When it comes to leisure travel, the more the merrier is best, especially since group travel continues to grow as a $36 billion a year industry in the U.S*…
When it comes to leisure travel, the more the merrier is best, especially since group travel continues to grow as a $36 billion a year industry in the U.S*. Orbitz, the site that makes travel faster and easier to find and Group Travel Planet, LLC, the pioneer of online group travel booking, today announced new group booking features on Orbitz.com that will help travelers take the hassle out of coordinating group trips or gatherings such as family reunions, destination weddings and church retreats.
Orbitz now offers its customers the ability to book discounted group hotel rates for five or more rooms at more than 10,000 group-friendly hotels across North America. In addition, leisure travelers booking groups on Orbitz will have access to unique, online features that make it easy to manage their group hotel booking.
For many people who try to coordinate a wedding, family reunion, or weekend trip with friends, it can be challenging to find the right hotel and make arrangements that suit the needs of multiple travelers, said Kurt Weinsheimer, Orbitz vice president of Hotels. Combining Group Travel Planet`s technology with the benefits of booking on Orbitz, we are offering leisure travelers a faster and easier way to plan and book group travel, regardless of the size of the group.
Booking groups has typically been a manual and time-consuming process where travelers relied on their own resources, called multiple hotels for rates and availability, and had to keep track of all the details on their own said Scott Harness, president and CEO of Group Travel Planet. Group Travel Planet`s group booking engine means that Orbitz customers can now plan every step of their group hotel reservation online – from reserving the rooms to receiving email reservation confirmations to providing and updating room lists.
Orbitz`s new group booking functionality can be accessed on the site from the Hotels page by clicking the Need 5 or more rooms link. Additional features of the new group booking capabilities include:
- Ability to search group inventory and discounted group rates at thousands of hotels across the U.S. and Canada
- Detailed hotel information including amenities that are important to group travelers
- Online ability to assign names to each room, add or drop rooms, and e-mail itineraries from the group reservation management tools at any time
- Email updates about payments and room lists to make sure travel planning goes smoothly
- Group customer care assistance available 24/7 at (866) 216-3010 for groups who need to speak with a live agent
* According to the Travel Industry Association (TIA) Travel Industry Association of America`s 2002 survey in conjunction with National Tour Association, ASTA and GLAMER.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
