BCN Urban Hotels has been the first hotel chain to benefit from this new functionality.
Roiback, specialist and leader in the management of the direct channel of hotel sales, has launched a new functionality integrated in its solution that allows hoteliers to offer their customers combined packages of hotel, flights and trains through their website. This new product uses the packetization technology of Travel Compositor, which also includes the multi-destination engine option for medium and large chains.
The Spanish hotelier BCN Urban Hotels has been the first chain to benefit from this new solution that is already available on their website: www.bcnurbanhotels.com. The product has been designed to respond to the hotel clients that also need to purchase a journey, and as an alternative to the flight and accommodation packages that are usually sold through online travel agencies (OTAs) or tour operators. This cross-selling solution also offers other ancillary services such as car rental, excursions, transfers or tickets.
Leonardo Llorente, Product and Innovation Director at Roiback, highlighted: "Booking a flight and a hotel at the same time through an OTA is already something common in the market. However, using the OTAs to offer this solution often requires hotels to sacrifice their income by offering significant discounts on their standard rates. At the same time implies an increase to their dependence and the loss of control on their distribution, since the "opaque" rates are often used by OTAs in the sale of 'Room Only'."
"With this new proposal, Roiback allows to offer through the hotel’s direct channel an integrated and competitive web solution for those customers who need to purchase a combined package of accommodation and transport. The hotelier has full control of the packaged rates he wants to sell through his direct channel and also offers an added service to the client, who will not have to go to another website to book the flight.
"In addition, it is important to highlight that this solution is being strengthened since some large hotel chains have begun to offer it directly on their direct channel, which means the final customer is slowly getting used to search for flight and hotel packages directly on the hotels websites".
Besides eliminating the added procedure for the customer to purchase a flight ticket, the new product developed by Roiback has multiple benefits for hoteliers. On one hand, it allows both independent hotels and hotel chains to increase their income, since more potential customers are reached through the direct channel and an additional income is obtained through the selling of ancillary services. On the other hand, costs are reduced through the integration of the sale process with the CRS and the optimization of the resources used by the hotel.
This new service offers two payment methods for the client: full payment in advance, or a new formula that allows to pay an online deposit in advance and the rest upon arrival at the hotel.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
