Dutch online travel group Otravo and Sabre continue successful technology relationship.
LONDON – Benelux and Scandinavia's largest online travel agency, Otravo, has seen an extraordinary 40 percent growth, which it attributes to Sabre's industry leading online travel and web-services technology. Otravo has used the global technology provider's suite of travel shopping and booking technologies for many years to power all of Otravo's corporate and leisure travel brands.
With a goal to providing a seamless customer experience across all its sites, Otravo partnered with Sabre to develop new capabilities for dynamic packaging of travel products, identify new customer segments, strengthen metasearch reach, and improve personalization by delivering highly customized travel arrangements. Since working with Sabre, Otravo's bookings have grown by 30 percent each year, its customer satisfaction has risen 20 percent, and turnover has increased significantly. "Since we've converted to Sabre, we're booking more complex and expensive dynamic packages and tours, we're able to show more flight details and seating options, and we're connected to the metasite channel now. These upgrades have helped us grow our turnover by 40 percent each year," says Otravo CEO Raymond Vrijenhoek.
With approximately 100,000 unique website visitors per day, Otravo is one of Europe's largest and fastest-growing online travel agencies. Among the group's brands are Vliegtickets.nl and WTC.nl in the Netherlands, Vliegtickets.be in Belgium, Flygstolen in Sweden as well as Tripmonster in Norway and Denmark. Guided by Raymond Vrijenhoek and a dedicated team, Otravo is committed to delivering the fastest, easiest and most comprehensive online travel product in its markets. "The user experience sits at the center of everything we do," says Vrijenhoek. "We are constantly focusing on customer needs and looking for ways to innovate so that our customers can get exactly what they want."
Antonella Vecchio, vice president Online and Land & Sea, Sabre Travel Network said: "We are consistently impressed with Otravo's innovation leadership and the team's dedication to delivering a perfect customer experience. Travelers are changing – their behaviors and expectations are shaped by advances in technology and consumer adoption. They expect consumer-grade technology options as well as a consistent, seamless user experience from their travel provider and we are proud that our technology is helping such a forward-thinking player like Otravo deliver this."
Aside from its commitment to providing a superior customer experience, Otravo is a thoroughly innovative, forward-thinking travel company in other areas as well. Alongside its more leisure-oriented websites, the group offers a separate business travel department to book online or with the help of a business travel specialist. This allows Otravo to increase their customer base by servicing their clients both in their private and professional life while taking advantage of market dynamics where business travel is emerging as a lifestyle perk rather than a work necessity. According to a recent study by hospitality group BridgeStreet, the majority of business travelers are mixing business and leisure when they are traveling, thus contributing to the growing "bleisure" segment.
Otravo is also combining deep expertise in the online travel sector with a state-of-the-art offline experience in its WTC.nl flagship store in the center of Amsterdam. While consumers increasingly plan, research and book holidays and business travel with a degree of online involvement, an offline option is appreciated by many customers as an alternative for personal advice and inspiration. In Europe, where consumers have embraced online booking the most, 48 percent of all travel revenue is still predicted to be booked offline through 2017. With its diverse portfolio, Otravo is well positioned to take advantage of the complex dynamics in a changing marketplace.
Sabre's travel marketplace plays an important role in facilitating the marketing and sale of airfares, hotel rooms, rental cars, rail tickets and other types of travel, to more than 475,000 travel agents and thousands of corporations who use it to shop, book and manage travel. It is one of the world's largest marketplaces, processing over $120 billion in estimated travel spend.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
