Hotel Reservation Software Helps Complete Your Offer

Whether your travel agency concentrates on selling airline tickets or it focusses mainly on selling cruises and vacation packages, chances are there is an opportunity to include a hotel booking along with your customer's travel plans. While many travel agents gave up selling hotel accommodations due to challenges they experienced tracking hotel bookings and collecting commissions, the process has improved in recent years. Adding a hotel booking to your customers travel itinerary is easy to do and gives you the opportunity to assist with more of your customers travel needs. So you will want to consider adding a hotel reservation software component to your travel booking engine.

There are several approaches your business can take to include hotel bookings as part of your overall offering. An easy to use standalone hotel booking engine can be an excellent tool for agents or consumers to research and confirm hotel reservations. A custom packaging booking engine will allow you to create your own pre-packaged offers for your customers that includes not only their Air arrangements, but their hotel accommodations, transfers and even cruise vacations as well. For those looking to create their own packages, dynamic packaging solutions allow both agents and consumers to package and price cruises, flights, hotels and other travel products in real time. How you decide to integrate hotel accommodations into your offering depends on your individual business and customer needs.

And no matter if your customers prefer to book online, by telephone or by visiting your agency in person, look for hotel reservation software that is ready to serve customers how and when they decide. Applications should be developed using mobile ready technology so that consumers can access them using the variety of different devices today's mobile consumer uses to research and book their travel arrangements. Your online booking engine needs to access the content your clients are looking for at a competitive price, so make sure the hotel reservation software you can access the right content.

Choosing the right hotel for a particular trip can be tricky depending upon a customer's specific needs. For those looking to stay in a particular area of a city or near a specific point of interest, hotel reservation software with geo-coding to help customers and agents quickly find the right location can prove to be a valuable and timesaving tool. Your travel booking solution should include the ability to pre-define business rules and easily adjust a product's selling price or offer targeted promotions to your customers. Online hotel booking solutions need to include detailed product descriptions and rich content linked to media files that can assist agents as well as consumers throughout the research, shopping and booking process. And for those planning to expand into new markets, consider a solution that can handle multiple languages and currencies.

Finding a hotel booking engine with the right combination of options for your business can be a critical decision. Finding a technology partner with solutions that will help you reach your customers when, where and how they shop for travel can be just as important.

Travel Plans Often Start With Booking a Flight

When people start out to make travel plans, they frequently start with an airline reservation. This makes access to flight booking software critically important to the success of any travel agency business. The right airline reservation system can help make researching the flight options available for a particular destination and checking prices a lot easier. But there are so many options out there, you'll want to research the different options available in the market and be prepared to do your homework. First, make sure you understand your customer's needs and shopping preferences. Then do some quick research of the different booking engine solutions available and what content you might want to include. For example, you may want consider flight booking software that is flexible enough to be used with a packaging module that can offer a hotel room with the flight. This may be an excellent way for you to expand your overall sales volumes while helping you serve your customers better and build up customer loyalty in the process.

The airline reservation system you choose needs to be able to provide your travel business the access the airline content your customers need at the price they are looking for. It should also include administrative tools that allow you to pre-define business rules so you can easily adjust a product's selling price or offer targeted promotions to customers. Most of all, it should be easy to use and reduce the amount of time to complete a travel booking. And consider using mobile ready flight booking software to meet the demands of today's mobile consumer.

Many of the air booking engines available today enable customers to define their initial search by a variety of criteria including a specific airline and class of service or nearby airports and flexible travel dates. A significant number of online booking engines actually access airlines via a connection with large GDS companies for live airline availability and fares to ensure the most up to date information is provided. Some are even capable of simultaneously searching multiple content sources at a time, allowing even a small agency access to not only their own fares, but those of an agency they may partner with. These online booking engines have been tested and certified within the GDS environment, so security and stability is sure to be provided. This new breed of flight booking software can also provide travel agents with easy to use administrative tools to manage their business. Revenue management tools can quickly mark up or discount a product's selling price by website, airline, itinerary and even class of service to adjust a selling fare quickly. Many even support multiple languages and currencies, making expansion into new markets easy.

Finding an airline reservation system with the right combination of options for your online business can be a critical in determining your success. Finding a technology partner that will help you reach today's mobile consumer where and how they shop for air travel can be just as important.

Increase Sales with a Mobile Booking Engine

It should come as no surprise that nearly every facet of the travel industry continues to focus on adding marketing and sales resources to their e-commerce solutions. As more and more people rely on the internet for purchasing just about everything from retail merchandise to personal services, consumers are turning to the internet to research and book flights, hotels and even cruise vacations online. Unfortunately many travel companies have had challenges developing an easy to use mobile booking engine that can be accessed using the variety of today's mobile devices. Many in the travel business continue to use booking applications that were built using legacy technology, which typically doesn't permit them to simply add new content or make minor changes to their User Interface.

The architecture of these old Legacy systems are built on are typically not at all like that used for today's flexible applications. The business rules and policies defined for many Legacy systems are often hardcoded and use predefined, inflexible process flows which make any customization or adaptation with Internet-based applications difficult or sometimes just impossible. And if the amount work required isn't enough of a deterrent, companies ready to make the investment to upgrade have found it increasingly difficult to find developers willing or able to work with applications that are written in languages which are no longer widely used in today's technology. As a result, the Internet revolution and explosion of online commerce has frequently been the driving force behind a company's decision to switch away from a legacy system.

Travel businesses have been quick to learn that moving sales to E-commerce saves them time and money. An online booking engine is typically the most cost effective way to serve customers today and the innovative technology available helps software solution providers design and develop flexible & fully scalable applications that easily grow with any size business. Some even provide the ability to customize the application to maintain a company's own unique brand identity.

To serve today's growing number of consumers using their mobile device to purchase travel products, many companies are building a mobile booking engine. Now, regardless of the type of device a customer uses to access a travel website, applications are available that can automatically adjust the screen layout based on the type of device being used. For those looking to have a dedicated mobile booking App, there are several travel technology companies that can design and develop a custom mobile App for your business. Some offer mobile-ready applications as part of their existing Booking Engine while some will develop them independently. Either approach offers consumers the ease and mobility of using a smart phone or tablet.

Finding a mobile booking engine with the right combination of options for your customer can be a critical decision for your business. Finding a technology partner that will help you reach today's mobile consumer where and how they shop for travel can be just as important.

The Explosion of New Sales Channels

It seems like new websites and online channels are popping up daily, revolutionizing the distribution landscape of the entire travel industry. Whether you are a travel supplier like an airline or a retail travel agent, several opportunities to quickly expand the reach of your travel booking engine to new customers are readily available. Todays' online booking solutions provide unique and powerful tools to book airline tickets, hotel accommodations and even cruise vacations quickly and easily online providing a seamless online experience for users.

Today's online booking engines are able to provide both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) applications designed to automate processes and increase bookings. Customizable header, footers and style sheets enable travel agents to match the look and feel of their website while providing a seamless online experience for their online customers. Some applications are even fully customizable, allowing the booking engine's complete layout to be modified to match an agency's specific requirements.

The explosion of online travel agencies (OTA's) in the travel marketplace has fueled the growth of travel sold online and has allowed for a few large OTA's to dominate the online travel market. Unfortunately the price advantage some large OTA's can offer come with limited customer service in the event your plans suddenly change. And while many of the online travel booking solutions offered by Suppliers are easy to use, the content is often limited to a specific brand. These are two reasons why many consumers have learned the benefits of using a professional travel agent. Not only for the simple ease of having someone else take care of everything for you, but because booking with a travel agent is the best way to reserve hotel accommodations. Specialized agents using the right travel booking engine can save a tremendous amount of time and energy for even the most experienced travelers.

Whether a consumer likes to shop online, by phone or in person, today's travel booking solutions need to be ready to serve customers how and when they decide. Applications should be built using technology that is mobile ready so consumers can access and use them across the variety of different devices so many use during the research, shopping and booking process today. Your online booking engine needs to access the content your clients are looking for at a competitive price. It should include business rules capability so that you can easily adjust a product's selling price and offer targeted promotions to your customers.

Online travel booking solutions need to include detailed product descriptions and rich content linked to media files that can assist your agents as well as consumers booking online across the research, shopping and booking process. And for those planning to expand into new markets, consider a solution that can handle multiple languages and currencies.

Finding a travel booking engine with the right combination of options for your business can be a critical decision for your business. Finding a technology partner with solutions that will help you reach your customers when, where and how they shop for travel can be just as important.

Travel Technology Should be Integrated, Live and Mobile

As competing for customers becomes increasingly competitive in any business, travel technology solutions now include features like loyalty program integration, mobile applications and secure, live connections to supplier content.

Company Loyalty programs, new technology and strategic partnerships all play an important role in today's competitive travel and tourism industry. Loyalty programs have been used by the travel and tourism industry for years and remain an important marketing tool to retain customers for suppliers and agencies alike. A travel booking engine with Loyalty program integration can ensure your customers receive the lucrative discount offers as well as free gifts they have earned while booking with a travel agent. The Loyalty program integration with travel technology can come in the form of gift cards, travel rewards, discounts or even merchandise with the integration of an online booking engine being seamless to the end user and relatively quick to set up.

Do you know what type of special promotion or offer a supplier may offer loyal customers or whether your travel booking engine will be able to easily take advantage of these offers? A technology partner that collaborates with all the different parties involved and considers feedback from each when designing an application may be something to consider.

Travel technology solutions need to be available to customers on whatever device they choose to use. As the use of mobile devices has exploded over the past few years, an easy to use air mobile app has become an important extension of any online travel booking engine. Airline reservations were the first to gain popularity with online booking solutions, so it makes sense that an air mobile app is quickly becoming an important selling tool in today's mobile society. While innovative responsive technology allows mobile ready travel technology solutions to automatically adjust an online booking engine's screen size and layout based on the type of device being used.

Live access to content needs to be provided to be sure the most up to date availability and pricing is used. Your travel booking engine needs to provide live access to the type of relevant content your customers are looking for. And for those looking to expand their reach of their travel business with affiliated agents, an online booking engine needs to be able to quickly and easily add affiliated agents and websites.

But it is not just about using the latest technology, but it is also about using the technology in a way that allows your business to operate more efficiently and increase your revenues. While your technology partner may have the latest platform or development tools available, they may not have the detailed understanding of your business required to develop the best solution for you. This is where travel technology companies that collaborate with both their customers as well as travel suppliers are often able to design travel technology solutions with features that can really help a business succeed.

Finding the right travel technology solution for your online business will play an important role in determining your success. Finding the right technology partner may be even more important.

Travel Agent Software Needs Complete Content

Have you ever started to research plans for a trip or vacation in the middle of the night and you wanted to confirm all aspects of your travel right then and there? The travel booking solutions available today make this completely possible. Thanks to cutting edge technology innovations, confirming your travel arrangements no longer requires endless visits and/or phone calls with a travel agent. Today's online travel agency provides consumers the ability to research and book all aspects of their trip themselves with all the benefits of using a travel agent.

Selling travel online is not just for the large online travel companies that dominate the market. Today's travel agent software can be easily customized to support an individual agency's own unique "Look & Feel" and serve as an easy to use online booking engine for travel agents and consumers alike. These web-based applications are designed to automate processes, increase revenues and reduce time and effort required to complete a transaction. Many are hosted by a technology provider with the headers, footers and style sheets customized to match the agency's look & feel to provide a seamless online experience for customers. Complete customized versions are also supported where an agency can change the complete layout and flow of the booking engine if they desire.

Live access to content is provided to be sure the most up to date availability and pricing is used. Travel agent software typically uses an agency's specific ID when communicating with suppliers like an airline. But airline reservations are not the only travel product that you can book on line. Hotels have been making their content available online as well for years and cruise is one of the fastest growing areas in online travel today. Improved technology combined with the fact that more and more people are taking cruises for the first time has made booking cruises a huge opportunity for online travel businesses. As cruise lines constantly add new ships and new itineraries, it is important that any solution include all the important information about the cruise line an ship as well as detailed cabin descriptions linked to media files & rich content such as cabin photos, ship images and deck plans to assist in the shopping process. Similar to air, the cruise booking engine should use live pricing and availability during the search and booking process as well.

Today's state of the art travel booking solutions include the business management tools needed to control pricing and related marketing messages. Revenue management tools should provide the ability to adjust a product's selling price, highlight value add offers in the availability display. Applications should be designed to meet the unique requirements of Global Marketplaces and easily handle multiple currencies as well as multiple languages. Travel booking solutions should include flexible & fully scalable online reservation engines that can easily grow with your business while maintaining your unique identity.

So whether your clients are looking to book an airline ticket, reserve a hotel room or even plan that perfect cruise vacation, the right travel agent software can help you serve them quicker and easier. Finding the right solution for your online travel business will play an important role in determining your success. Finding the right technology partner may be even more important

Streamline the Hotel Reservation Procedure with Hotel Booking Engine

The internet has changed the way the travel industry conducts business and the way hotel accommodations are researched and booked today is no exception. The hotel industry was quick to embrace the online marketplace by shifting their business online. They experienced some early success, but not without some challenges along the way. At first it seemed like the only way some hotels could compete online was by price. Initially "online bookings" typically represented a discounted price as a result with some hoteliers using online retailers to dump unused inventory at significantly reduced prices. While some of this deep discounting still occurs, many have been able to reverse this trend and regain some price control with the use of a state of the art hotel booking engine.

Hotel companies have made a significant investment in providing access to media files & rich content to assist with selecting the right hotel property during the shopping process. Today's consumer can go online and view photographs of actual hotel rooms as well as public areas and learn about things like the different amenities available.

Travel agents remain a great resource to help consumers research their options and can often find the best deal possible and ensure their client's get treated like a VIP upon arrival. They are experts in the industry and many have negotiated special deals and amenities for their clients. Many have launched their own online booking solutions with a hotel booking engine that allows you to research and book your hotel accommodations when and where you want while still enjoying the benefits of using a travel agent.

Hotel reservation software should be easy to use and provide Users the functionality they are looking for. The ability to narrow the Search to a specific neighborhood within a city near a specific point of interest may be important for some. Easily finding the property that includes the specific amenities a client may be looking for such as free internet or perhaps concierge service may be important for others. The ability to find a hotel that has a restaurant or banquet facilities may be key for those planning an event. Hotels offer varying levels of comfort and service, so matching a client with the right hotel is also important. The ability for your hotel booking engine to sort a search for hotel rooms by a particular star rating or the average nightly rate can speed up the process dramatically.

With just a few clicks of a mouse, today's consumer can access the information needed to research which particular hotel best meets their individual needs. They can search for a hotel room by a specific neighborhood within a larger city or by price range and even star rating. There is even a way to research whether a hotel property has free internet, a restaurant or SPA services. Some applications go as far as using innovative responsive technology that automatically adjusts the screen display layout based on the type of device being used to access the booking engine.

So not matter what size an online travel business is, finding the right hotel booking engine for your business is important. Finding the right technology partner may be even more important.

Flight Reservation System to Compete in Travel Business

The flight reservation system was originally developed by the airlines decades ago in an attempt to automate processes and reduce the time and effort that was required to complete a reservation for a flight. These systems evolved over the years becoming the huge Global Distribution Systems or GDSs that many of today's online booking engines use for live connectivity to hundreds of airlines worldwide. These massive systems aggregate content and provide live connections with literally hundreds of airlines and provide access to them all through a single interface.

Many of today's online booking engines integrate with the GDSs to access airline content using an agency's specific ID and then customize the headers, footers and style sheets to provide a seamless online experience for users. Complete private label versions are also supported where an agency can change the complete layout to meet their specific requirements. There's even a flight reservation system with the ability to simultaneously search multiple content sources for the best price using live access to airline content to be sure the most up to date availability and pricing is used.

These online booking engines also provide the Revenue management tools needed to manage your business, including the ability to mark up or mark down a product's selling price by supplier, itinerary, class of service, dates and more. Whether your customers prefer to book their travel arrangements directly with a travel agent (B2B) -or- they prefer to shop and book online (B2C), an air booking engine provides the ability to service them quickly and easily. Some even support Multiple Selling Channels which can be easily managed using a single application. Ready to help any size business grow, today's online booking engine is designed to easily set up additional users and affiliated websites and many even have an optional mobile app for the flight reservation system.

The most flexible online reservation engines utilize responsive technology to provide greater support of various mobile and tablet screen sizes so customers can easily view and navigate through the booking process regardless of what device they are using. And for those looking to control the user interface of their online booking engine, an Air XML can provide the capability for a Client to host all User interfaces on their own server while using the core booking engine for business logic and live Pricing, Availability & Booking.

The best online booking engines are is designed to meet the unique requirements of Global Marketplaces and can easily handle multiple currencies as well as multiple languages. They use "state of the art" technology" that helps them design, develop and deliver flexible & fully scalable online reservation engines that can easily grow with your business while maintaining your unique identity.

So whether your clients are looking to book an airline ticket, reserve a hotel room or even plan that perfect cruise vacation, an online booking engine can help you serve them quicker and easier. Finding the right flight reservation system for your online travel business will play an important role in determining the success of your online booking engine. Finding the right technology partner may be even more important.

Mobile Booking Engine - Seamless Approach to Serve The Clients

Today's mobile phones are not just used for phone calls, they are used to perform a wide variety of everyday tasks. Smart phones are packed with features that include more than the ability to listen to music or take a picture using the built-in camera. Today's mobile devices can check email, access social media, perform online banking transactions and even get driving directions. The old flip phone from 20 years ago has been replaced with a powerful handheld computer that can do almost anything. And the online revolution over the past decade has helped pave the way for retailers to quickly expand their online retail presence to include these sophisticated handheld mobile devices.

As the processing capabilities of handheld devices improved, we began to see what some refer to as the App explosion. The term "app" was derived by shortening of the term "software application" when designed to specifically run on mobile devices like a smart phone or tablet. Most devices sold today come with pre-installed software such as web browsers for internet access including calendars and email as well as map programs for directions and even apps to purchase music or videos. Travel companies were quick to recognize the potential benefits of mobile technology and have embraced it as part of their product distribution plan. There's a mobile app for almost everything today and the popularity of the mobile booking engine is changing the way consumers research and book flights.

As a result, online travel agencies began to quickly develop air mobile apps that take advantage of all the benefits an online booking engine offers combined with the ease and mobility of using a smart phone to book a flight. A mobile booking engine is a great way for any travel agent to serve their clients "on the go" or reach a new generation of travelers who exclusively use their smart phones and tablets to research and book their travel.

Travel agency online booking engines with optional air booking mobile apps use cutting edge mobile technology integrated with the most innovative online booking engines available in the market today. Many are designed to support a client's own unique "Look & Feel" with the headers, footers and style sheets customized for each client to provide a seamless online experience for their customers. Complete private label versions are also available where clients can change the complete layout of their online booking solution.

A mobile booking engine should be designed to automate processes, increase revenues and reduce the time and effort required to complete an online transaction. It can quickly extend the reach of any online travel agency and Live access to airline content is provided to be sure the most up to date availability and pricing is used. A travel agency's online booking engine should be flexible as well as scalable and so should their technology partner. Finding the right mobile booking engine for your online travel business will play an important role in determining your online success. Finding the right technology partner may be even more important.

Find The Right Hotel to Fulfill Your Needs with Hotel Booking Engine

Whether you are travelling for business or pleasure, one of the most important aspects of your travel arrangements will be your hotel accommodations. Unless you know the exact hotel property you want to stay at, this is one part of your travel arrangements when booking with an experienced travel agent can really work in your favor. Many Travel agents know the different hotel properties within a given city and can recommend the right hotel to meet your needs. Some travel agents may have access to special offers or deals and in many cases can get you that special VIP treatment that will make your stay so much more enjoyable. Many of today's travel agency websites include a hotel booking engine option, allowing their customers to take advantage of all the benefits that booking with a travel agent combined with the ease and accessibility of a using a fully mobile online hotel reservation system.

Savvy travelers recognize that booking with a travel agent may be the key to getting a special rate on a hotel room and possible room upgrade or that special V.I.P. treatment during their stay. The right online hotel booking engine can help your travel agency automate processes, increase revenues and reduce time and effort required for your customers to complete a hotel booking. There are several ways to access hotel content including Global Distribution Systems (aka: GDSs) as well as large hotel aggregators with hotel reservation system interfaces of their own. Finding the content source that is right for your business is an important first step.

Distinguishing your business from the other online travel websites and maintaining your individual brand identity is another consideration. Today's online booking engines can provide a seamless online experience for customers by using your company header, footer and even colors and fonts to protect your brand identity. Complete private label versions are also supported where the layout can be changed to meet a client's specific requirements.

Booking with a travel agent is easy when using an online hotel booking engine designed with the capability to search rates and availability at multiple properties in a given location. Detailed hotel and room pictures as well as descriptions of services and amenities are all important pieces of information to include to help decide which is the best hotel selection for a specific customer.

A flexible, online hotel reservation system can allow any size travel agent to compete with the largest online travel agencies while still providing customers the personalized service that booking with a travel agent can offer. Booking with a travel agent makes more sense than ever before and finding one that uses an online booking engine that allows customers to research and book the right hotel room quickly and securely is the key to success.

Whether your customer books directly with a travel agent -or- they prefer to shop and book online using your website, making online hotel bookings easy will allow your travel business to serve them quickly and easily. Finding the right travel technology solution for your travel business is important, finding the right technology partner can be even more important.

Travel Technology Packaging Solutions

Travel technology solutions that are easy to use, mobile friendly and can be easily customized to client look and feel are key to competing in today's online market place. Finding a solution with the ability to handle multiple currency and languages to truly meet a global audience on a computer, tablet or smart phone is key if going global. Mobile First should be your philosophy for all development, not just for the front end but also the administrative console as well. This way Agents as well as customers can use their tablets, iPads, phones to book and manage travel with a booking engine that is completely mobile friendly.

The ability to combine travel products either pre-packaged or dynamically online have become increasingly popular with today's consumer. Most custom packaging products allow a travel agency to tailor make holiday travel plans and then convert them into packages to be sold online. There are some travel technology companies that have developed dynamic packaging engines around Air + Hotel Accommodations and even Tours or Activities, but very few that have successfully launched a global cruise booking solution. A cruise booking is one of the most complex travel booking transactions and only a few industry leaders offer live connectivity to cruise lines globally including ability to book into group or charter inventory. The productivity gains the fast and flexible travel technology that these companies can offer is amazing. Agents can quickly compare multiple cruise lines and prices in a single search. The best continuously updates and innovatively caches the data on their servers for quicker responses increasing agent productivity and earning power.

Some products use cruise as the base of the transaction and then add other travel products like air, hotel accommodations and even activities as part of or around the cruise. Some have unique features and the capability to offer a predefined package tailored by a vacation expert or to make their own cruise holiday package that includes flights, hotel accommodations and even activities.

Most of today's Dynamic Packaging products were developed as extensions existing travel booking engines. These packaging engines were designed to package and price cruises, flights, hotels and other travel products in real time. The dynamic packaging module takes advantage of the existing connections with various suppliers and the dynamic and innovative rules engines available allow an online travel agency to deliver the proper marketing message to their users whether that be an agent and/or their customers.

Much of the innovation within many travel technology solutions occurs in what's known as the 'Rules Engine. This valuable tool allows a travel agency owner to customize and deliver the right marketing message to both agents and their online customers. The typical Rules Engine can be rigid and time-consuming to manage, but some innovative travel technology companies have changed this. Rather than a limited selection, they offer different rule types allowing agents to choose from options such as on-board credits, rewards points, value adds, discounts, mark-ups etc. They can be easily set and applied automatically based on a variety of predefined filters.

Finding the right travel technology solution for your travel business is important, finding the right travel technology partner can be even more important

Online Booking Engines Need To Be Mobile Ready

It's no secret that today's consumer uses their smart phone for just about everything and it's estimated that within the next two years there will be over 8 billion handheld, mobile ready devices in use globally. The availability of mobile applications has undoubtedly helped transform the frequency and manner these devices are used. The variety of different mobile ready technology, app stores and high speed internet connections available today have only helped increase consumer use of mobile devices. Whether making their own travel arrangements or purchasing groceries, it seems like consumers can and do buy just about anything online today.

The move to mobile by consumers is forcing many companies to consider a mobile strategy for their business while maintaining their traditional brick & mortar operation and online business via their website. However, there are different ways to approach developing a mobile web presence to consider. Some choose to use responsive technology when designing their mobile booking engine, while others may decide to use a dedicated Mobile App for their business.

There are several factors to consider when evaluating whether to use mobile ready responsive technology verses a dedicated mobile App. Websites are often designed to be used on large screens that are found on laptop computers and many do not consider how the application will appear to a consumer using a mobile device. Traditional website applications can be difficult to read or navigate through and requiring a consumer to zoom in or resize their screen to use the application. One solution for companies looking for a mobile booking engine is a mobile ready website connected to an online booking engine that is built using innovative responsive technology that automatically adjusts the screen size and layout to fit the type of device being used.

Dedicated mobile Apps are also becoming more popular, allowing an application to be accessed by any device with a web browser. The benefits of a dedicated mobile App can be more than just combining the power and versatility of an online booking engine with the ease and accessibility of a handheld device.

Some of the advantages of using Responsive technology when designing your website include a single application built to run across all devices, regardless of screen size. This can reduce maintenance costs by avoiding the need to maintain several versions of an application while providing a better user experience for your customers. For instance, destination maps may be a critical tool when using a hotel booking engine to research and book a hotel room. These destination map applications are usually image heavy and may require zooming in or resizing the screen. This is another good example of why you should consider a hotel booking engine that built using innovative responsive technology.

To create the best user experience possible, you need to consider that today's consumer may start researching their travel arrangements using a handheld device but complete their purchase online using a tablet or laptop. Differences in these two approaches provide each with inherent advantages as well as disadvantages. The key to success is finding a technology partner with the solutions that best fit your business.

Innovation is Key to Booking Airlines Effieciently

From the beginning, airlines have been driving efficiency through innovation with systems designed to automate processes and reduce the time required to complete an airline reservation. These systems have been providing travel industry professionals the ability to book air travel directly for decades. Early on they began to offer the ability to search schedule availability and price for flights by a variety of search criteria such a specific airline, flexible travel dates, nearby airports, nonstops only, etc. As the volume of an airline's business grew and they began to offer more service options in advance, the airline reservation system quickly began to include these features as well. Advance seat Selection, special service requests, ordering onboard meals in advance all became additional options in an online booking engine as well. Credit Card validation, AVS checks, Airline blocking, ticket type checks as well as consolidator and negotiated fares soon followed.

Many travel companies have found that the airline booking engine they can license from an experienced travel technology company to be more powerful and cost effective than developing, hosting and maintaining it themselves. For those looking to control their own user interface, some technology companies provide the capability for Clients to host all User interfaces on their own server while using a web services interface to their booking engine hosted by their technology partner.

There are many types of hosted solutions available including everything from the basic "out of the box" airline reservation system to more customizable applications that include unique sub-domains for your specific version of the application to minimize the appearance customers are being redirected from your website. The best of these allow for booking engine's headers, footers and style sheets to be customized to maintain your brand identity and provide a seamless online experience for your customers. Some travel companies may require a fully custom application where they design the complete layout to meet their own specific requirements. Mobile apps are now available that can extend an airline booking engine to a dedicated app. Many clients are also choosing mobile ready applications built using responsive technology that automatically provides support of various mobile and tablet screen sizes so customers can easily view and navigate through the booking process regardless of the device they are using.

As is the case with many things, the more that you need customized, the higher your costs are likely to be. So remember to evaluate the benefit that customization brings compared to the associated additional costs.

Live access to content is critical for any airline reservation system. Some air booking engines even have the ability to simultaneously search multiple content sources for the best price, allowing an agency to combine their own content with content from a partner agency. Management Tools include the ability to mark up or mark down a product's selling price by airline, itinerary, class of service, dates and more. Some even allow for promotional codes to be set up that can be redeemed during the booking process.

Finding an airline booking engine that can help your online business drive efficiencies through innovation is important. Finding the right technology partner to help make this happen is the key to success.

Drive Hotel Booking Through Innovation

Travel Technology providers were one of the pioneers in online commerce and a critical factor to the success of today's online travel business worldwide. The most innovative and comprehensive online travel solutions available in the market today evolved through years of collaboration with travel agents and travel suppliers. Engaging all of the parties involved in the selling process during an application's design phase and using innovative, state of the art technology are key when developing the best online booking solutions.

For example, a hotel reservation system should be designed to automate processes and reduce time and effort required to research and complete a hotel booking. It should provide live, up to date pricing and availability using live connections where ever possible. And with so many hotel options available, both travel agents and consumers appreciate solutions that include links to media files & rich content to them assist with selecting the right hotel property during the shopping process. The ability to search for a hotel by geographic area and points of interest will help narrow the search and ensure they are where they need to be. Having easy access to hotel amenities included such as complimentary breakfast or WiFi access can be key factors when choosing a hotel property. Room size and bedding options available may be an important consideration when making arrangements for more than one traveler.

And in today's mobile world, a hotel booking engine needs to be mobile ready. Look for applications that use innovative responsive technology that automatically adjusts the screen display layout based on the type of device being used. Expand your sales network with features that allow you to quickly add affiliate Users or websites and the ability to easily customize the look and feel for each including headers, footers, style sheets, email addresses & company name. Access to local content as well as multi language and multi currency capability are additional factors to consider if you plan to expand your business into ethnic or international markets.

The hotel reservation system you use needs to allow you to manage your online hotel bookings with full payment capability and support of cancelation policies. It should have the content your customers are looking for at a competitive price. Look a booking engine with easy to use administrative features such as Profile Management and Preferences Management that provide you the ability to turn on/off these features yourself as oppose to paying someone to do it for you.

Reporting capabilities to track your business are also critical features to look for when shopping for a hotel booking engine. Booking statistics are important tools when measuring your business compared to previous periods, but quick and easy access to information like search statistics and "Look to Book" ratios can help you identify trends and potential issues before it's too late to make adjustments or change course.

The hotel reservation system you choose should be fast, responsive and provide the relevant content your customers are looking for while driving efficiencies through innovation. It's just a matter of finding the right technology partner to make this happen.

Driving Efficiencies Through Innovation

The innovative technology that is available today has made us all more efficient in so many ways. Smart phones allow us to have telephone conversations from just about anywhere and we are all just a few clicks away from checking our email or social media. Not sure how to get somewhere? Check your smart phone for directions. And today you can purchase just about anything right from your phone as retailers become increasingly focused on mobile ready technology.

There's a wide range travel technology available today depending upon your specific needs. Everything from easy to use "out of the box" solutions for those just getting started to unique custom business solutions designed to specifically meet the needs of your business are available. There are even "out of the box:" solutions that can be easily customized to support your own unique brand identity. These solutions can be valuable features for online travel agencies looking to build and protect their brand.

In today's mobile world, travel technology solutions need to have a User experience designed to maximize sales while making the research and booking of travel arrangements easy. Efficiencies in the way that a travel agent interacts with their customers can help save the time it takes them to create a travel related booking and increase an agent's overall sales volume. For example, having the right special offers in place and being able to quickly identify them right in the availability display can be just as important as the ability to easily adjust a product selling price in today's competitive online environment. Many of today's online booking engines include powerful business rules features that allow business owners the flexibility to easily pre-define price adjustments and "value add" offers using wide variety of filters including type of service, supplier, travel dates and booking channel to name just a few.

Travel technology should provide your business access to all booking channels. This includes traditional business-to-business (B2B) as well as business-to-consumer (B2C) and even business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C). For those looking to expand their sales network to include home based agents, the ability to extend the use of the online booking engine to these groups will allow you to expand the reach of your sales network. Mobile ready applications are another key feature to look for.

Innovative travel technology solutions that quickly and easily combine travel components such as Cruise + Air + Hotel together to create Custom Packages have become increasingly important as travel agents look to create unique packaged offers to their consumers. The Dynamic Packaging of components has also become increasingly popular with consumers looking to create their own unique packaged experience. Booking Engines which automatically offer a hotel reservation after an airline reservation is complete not only make the booking process more efficient, but can also help your travel business increase hotel bookings significantly and drive up your overall sales volume.

Finding travel technology that will have your online business driving efficiencies through innovation is important. Finding the right technology partner to help make this happen is the key to success.

Is Your Online Travel Booking Engine Mobile?

Smart phones are not just for phone calls. They are used for wide variety of tasks which include browsing the internet, text messaging, emails, banking, driving directions and even shopping. Travel companies were quick to recognize the potential benefits of mobile technology and have embraced it as part of their overall product distribution plan. There's a mobile app for almost everything today and the popularity of airline mobile apps is changing the way consumers research and book flights.

Some of the travel technology solutions available today include an optional air mobile app that takes advantage of all the benefits an online travel agency air booking engine offers combined with the ease and mobility of using a smart phone to book a flight. Some offer mobile applications as an optional "add-on" to an existing airline booking engine while some develop them independently. A mobile booking engine is a great way for any travel agent to serve their existing clients "on the go" or reach a new generation of travelers who exclusively use their smart phones and tablets to research and book their travel.

To get started, you'll want to begin with the basics like a website that is mobile ready so that customers can find your business quickly and easily online using the device they choose. Next you'll want to add a mobile booking engine that combines integrated cutting edge technology with the convenience and benefits of an online travel agent booking engine. Many online booking engines are designed to support a client's own unique "Look & Feel" with the headers, footers and style sheets customized to provide a seamless online experience for customers. Complete private label versions are also available where clients can design the complete layout of their online air booking engine themselves. It all just depend s upon what your requirements and budget are.

Most large online travel agents have built applications that use responsive technology to serve today's growing number of consumers who use their mobile device to purchase travel products as well as those that switch between devices during the research and booking process. Now, regardless of the type of device a customer uses to access a website, applications built using responsive technology can automatically adjust the screen layout based on the type of device being used.

For those looking to have a dedicated Mobile App, there are several companies designing and developing custom Apps, while other companies offer mobile ready applications as an optional "add-on" to an existing air booking engine. Either approach offers Consumers the ease and mobility of using a smart phone or tablet. Mobile Apps and mobile responsive technology are no longer just available for the big brand names either. Travel software companies can now provide any size travel agency an affordable mobile booking engine built using the latest technology with the powerful tools to they need to compete with any size online travel business.

Finding an online booking solution with the right combination of features for your business can be critical and the key to the success of your online travel business. Finding a technology partner with the right solutions can be just as important.

Collaboration Developing Travel Technology is Key

There are so many online travel technology solutions available in the market today offering so many different product options that finding the right one for your business can often be overwhelming for many. Of course you'll want to find a solution that accesses the content you are looking with the administrative tools you'll need to adjust a products selling price or offer a special promotion. Most of the online travel booking engines in the market today come with these basics which can be enough to get you online. But is simply getting your business online enough in today's crowded marketplace?

A handful of large Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) control a significant portion of the mass market where price is a main driver. These online conglomerates have amassed such "buying power" with travel suppliers that they are able to secure the lowest prices available at the highest commission rates, making them difficult to compete with on price alone. Many have made significant investment in technology and infrastructure to improve their efficiency which has secured their competitive advantage even more.

But there is hope for those looking to compete online with these giants, it's just a matter of doing your research, developing your strategy and implementing your plan. Quite often, online sales are a driving force behind a company's decision to change technology. Online sales can save a business both time and money making it the most cost effective method to serve today's consumer. The innovative travel technology solutions available today allows technology providers to design and develop flexible & fully scalable applications that can easily grow with your business. Many can even provide the ability for you to customize the application templates to maintain your company's own unique branding. And to serve today's growing number of consumers who use their mobile device to purchase travel products as well as those that switch between devices during the research and booking process, many are choosing applications that use responsive technology that can automatically adjust the screen layout based on the type of device being used.

Experience has shown that some of the best travel technology solutions are the result of collaboration. Software Developers, Suppliers and Travel Agents all provide valuable input on how to design and develop the ultimate online travel booking engine. Each of these participants in the sales process play an important role and any technology should consider the individual needs of each. This type of collaborative effort can help ensure an online solution that automates processes and increases revenues while it reduces the time and effort required to complete a transaction.

Input and feedback from Suppliers as well as Travel Agents ensures that the technology connecting them meets each of their individual needs as well as identify areas for process improvement more efficiently. For example, Easy to Use applications designed by a specialized team working with travel agent users are able to deliver an online booking engine that reduces the amount of time required to train agents and gets them selling faster. Finding a technology solution with the right combination of options for your business can be critical and the key to the success of your online travel business. Finding a technology partner that uses a collaborative approach can be just as important.

With so many travel booking engine options to book travel yourself today, many ask why use a travel agent when I can do it myself? Well consider the fact that you can spend hours online searching various websites for the best travel deals and sometimes you get good results while other times you just end up frustrated and confused by so many options.

The world of travel has become increasingly complex as more options become available that compete for today's travel dollar. Despite so many options for consumers to book directly with an airline or hotel online, many consumers continue to use a travel agent for good reason. Today's travel agent software provides agents with the tools they need to quickly serve their customers while reducing costs to serve them. Travel Agents are experts who know more about travel than the average consumer and have access to perks like special pricing and amenities. Today's travel booking engine allows agents to offer clients the content they are looking for at the best price available.

But a good travel agent can offer more than just travel recommendations and perks. They understand some of the more complicated requirements associated with some foreign travel such as Passport & Visa requirements, health insurance protection and inoculation procedures. They can help you navigate these potential snares in your travel plans and prove to be a valuable resource during your trip. For example, a travel agent can help you adjust your travel arrangements due to an unexpected change in plans or an unscheduled flight interruption or cancellation.

The cost of using a travel agent can fluctuate based on where you are, but is money well spent when you consider what an agent can do for you. Travel Agents are experts in their field and the travel agent software many use allows them to save time by sorting through the surplus of information and find the right deal for you. They can research and handle every aspect of your trip, including air transportation, hotel accommodations and even ground transportation.

While it may cost money to use a travel agent, they know how to find lowest airfares and often use their connections to make sure you receive perks like free upgrades or special amenities. For example, an agent may suggest you consider using a nearby alternate airport or travel on an alternate date to save money. They may have access to a free room upgrade or special amenities because of the volume of business they send to a particular hotel. The additional charges that you might potentially save with complimentary Wi-Fi alone over a several day stay at some hotels can more than cover the cost of using a travel agent.

Travelling the world can be full of unexpected snags, but a having a good travel agent just a call away or access to their travel booking engine online is a great insurance policy to have in the event something goes wrong.

Finding travel agent software with the right combination of options for your business can be critical and the key to the success of your online travel business. Finding a technology partner with the right solutions to meet your needs can be just as important.

Choosing The RIght Airline System for Your Travel Business

Gone are the days when airline passengers needed to visit their local travel agent to make an airline reservation. The online revolution of commerce has touched just about every business and the airline industry is no exception. Today, customers can check an airline reservation system for pricing and availability from just about anywhere. Online travel booking engines have made it easier for customers to research and purchase airline tickets or reserve a hotel room. The advantages these online booking engines offer customers range from quick and easy price comparisons of several airlines to allowing travelers to select their seat or reserve a meal. Some even include the ability to simultaneously search multiple content sources for the best fare on a specific airline.

The convenience including a flight reservation system on your website allows customers to interact with your travel business any time of day, no matter whether you are busy at the moment or not. Simply put, having an online booking engine that is easy to use and readily available allows your business to be ready when your customers are. Not to mention the convenience of eliminating the need for your customers to make an extra trip to your agency location. A good online travel booking engine allows your customers to easily research and book their flight arrangements at their own pace as well as where and when they are ready.

Some air booking engines even include the ability to simultaneously search multiple content sources for the best fare. This allows them to take advantage of some potentially lower rates offered by an affiliated agency or partner by seamlessly including these lower rates in the display. Others may look for the ability to connect their flight reservation system with affiliated agents and their own individual or websites which can be another important tool to extend their reach. The more advanced air booking engines even allow for the Booking engine's header & footer to be customized to match a specific affiliate's unique branding.

Today's airline reservation system needs to keep pace with the changing marketplace and include the ability easily make price adjustments and include value adds in the display. A good air booking engine will provide the ability to adjust an airfare based on the date booked, dates travelled, airline, flight number and even the type of airfare used. Value add offers such as free travel insurance or other merchandising opportunities can be included right in the availability display in some cases, alerting customers to where they will find the best value in addition to lowest price.

Lastly, you may want to consider an airline reservation system that includes robust reporting tools to help you track your business. Predefined reports that provide basic Booking Statistics including basic customer reports, booking modified status reports to track bookings with a change in status and even search statistics to identify what customers are looking for verses actually booking using the flight reservation system.

Finding a flight reservation system with the right combination of options for your business can be critical and the key to the success of your online travel business. Finding a technology partner with the right solutions to meet your needs can be just as important.

Hotel Bookings Can Help Increase Revenues

Are you serving all of your customer's travel needs or leaving money on the table by not offering hotel accommodations along with an airline reservation or cruise vacation? Adding Hotel Reservation Software to your online booking engine is an excellent way to diversify your agency's sources of revenue and capture additional commissions while taking care of more of your customers overall travel needs.

There are several things to consider when choosing the Hotel Booking Engine that is right for your business. Consider factors like who your customers are, what type of hotel accommodations are they interested in and how they prefer to research, book and purchase their travel products. A good online booking engine should include the content your customers are looking for with the ability for you to easily adjust a product's selling price. It should be simple to use and contain links to media files & rich content to assist with selecting the right hotel property during the shopping and booking process.

You don't need to be selling to customers located in international markets for multi-language capabilities to be important to your online business. For example, a significant portion of the population in many North American cities speak languages other than English. Studies have shown that communicating with these populations in their native language improves customer satisfaction and increases sales. You may consider adding a Spanish version of your online booking engine to attract and serve the growing Hispanic community throughout North America or French to serve the French speaking population in a city like Montreal. Multi-currency capability is something you will also look for in your online booking engine as well if you do plan to expand internationally.

Consider attracting travelers looking for last minute deals due to a sudden change in plans or those just looking for a last minute getaway with special offers. These "on the move" customers are more likely to use their mobile device to check last minute pricing and availability, especially when they are already traveling, so a mobile ready application will be key. Make sure that the Hotel Reservation Software that you choose is built using responsive technology that can automatically adjust the screen display to fit the type of device being used.

For a way to compete with some of the large Online Travel Agencies, consider a Hotel Booking Engine that includes powerful tools that allow you to pre-define business rules to create your own promotions and special deals for customers to take advantage of. You'll want an online booking engine that allows you to easily adjust a product's selling price or include specific value add offers based on a wide range of criteria that you define and preset. For example, consider adding VIP extras like champagne on arrival or access to other special amenities hotels reserve for their best customers.

And to maintain contact with your customers throughout the selling process and actual hotel stay, consider a Hotel Booking Engine that allows you to customize your emails to customers and communicate with them before, during and after their trip.

Finding Hotel Reservation Software with the right combination of options for your business can be critical and the key to the success of your online travel business. Finding a technology partner with the right solutions can be just as important.

The Right Travel Software Can Revolutionize The Agent Selling Process

Online travel booking solutions are one of the biggest benefits that the internet has provided the travel industry. These online solutions have revolutionized the way the entire travel industry interacts and conducts business with customers. Today, anyone with access to the internet is just a few clicks away from the ability to research and confirm their travel arrangements. The travel agent software available today has automated and customized the entire booking process while providing comprehensive and innovative solutions for travel agents to better serve their customers. There are solutions available today for travel agents that will make the shopping and booking process quicker and easier for any travel component including Airlines, Hotels and even Cruise Lines.

The airlines started the trend years ago by automating the process for travel agents to sell flights by launching their own booking engines for travel agents to use. By using these early airline booking engines, travel agents were able to greatly improve their productivity selling airline tickets and provide better service to their customers. Travel agent software has been evolving ever since, constantly adding new features & functionality as well as new product lines such as hotels, car rentals, cruise vacations and even travel insurance.

Applications that are easy to use and contain the information a travel agent needs to research the options available are critical to success. For example, finding the right hotel based on an individual's specific needs is an important part of planning any trip, but can be overwhelming with so many options available. To help simplify the process and select the right hotel for a client, many hotel booking engines integrate links to media files & rich content to assist during the shopping process. Many online cruise booking engines can even allow anyone to quickly research and book a cruise with many containing detailed ship and cabin descriptions as well as photos to help identify the best options available during the shopping process.

Easy to use travel agent software is built to automate processes and reduce the amount of time it takes to make a booking. Many are so easy to use that they can have agents selling quickly with a minimal amount of training. Some travel technology solutions can also extend booking capability to an agency's website. This allows customers to research and book travel anytime, anywhere they choose, while still receiving the benefits of using a professional travel agent.

Some things to consider include the type of products you plan to sell, the sources you plan to secure your content from and the ability to protect your brand identity. So update the online travel solution your agents are using and revolutionize your travel business. Both you and your customers will be glad you did. Finding travel agent software with the right combination of options for your business can be critical to the success of your travel business. Finding a technology partner with solutions to help you serve today's mobile consumer when and where they shop for travel can be just as important.

Hotel Bookings Anytime, Anywhere

The explosive use of mobile devices over the past decade has made mobile technology an important part of any travel business' strategy to attract and serve customers. Have you ever turned around and went back home to get your mobile phone, even if you are going to be gone for just a few minutes? It seems like many of us have become so accustom to the convenience these devices provide, that they have become one of our most important, if not critical possessions.

Retailers recognize this opportunity and many have capitalized on the trend and can make their products and services available to their customers anytime, anywhere. Airline reservations are just a few clicks away and many applications include a hotel booking engine as well.

You'll want to start with the basics like a mobile ready website so that customers can find your business quickly and easily online using the device of their choice. A good way to start your research may be to learn what your competitors are using for their online technology and see if something similar might work for you. Businesses of all size are realizing the potential of mobile ready technology to gain more customers and increase sales and are taking their business mobile. Today's online consumer can shop for and purchase everything for their trip using their mobile device including airline tickets and hotel reservations and they can even purchase Travel Insurance for it all as well.

As Millennials become the largest segment of consumers, make sure your business is ready to serve this generation the way that they choose to shop. While there are no precise dates for when this contingent of the population starts or ends, typically a millennial was born between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as a group. This is the generation that grew up with laptop computers, cellphones and helped fuel the explosion of the use of smart phones globally. They are quick to embrace new technology and make a majority of their purchases online. They also travel more than generations before them and often start their research for their travel accommodations using a hotel booking engine that is mobile ready.

When it comes to online technology, you need to be open to learning something new every single day, or you will quickly find your online technology outdated and unable to keep up with today's mobile economy. To prevent this, one topic that should stay on your radar is mobile ready hotel booking engine. As you research the online booking engine options available, you should consider that more businesses will be offering their services online than ever before, ensuring that mobile ready travel technology is here to stay. The benefits of flexibility and ease of use improves the customer engagement in a way that millennial customers demand. A strong mobile strategy can increase sales while improving customer engagement and loyalty, a combination of factors for growth that your business is sure to benefit from.

Finding a hotel booking engine with the right combination of options for your business can be critical to the success of your travel business. Finding a partner with travel technology solutions to help you reach today's mobile consumer anytime, anywhere they shop for travel can be just as important.