Hotelspro, DOTW, RoomsXML and several others alike. Hotel APIs provided unrestricted access to huge hotel inventory compiled by hotel consolidators. Online hotel booking system is a term for web application offering the seamless ability to search and book hotels online. It covers a range the entire range of hotel / rental business, connected or unconnected with hotel aggregators. It is currently one of the most important part of online travel industry as online hotel booking systems are generating all the high bookings worldwide. Hotel booking systems are also having advantage because of its absolutely convenient due to its 24-hour availability, global reach and generally efficient customer service. http://www.provab.com/hotelbookingsystemsoftware-onlinebookingsystemsusa.html Hotel booking system is basically of two types, B2C – which is focused towards end customers and B2B – which is focussed towards travel agents. Travel industry today operates operates in all four of the major market segments: business to business, business to consumer, business to corporate and white-label. Hotel booking system can be thought of as a more advanced form of global hotel catalog, where in user can search, check images, check pricing and do the booking online. Setting up an online hotel booking system can be done in following two ways:
Hotel Booking System with Hotel APIs
Hotel booking systems have expanded rapidly over the past five years and is predicted to continue at this rate, or even accelerate. Carrying out hotel booking transactions electronically provides numerous competitive advantages over primitive methods. Moreover, the hotel inventory, which is one of the most important components of any hotel booking system, is accessed through hotel APIs, which have global data. When implemented with several hotel APIs, online booking system becomes faster, cheaper and more convenient than the traditional methods of bartering goods and services. Hotel Booking System with Self Contract Inventory (Hotel CRS / Hotel Extranet) Hotel booking systems with self contracted inventory are implemented more, for a specific geography. For example any travel company having several hundred hotel contracts in Dubai, will go for this model rather than going for hotel APIs. The commission in this model is more than the API model. GTA Travel, Hotelbeds, Hotelspro, Tourico, Travco, Expedia, DOTW, Bonotel and several other hotel aggregators are providing the best in class hotel inventory with good rates. To know more about us, please visit http://www.provab.com. You can call us at +91.8880321321 and email us at [email protected].
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Travel Management Software, Travel APIs & GDS Systems are giving new edge to Online Travel Agencies3/4/2017 The travel industry has undergone a major makeover with the introduction of the online travel software and the consequent implementation of travel apps. Earlier planning a vacation was thought to be a task that required intense management skills. We have to go to a travel agent for airline booking or rail booking. Making a hotel reservation was again done through a travel agent or was accomplished after reaching the destination. We would have very vague idea about the “must visit places” at the destination, and would have to hire a travel and tour guide for the same. Similarly arranging a car rental at the destination of visit was done by coordinating with the local travel agent or the hotel. For Travel Agency Software Development – Get a Project Quote – http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html The situation at present is totally different from the statements mentioned earlier. Now we don’t visit a travel agent for airline booking or hotel booking and we don’t contact travel agencies for car rental booking. We don't require a travel guide to tell us about the places to visit at our travel destination nor do we depend on anybody to tell us the direction of a place. Have you ever wonders how the process of planning a vacation have become so smooth and peaceful in the present times. Now I have the privilege of making airline reservation, rail reservation, hotel reservation, car rental reservation and planning the trip sitting at the vicinity of my home or office or any other place of my comfort. The big question is, how this happened? This advance stage in the travel sector was achieved through the implementation of technology. Technology came in the form of development of travel agency software and travel apps. The travel agencies too have undergone a major makeover and now when we think of travel agencies, the picture that comes to our mind is an automated system which has all the information and facilities required to plan my trip. Benefits of Online Travel software for Travel agencies Travel software have been very beneficial for the travel agencies as it has bought a total change in the way the travel agencies used to work. Now a travel agency doesn’t depend on the traditional system of using a pen and paper to keep track of the transaction or depend on handwritten information pertaining to the details regarding dates and availability for airline, rail and hotel reservation. Travel agencies now have an online booking system, where global distribution system integration helps in making all information including availability and pricing available to the clients. The end-users can compare the rates and availability and proceed with the airline reservation, hotel reservation and car rental booking. Similarly maintaining data, information and generating reports have become lot more easier and automated with the help of travel software. Below are the distinct advantages of travel agency software -
Accessible from any location Automated system for maintaining information Automated system for maintaining data and generating reports Data is centralized Easy migration to mobile platform Quick service to the clients Enhance level of customer satisfaction Benefits from travel Apps With more and more people across the globe preferring to access information through their mobile device, travel agencies now have their own travel apps to enhance their business. Travel apps are available for airline reservation, Rail reservation, hotel reservation, car rental reservation, accessing travel blogs, planning the trip and accessing the locations. Travel apps have also helped the travel agencies to respond to the queries raised by the end-users at the earliest and bring enhancement in the level of customer satisfaction. As per the research conducted on travel apps, it was found that travel apps have helped the travel agents to acquire more clients. Our vacation and travel planning has become lot more easier at the present times. This was only possible due to the implementation of travel agency software and travel apps by the travel agencies across the world, making our travel more comfortable and enjoyable. I hope you have started or plan to start a home-based travel agency because you love and understand travel business well. Yet, your business is not able to compete with OTAs. Time has changed when a home-based travel agent is onlya sales representative who offers travel products and receives a commission based on sales. It is time for you to wake up and know how to start your own online travel agency. You must therefore sell and sell well. For that, you must be well-informed and able to communicate your knowledge to your clients in a persuasive manner. Seeking a project quote for Travel Portal Development - http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html Apart from you, your business needs clients too to make it a success. If you have a large circle of friends who travel,if you come from an environment with a lot of contacts, or if you are part of a group or association, it could help your agency to get established soon and to fetch you income. It may be advantageous to specialize in niche travel products, destinations or type of travel in particular. For example, you can specialize in offering honeymoon trips or in journeys to the ancient churches in Europe. Becoming an expert on a destination adds to your credibility and, subsequently, can increase your sales. Specialization will allow you to select your clients, and then to continue to serve those with whom you have enjoyed working, reserving their other trips, no matter the destination. In this era, your home-based travel agency cannot do without a website of your own. You can begin your business by making flyers, placing ads in local newspapers or radio. But when the income comes in, you will have to place your home-based travel agency in the cyberspace. It’s always better to contract a well-experienced Website development company to design and build the travel site for you. It need not have an expensive, fancy look, but it should be brimming with content useful for the traveler. This will fetch you more and more customers. Who knows, sometimes, your home-based travel agency may fly up to be a multi-million dollar business. Here are some points in starting a new travel agency:
To know more about us, please visit http://www.provab.com. You can call us at +91.8880321321 and email us at [email protected] With Regards, Ujjwal K Business Manager PROVAB TECHNOSOFT http://www.provab.com A global distribution system (GDS) is a database capable of storing and updating enormous information on the supply of a wide range of tourism products worldwide. GDSs enable the travel agents to access, in real-time, availability, features and prices of flight tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises, ferry reservations, trains and other services. With a Global distribution system integrated to their website, travel agencies can allow their customers to search and book travel products and services and issue tickets too. Looking for a Travel Portal – Get a Project Quote - http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html Global Distribution System Travel agencies are greatly aided by GDS systems because they are enabled to offer their customers rates, inventory, discounts, rooms, and descriptions on a real-time basis. In other words, global distribution systems are intermediaries between travel product suppliers –and travel retailers who sell tickets to the final consumer. Main features of GDS: • Report availability and prices of travel products • Reserve user requests. • Sale and ticketing • Track sales (extend customer’s stay, change of flights, etc). • Facilitates control management for travel agencies). Evolution of GDS The prototype of GDS in the travel industry can be seen in the 1950s as the traditional legacy business model which inter-operated between airline vendors. Computer reservation systems (CRS), at the initial stage, was used by the airline companies as an automated booking system, but later, travel agents were given access. Around 1980, CRS enabled travel agents to connect to various travel providers in a single system. At this stage, in addition to flights, hotels and car rentals were included. CRS acquired much strength by late 80s being so helpful to both suppliers and distributors. In the 90s, computerized reservation systems of airlines were transformed to global distribution systems (GDS). So we see that GDS has developed from airline alliances and ended up becoming independent business units with product internationalization and introduction of new products, especially hotel rooms. GDS integration for travel agencies and suppliers of travel products Travel agencies must have full access to a global distribution system GDS. To get connected to a GDS, travel agencies need a contract. This will enable the travel agents to provide an astonishing amount of travel product rates and information to their customers, at the lowest possible rates. An experienced travel technology company can integrate any GDS to the computer reservation system or website of a travel agency. It’s critical also for the properties to be on a GDS. Travelers now go to travel portals to find travel products. So hotels, car rentals, etc, have to be there to get Internet visibility and, thus, more reservations. A GDS allows real-time access to inventory system of a hotel with the current prices, discounts, room types, facilities like Wi-Fi and different aspects of interest to the potential customer. Owners can hire a good travel technology company to get access to the GDS of their choice. A property can be connected only in one GDS provider. If the property owner wants to change the provider, he can cancel the existing provider and activate another with a switch letter. How much does it cost? To integrate GDS to your system, you’ll have to pay a one-time setup cost and pay a monthly charge of a minimum amount per reservation. Major GDS systems Amadeus was started in 1987 by Air France, Iberia, Lufthansa, and SAS in order to create a European GDS, by fusing their CRSs. In 1989, seven more airlines joined Amadeus and began to allow travel agents to book flights through neutral screens. It is now the largest leisure package distributor in the world. Through Amadeus GDS integration, a travel agent can offer travel products from 430 airlines in 195 countries, 32 car rental companies in 37,918 locations, 20 cruise lines and 300,000 hotel properties. More than 100,000 travel agencies are connected with Amadeus GDS. Sabre, a joint venture by American Airlines and IBM, was started in 1960. In 1970, Sabre system began to be installed in travel agencies. Now 55,000 travel agencies use Sabre GDS to book products from 400 airlines, 88,000 hotels, 24 car rental brands, and 13 cruise lines. Galileo and Worldspan are the other two major GDSs. There are also third party consolidators like Sahara, Infini (Japan), Axess (Japan), Tapas (Korea), Fantasia (South Pacific), and Abacus (Asia/Pacific) that cater to particular regions or countries. The big consolidators also include such as Expedia, Orbitz (Merchant program registration needed), Hotels.com, Travelocity, AAA, Hotwire, Priceline and TravelWeb. The future of GDS As a tool of of content aggregation, GDS is here to stay and be more powerful. Novel technological solutions in middleware continue to appear. Global distribution systems have a long way to go. Software designing http://www.provab.com is filled with a lot of buzz words at present and the most frequent of them is the word “Agile”. There are other similar kinds of words like SCRUM, KANBAN, Crystal Clear and Extreme Programming. Top travel technology companies around the globe adopting agile design process for travel portal software development, travel CRM and mobile apps. Hire Travel Technology Company – Get a Project Quote - http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html The place that the word Agile holds in software designing could be explained with the help of the waterfall model. You may have read about the concept of waterfall model, when you were undergoing your bachelors in engineering. Waterfall model was also an ornate term used for defining a concept. The waterfall model is sequential designing process, according to which progress is defined as flowing downward like that of a waterfall. The various phases of the waterfall model include Conception, Initiation, Analysis, Design, Construction, Testing, Implementation and maintenance. Leading travel software companies are adopting the same model for scalable travel portal development projects. The waterfall model dates back to the olden days when the Romans involved themselves in the construction work. The main theory that the Romans has put forward and the concept that is implemented in the Waterfall model is the fact, that when you build a bridge it is a challenging task to bring about change or fix the bridge later. Even if you find a path of fixing the bridge, it will be costly. It is very essential to know what you want at the beginning, when you are designing the project. The case is different with the software, wherein you can bring about changes in the end-products. Looking at the demand that the users pose to the current software industry, it would not be wrong to say that the users expect change in the end-product very frequently. I can put forward a very common concept in regards to the reason behind demanding change in the end-product. During the beginning of the project an user might have a very vague idea about the features that they want in the project, and a strong opinion is formed with the progression of the project depending on the business needs. Now I could clearly say that, it is the benefits associated with the Agile designing process that had helps in creating an exclusive place when it comes to software designing. The Agile design process enables the project managers to generate a condition that leads to clear and frequent interaction among the customers, business folks and the delivery team. There are many projects that Provab.com have accomplished and in which the Agile method was implemented very effectively. These are the projects wherein the features associated with the end-result were quite different in comparison to the features that were through about, while beginning the project. The factor that mattered for us as an organization was the level of customer satisfaction and appreciation that these projects brought along with them. As mobility solutions depend on the web services generated from the web projects, agile development process will be the backbone of travel portal development companies. http://www.provab.com - Your travel business may be small or big, but it can’t survive in the present world without an Online Booking Software. You may have hosting a very good travel website design on your domain and it may also be attracting a-lot of visitors as well. But without travel software, you may not be able to realize its full potential. With online travel software in place, you can not only connect to potential clients but also achieve the sales online. Integrating a travel agency software will change your website to an online booking system platform. For B2B Travel Portal Development – Get a Project Quote - http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html But how to integrate, is an intriguing issue. There are three basic methods of integration to your existing website:
iFrame Integration Top travel software provides the white label links, which can be connected in any travel website. Your web designer can simply import these links in iframe. Thus your website will host the search box and will enable the complete online booking software on your website. Widget integration You add the code snippet or a widget, from travel software provider, to your website code. Sections of on the online booking UI will be added to the desired places in your website (e.g., search box, hotel room or flights on special offer). API integration API integration is one of the most common methods used today. You need a professional travel software development company to achieve this. APIs provide the web services XML, which should be programmed to connect to third party server to bring the data. Its always advisable to hire an experienced travel portal developer to do this for you. Hotel APIs or Flight APIs integration will give you the complete control on look n feel of the system and customization. With API integration, travel companies can - • Have B2C, B2B, corporate and white-label modules • Manage multiple suppliers including GDS & hotel consolidators • Manage separate sub-domains / domains for end users and agents • Update the markup from the backend • Have IP based currency option • Have comprehensive reporting system Regarding Author: Author is a travel technology expert and has been involved in several travel portal development projects. While travel volume is expanding at a dynamic pace, travelers are slowly getting bored with the traditional, readymade package holidays. Now, travel agencies and tour operators have begun to offer the innovative ‘Dynamic packaging’ in order to attract more cost-conscious and variety-loving customers. For B2C Travel Portal Development – Get a Project Quote - http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html Dynamic packaging enables the travelers to create their own package of flights, accommodation, and car rental in lieu of buying a pre-defined package. The customer can pick, choose and design his/her own ideal holiday. It’ll be not the tour operator but the customer who chooses the beach where she’d sunbathe, the hotel she’d stay and the flight she’d fly to her destination. With dynamic packaging, the travel agent or the tour operator can provide a tailor-made holiday package which best suits the traveler’s needs and tastes. Dynamic packages are mainly sold online. The big margins and high sale price endear this novel travel product to travel agents and tour operators. Many of them are busy getting travel technology companies to build travel software with dynamic packaging of flights and hotels. Travel software with dynamic packaging of flights and hotels must be able to dynamically source inventories of flights, accommodation and car rental components for the package in real-time. The software also has to dynamically synthesize the customer’s choices into packages and give the total price. Individual prices are not informed to the customer, but, anyway, they’ll be less than when they are bought as single components. Travel software with dynamic packaging of flights and hotels will provide the travel agent or the tour operator an inventory management system, mark-up engine with business rules and a ticket issuing and resolution system. With such a specialist software, you can offer dynamic packages to your customers direct from your website. An experienced travel technology company can design your system and deliver a viable dynamic package solution for travel retailers. A good travel booking software development firm can integrate and deploy dynamic packages –flight search engine, hotel search engine / hotel reservation system, car module, cruise and vacation packages – on travel retailer’s websites. It will serve B2C B2B and B2B2C categories. In other words, dynamic packaging connects flights, hotels, car rentals, cruise, etc, in the travel retailer’s booking software and enable him to offer a very wide range of travel products that can be booked together as a package. Customers will be able to book flight tickets, hoter rooms, cruises, etc simultaneously. Main components of dyanamic package are dynamic inventory sourced from wholesalers, facility provided to customers to choose from that dynamic inventory, and enabling of customers to book in real-time. Even a sub-agent can offer dynamic packages to his customers using. Travel agency software with dynamic packaging of flights and hotels empowers travel retailers to package various travel products in real-time and sell it in one transaction across multiple distribution channels. With such a sophisticated software, travel agents can deal with both internal and externally sourced products (air, rail, hotel, activities, transfers, cruises, etc) for packaging. A travel retailer will get the following benefits by integrating travel software with dynamic packaging of flights and hotels Special discounts for dynamic bookings Deal with supplier-negotiated contracts - content, inventory, pricing, pricing rules Integrate with GDS and external supplier and wholesaler systems in real time Sell packages on multiple channels - B2C, B2B, call center, travel stores, XML Retailers can offer their own dynamic packages Increase in revenue and sales volume Agents can offer different dynamic packages like flight+hotel, flight+car, hotel+car or flight+hotel+car Customers will get full service packages Customers can produce their own itineraries Enhance profitability of your travel booking business in general Package and market a combination of travel products such as flights, hotels, activities, tours, transfers and various items Travel software with dynamic packaging of flights and hotels will enhance your agency’s performance in web service, mobile and social networks Administer markups and commissions Automate operations and boost efficiency with an integrated back-office and accounting system Create accounting, management, operational or custom reports quickly Produces vouchers, itineraries, invoices, bills, passenger manifest reports, etc. Consumers can customize itineraries through one or more websites. They can choose the dates of travelling by themselves while a package tour always start and end at dates common for all the travelers who participate in that package. In a package tour, the travelers have to invariably go to all the places prescribed in the tour, or stay at hotel! Nevertheless, the traveler has to pay for all those travel products which do not interest him. But with the travel software with dynamic packaging of flights and hotels he can eliminate all the travel components that do not interest him. Thus dynamic package software is useful for both the travel retailer and the travelers. Regarding Author: Author is a senior business analyst and an expert in travel software development and marketing strategy implementation. http://www.provab.com - When you are searching for travel agency software, tour operator software or travel ecommerce solutions, one of the most important points to consider is the features associated with it. The level of customization capability that the software possess also plays an important factor, while deciding on the software. One more major factor is the level of support that you would receive when you face technical difficulties, after the software has been launched. For Travel Agency Software – Get a Project Quote - http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html Choosing a travel agency software or a travel portal software could be a challenging task, unless you concentrate on the below mentioned key points. Make a note of the features that you want The software should align with your business requirement Have a look at the demo of the software that you are planning to purchase Search for a software that could be customized After development support is very essential The software should be scalable Price should fit your budget 1. Make a note of the features that you want in the software Making a list of the features that you are looking for in the software would help you in knowing your needs. Make a note of the key features and the special requirement that you expect from the software. One of the most common examples that I can site for you is the involvement of advanced mark-up module or the log of the user behavior analysis or an open source technology for your system. Your requirement may include easy access like one click quotation, voucher access from any point, automatic cancellation of booking and raising a system alert automatically. You may wish to have customized features like multiple payment gateway, multi-language framework, pricing model that is flexible and a more controlled back office features. 2. The software should align with your business requirement The software that you purchase should have the capability of meeting your business requirement. This could be ascertained by conducting a market research and designing a business system that meets your requirements. The requirements vary as your business may be spread in one region or it may be spread across the world. The travel agency that you operate might be small with limited number of staffs or it may be a large organization with many employees. There may be a requirement to provide special access to certain employees and there may be requirement for different log ins. Your concept about your business operation should be very clear and accordingly the software should fit into your business requirement. 3. Have a look at the demo of the software that you are planning to purchase An online presentation may showcase all the features, but it is advisable to ask for demo. Demo helps in understanding the system, along with handling it more efficiently. It is better not to have a system that you don't have knowledge about and are not able to use. It is essential to know about the system and how to effectively use it and getting a demo will provide you the opportunity of asking the question related to the operational features of the system. 4. Search for a software that could be customized Customization is a feature that would allow you to add desired feature to the software when required. The travel software doesn't come with all the features. Customization would help you in adding and deleting the features at the required time. 5. After development support is very essential The level of support that the software development company would offer is crucial to the smooth running of the system. When you are stuck, it is the support people who would help you to come out of the situation. You should opt for a software that has 24/7 support team, who would be at their tow to help with any kind of problem that arise with the software. 6. The software should be scalable By being scalable the software would have enough room for expansion. When the software is scalable, it would have sufficient room for adjustment of your growing business and there would be no chance of the business getting halt due to the operation functions. This kind of software system would enable your business to grow without any kind of limitation associated with it. This is for your system facing less hassle during the course of expansion of your business and maintaining a steady growth. 7. Price should fit your budget It is not essential that costly software would provide the best solution and it is also not essential that free software would save cost. Though your budget is limited, investing in better software is recommended. Getting software should be considered as a long term investment. There is always a comparison between features, functionality and piece of mind and price. If you invest in an effective software system, it would be capable of saving money in the future and also lot of frustration. 8. Mobile compatibility A key feature knowing the fact that 30% of the travel booking is coming from mobile devices. Regarding Author: Author is a senior business analyst and an expert in travel software development and marketing strategy implementation. http://www.provab.com - With summer is on, people are planning for travel & vacations. Travel agencies are also pushing the operations to meet the demands. As the competition is high, its important to connect to right clients, either using a great travel agency software, supported by a good CRM team. Following are a few tips to increase the sales. Get a Project Quote - http://www.provab.com/get_quote.html As most of sales are through online travel agency software, use a travel software which connects to social media. Most of the clients read the reviews before they make the purchase. Find the real interests of your potential customers and highlight them. Encourage them to send and update the reviews / comments on your travel website, which is anyways accessed by several potential clients. Going to places is always trending in the social media. Travellers when dissatisfied or angry at a restaurant, hotel, or a flight immediately inform the world through social media. Sometimes they appreciate good service. Interact with them, win their trust, and transform them to your loyal customers. Create a separate travel blog to accommodate the end user contents. With pictures, videos, questions or statuses you can get followers and likes. Social media will tell you where to improve. Social media is big tool to boost sale. A buzzing travel portal will always convert more sales. Offers are an all-time favourite for customers. Declare discounts and freebies frequently. Sell hotel booking, flight booking and activities together. Travel packages attract even reluctant customers. Publish everything using the CMS of your travel portal software and share it to clients. Use SMS sending software to sell ‘last-minute’ flight tickets at great discounts, when there are unexpected cancellations in flights or when tickets are not sold out enough. Who will not desire to get highly discounted last-minute deals to their dream destinations on their mobiles. You can also use your mobile app for this. You can keep your customers updated on new destinations etc.
Your travel software must remind them about travel insurance, special baggage regulations or about the delay of their flight. Users will always appreciate taking care of these small things. You can concentrate on a certain demographic area, a type of travel, a destination and make a travel niche. Your travel software will play a significant role in keeping in contact with these special people even when they are on the move. Regarding Author: Author is a travel technology expert and has been involved in several travel portal development projects. 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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