Hotel Reservation Software Should Do It All

Hotel companies were early adopters of the internet as a retail marketplace to reach consumers. As a flood of hotel inventory became available online, it seemed like a natural progression for the online hotel marketplace to shift away from individual hotel websites to aggregators of hotel content.

The hotel reservation software used by these aggregators can provide a vast amount of hotel content that includes large hotel chains as well as smaller boutique hotel specific to a region. Unfortunately, however, the technology initially used did not provide a good way for hotels to promote a specific hotel property’s unique characteristics, resulting in price & availability ruling the display.

As the larger hotel companies began to develop their own online hotel reservation software, many included detailed descriptions as well as pictures of the actual hotel property and later virtual tours to showcase everything a specific hotel location offers.  For the first time, consumers were able to actually able to access pictures of the different types of rooms available, the hotels’ public spaces such as the gym or restaurant, providing a good idea of whether or not a specific hotel was the right fit.

This became a huge advantage for those hoteliers looking to capitalize on an emerging trend where consumers sought more than just a hotel room at the lowest price and were demanding more. Some were seeking a luxury travel experience while others had more complicated requirements requiring the personalized attention that only a professional travel agent could provide. Many travel agencies and consortia groups quickly embraced this trend and now provide their customers access to special features and amenities along with a hotel booking.

 This requires hotel reservation software that can identify a particular VIP guest and provide the details of any special offers included.  For example, as more hotels offer unique amenities for preferred guests such as free internet or access to concierge-level lounges, a hotel booking engine needs to make sure this information included in the display and is sent along with the reservation informing the hotel property. Hotel booking engines have kept pace with this trend and now provide access to many of these unique perks at the time of booking.

If you are just getting started, you’ll need to identify the content your customers look for the most and then some quick research on content source options to help you find the right source.  Once you have identified the content providers that match your client’s requirements, a good technology partner can help you automate the content as well as any include amenities so you can offer it all online. Planning or changing travel plans are no exception, so your online hotel reservation software needs to support these features and benefits not only during the research and shopping process but the entire booking process as well. Finding the right hotel booking engine to serve your customer’s needs is a critical decision for your business. Finding the right technology company to partner with can be even more important.

Airline Reservation Systems Should Be Easy To Use

There are so many different places that consumers can go to purchase the same product, ever wonder why someone would choose to purchase an identical product from one vendor versus another?  The answer usually comes down to price, service or convenience.  Whether you are selling a bottle of designer cologne or a ticket on the airline, odds are consumers will base where they make their purchase based on one or all of these criteria.   Choosing one airline reservation system over another is no different for today’s online traveler.

If you want to reach price-driven consumers, make sure you offer the best value and price.  Your online booking engine must be able to search the best sources for content quickly and cost-effectively for you to offer a competitive price.  This includes the ability to adjust the selling price quickly and easily as well as offering value add offers right in the fare availability display.  Accessing the low rates offered by air consolidators is another way to get the best fares for your clients.  Different air consolidators specialize in different regions however, so you may look for an airline reservation system that allows you simultaneously search multiple air consolidators for the best fares.

Travel agents can be a great resource to consumers trying to make sense of all the options available and find the best deal possible.  To provide the expertise and service that only a professional travel agent can offer.  Your customers look to you for your expertise in travel, so make sure your clients get the VIP treatment they deserve.  Make sure your application allows them to select seats, request meals and add loyalty program information to their airline reservation.  Be sure to negotiate the best fares possible with the airlines and promote any special deals or amenities that are made available.

Make sure your airline reservation system is convenient for customers to use how and when they choose.  Today’s consumer has become accustomed to shopping using a variety of devices.  Some exclusively use their smartphone to research and purchase travel online.  Others may start their initial search using their handheld device but switch to a tablet or laptop to complete the purchase.  And you will always have the more traditional consumer who may research options online, but prefer to speak with a travel agent to make the actual booking.

To serve all these customers, your airline reservation system must allow you to distribute your products and serve your customers via several online channels.  For applications that support customers via a call center, you will want to consider an application that is easy to use and requires little agent training.   For those consumers shopping via your website, you’ll need an application that allows you to promote special deals and value add offers.  And for those “on the go” mobile consumers, you’ll need a mobile-ready application that adjusts the screen display to fit various devices.   Ease of use and convenience are important when deciding on the right airline booking solution for your travel business, choosing the right technology partner can be even more important.

Cruise Booking Software is Best Localized

With the entire cruise booking software available in the market today, how do you identify the best solution to help your online travel business succeed?  For example, many quickly learn that there is more than language and currency capabilities to consider when choosing the right technology solution to expand your travel business internationally.

There are often local market requirements that need to be properly addressed before an application can be successfully introduced into a new market.  There can be huge differences between developing a product so that it is generic enough to work across markets versus “localizing” a product.  Just as the languages and currencies used may vary in different countries, the regulations regarding consumers and the disclosure of information during the selling process may be different.   Your technology needs to be flexible enough to handle these market distinctions.

Cruise booking software that manages fast, live connections with the relevant cruise supplier content is an important key element for online success.  This is a good example of when “global” content sources may not be applicable to the local market, requiring integration of “local” content sources to provide the products customers are looking for in that specific market. The technology you choose needs the flexibility to easily integrate the right combination of global and local content so that you are offering the products customers in that market are looking for.

The cruise booking software you choose should also include the ability to define flexible business rules that allow you to adjust how a product is offered based on your business. Some travel agents may want to offer a discount to customers who book their travel arrangements using the agency’s online booking tool as a way to encourage the use of this cost-effective channel.  While others may look to offer a lower price on a specific preferred Supplier they work closely with.  The main thing you’ll want to consider is you will need flexibility in defining how and when specific price adjustments apply.

And since today’s consumers have more options available to them than ever before, you will want targeted messages and custom offers as part of your marketing tools.  Access to an online travel booking engine that quickly and easily defines special offers can be a critical tool when you are looking to easily highlight where the best deals are or a specific offer can be found.

Today’s cruise booking software needs to provide the ability to quickly respond to competitive threats, identify market trends and easily include special offers you want to highlight. Consider a solution with robust reporting tools that can help you keep track of important information about your bookings as well as isolate search statistics to know what customers are searching for and identify potential product gaps or pricing issues.

This type of information can be a powerful tool when analyzing or making adjustments to your business plan.

Finding the right technology solution for your travel business is important, finding a technology partner who understands the need to localize product can be even more important.

Travel Technology Should Be Fast and Flexible

Flexible technologies along with relevant content are key to the success of any business today.  The travel industry has been riding the e-commerce wave as more and more consumers turn online to research and confirm their travel plans.  Keeping pace with consumer purchasing habits and making sure you are ready to serve customers how and when they choose with the relevant content they are looking for is key to success. The travel technology solution you choose for your business needs to be fast, flexible, responsive & relevant for your travel business to succeed. Fast, easy to use applications should help your business reduce the amount of the time it takes an agent or consumer to research and complete a travel booking. Applications should provide quick, live access to supplier content to ensure the most up to date information is used.

Today’s travel technology solutions need to be Flexible. With so many competitors offering so many special deals, your online booking solution needs to provide an easy and efficient way for you to manage the various special pricing or value add offers for your business to remain competitive.  The application you choose should include the ability to easily define pre-set business rules to help you manage specific products’ content source as well as adjust a selling price or include any value add offers.

And to reach today’s mobile consumer, you’ll want to consider an online application that is “mobile-ready” so you can serve these clients regardless of the type of device they choose to use or when they choose to shop.  Your travel technology solution also needs the flexibility to be easily customized to support your own brand identity and unique selling style.  And if you are looking to expand your reach with affiliated agents, you’ll want a solution that can quickly add affiliate Users and websites, perhaps with the ability to easily customize the look and feel for each.

The application you choose should have a quick response time and supported by a technology partner that is Responsive to your needs.  Consider using a travel booking solution that uses a secure, scalable online booking platform designed to meet the demands of suppliers, travel agencies as well as the end-user.  This will allow your technology to easily expand with your business as it grows. Choosing a technology partner with experienced development and support staff available around the clock can be key in the event any issues do arise.

And of course, make sure the travel technology and content you choose are relevant to your customer’s needs and are competitively priced.  Schedule availability and pricing should be live wherever possible so that you offer the latest information and best price available.  The content source you use must include the suppliers and products your customers are looking for.  Content relevant to your customer’s needs which are competitively priced will be key to the success of your online business.

Finding a travel technology solution for your travel business that is both fast and responsive can be critically important.

Finding the right technology company to partner with can be even more important

Flight Booking Software Started It All

The marketplace for travel products online continues to advance as more and more consumers use some type of online travel technology when making travel arrangements.  There is online travel software available to research and book just about any type of travel product.  Whether someone is booking airline tickets for a quick business trip or they are booking the annual family vacation, there are online travel booking engines that can help guide a user through the entire research and booking process.

One of the most popular online travel products available today is airline reservations. The flight booking software the airlines developed years ago became the backbone of today’s Global Distribution Systems (GDS’s) and many of today’s online travel applications.  There are countless airline reservation systems and booking engines in the market today, so the choice can be somewhat overwhelming even for the most seasoned professional. 

It is always a good idea to start by evaluating the way you currently make airline bookings and identify any improvements that can be made there.  Is your business operating as efficiently as it could when making airline reservations? Is your product priced competitively and easily available for your clients to book?  Has your technology kept pace with your competitors?

This is where a little research on the options available will pay off in the long term. There are airline booking systems designed to meet the requirements of just about anyone selling travel online, but finding flight booking software with the right combination of content sources, price and product features for your business will be key to your success. 

And as today’s consumer continues to shift just about all their purchases online, you will want to make sure your online booking engine is mobile-ready so you can avoid the need to develop a separate, expensive dedicated Mobile APP in the future.  For this, you will want to make sure the flight booking software you choose is using responsive technology that will automatically adjust the screen size based on the type of device being used. 

Next, consider how your customers like to research and book their travel arrangements.  Whether your customer prefers to research and book their flight arrangements online or speak with an experienced travel professional, travel technology should be designed to make it quick and easy for travel agents as well as consumers to use.  Applications should be simple to use and not require the user to input or remember complicated formats. Researching and booking travel online today should be as easy as just a few clicks of the mouse.

You will also want to ensure that any application you choose provides the business management tools that you will need to properly control and manage your business.  At a minimum, you’ll need the ability to adjust the selling price as well as offer targeted sales promotions or include “value adds” to customers using your services.

Finding flight booking software with the right combination of content and product features for your business can be a critical decision, choosing the right technology partner can be just as important.

Cruise Booking Solutions Have Options

The cruise booking solutions that are available in the market today are the result of years of technological improvement.  As the travel industry scrambled to move sales to online channels, the complexity of selling a cruise brought unique challenges.  The initial online cruise booking engines launched in the market had limitations not only with functionality but with the ability for a cruise line to differentiate their brand in the crowded marketplace as well.  These applications have evolved over the years and have been driving the force behind the increasing sale of cruises online today.

Today’s cruise booking engine can provide live access to cruise content and provide Users with the most up to date content, availability and pricing. However, the support for modification of cruise bookings can vary by cruise line and can further vary by booking status, fare code and sailing. The modify options available in today’s cruise booking solutions can vary by feature and most modify options are only available to a “logged in” agent User and typically not a consumers using online cruise booking solutions. Fare code, cabin category or actual cabin/stateroom, dining options and guest details are all booking elements where modifications are commonly supported.  Many of today’s cruise booking engines even makes it easy for a User to review booking activity by maintaining a detailed history.

Cruise lines have turned ships into destinations in their own right, so today’s cruise booking software requires the integration of detailed photo galleries, deck plans and even videos to highlight their distinct features and amenities.  Cruise line, cruise ship and cabin descriptions need to be part of the cruise online booking system and linked to media files & rich content such as cabin photos, ship images and deck plans to assist Users during the research, shopping, and booking process.

And with so many competitors offering so many deals, cruise booking solutions need to provide an easy and efficient way for you to manage the various special pricing or value add offers for a business to remain competitive.  The travel technology solution you choose should include the ability to easily define pre-set business rules so you can manage specific products’ selling price and include any value add the offer you may have.   To reach today’s mobile consumer, you’ll want a mobile-ready online application so you can serve these clients regardless of the type of device they choose to use or when they choose to shop.

Fast and easy to use applications can help reduce the amount of time it takes your agents to research and complete a travel booking.  Today’s travel technology solutions provide quick, live access to supplier content and use the most up to date availability and pricing. The application you choose should have a quick response time and supported by a technology partner that is responsive to the needs of your business.  Finding a technology solution that will help your travel business reach today’s online consumer is an important decision. Finding the right technology company to partner with can be even more important.

An XML Booking Engine May Be the Solution

Today’s online technology solutions need to be fast, easy to use and flexible.  With so many competitors offering so many special deals, your online booking solution needs to provide an easy and efficient way for you to manage the various special pricing or value add offers in order for your business to remain competitive.  Sometimes this requires that you use an XML booking engine that will allow you the ability to customize the application as you choose.

The XML booking engine can provide fast and easy access to content such as live schedules, availability, and pricing for hundreds of airlines.  Some of the more sophisticated include the ability to easily define pre-set business rules to help you manage a specific products’ content source as well as adjust a selling price or include any value add offers.  Some of today’s online booking engines allow Users to build a package shell to be sold online and manage business rules with full flexibility occupancy dates, sale dates, block hold milestones, etc.

And with today’s competitive marketplace, it has become increasingly critical for today’s business manager to track their business and identify trends quickly.  Not only will you need basic booking reports to track your sales revenue, but you’ll need to keep track of your costs to properly manage your business as well.  Many of today’s travel technology solutions come with reporting tools easily available to track not only the inventory you have available along with associated bookings, but can also track individual Supplier sales as well to assist you with booking payments or managing inventory.

And to reach today’s mobile consumer, some use an XML booking engine to power dedicated mobile applications.  Others skip over the APP and choose an online application that is “mobile-ready” so they can serve these clients regardless of the type of device they choose to use or when they choose to shop.  Using an XML travel technology solution can also provide you the flexibility to be easily customizing your User Interface to support your own brand identity and unique selling style.  And if you are looking to expand your reach with affiliated agents, you’ll want a solution that can quickly add affiliate users and websites, perhaps with the ability to easily customize the look and feel for each as well.

You should also ensure that any application you choose provides the business management tools that you will need to properly manage your business both online and off-line.  At the minimum, you’ll need the ability to adjust the selling price as well as offer targeted sales promotions or include “value adds” to customers using your services.

Any XML the booking engine you choose should have a quick response time and supported by a technology partner that is responsive to your needs.  Consider a travel booking solution that uses a secure, scalable online booking platform that can easily expand with your business as it grows. Finding travel technology with the right combination of content, product features and flexibility for your business can be a critical decision, choosing the right technology partner can be just as important.