Major Product Rollout from Bookassist embeds Travel2.0 functionality directly in client hotel websites

The nature of the internet is rapidly changing. The online accommodation business is moving away from the large channel operators and directly to the hotel's own website. But the modern or second generation internet user wants real information and service online, with trustworthy customer generated media and interactivity as well as security in booking. The popularity of sites such as TripAdvisor and others is testament to the power of social media in the travel arena, but reviews on such sites can be generated by anyone whether they have knowledge of the service or not. Gathering reviews from genuine customers ensures a proper balance of views for the online reader.

Bookassist has been at the forefront of research into modern internet technologies and Web2.0/Travel2.0 developments in particular and now brings these key technologies into a new product offering for client hotel websites.

Hotels can now avail of not just the most advanced direct booking engine technology in the marketplace, with live secure banking transacting, multiple languages and multiple currencies, multiple room booking capability, add-ons and much more, but they can also now embed directly in their website functionality for the sale of online electronic vouchers redeemable online in the booking process; show customer generated reviews, automatically requested by the Bookassist system of customers who have actually booked with and stayed in the hotel; display their location on their website using Google maps as a background with citywide information nearby for their customers' benefit, information which is continually added to by Bookassist. Additionally, hotel groups can enable group and individual website with these features to tie the group functionality together and increase business transfer between members of a group.

The current suite of functions - Maps, Reviews, Vouchers, Booking - are just the first of a series of planned functions and can be combined in a tabbed format on a single page or can be embedded as separate elements or pages throughout the website. The information is dynamic and streams directly from the Bookassist database ensuring it is constantly up to date.

Dublin's Mercer Hotel has been the first to go live with this enhanced functionality from Bookassist which is now available to all Bookassist clients. "We are delighted with Bookassist's latest integration of maps, genuine customer reviews and e-vouchers within the booking engine software suite. We hope that this first step towards integrating Travel2.0 within booking engine software will benefit our customers and will enhance their booking experience greatly", said Michelle Doherty, Group Sales & Marketing Manager at the Great Southern Hotel/Mercer Accommodation Group.

"What you are beginning to see here is the enabling of a hotel to compete directly with the big Travel2.0 players, channels which have built their market share on providing detailed mapping and reviews for example.", said Dr Des O'Mahony, Co-founder and Managing Director at Bookassist. "If a hotel is providing rich online services, there is no need for the customer to go to these TripAdvisor style sites to get the additional information they might want, so there is less chance for the hotel of losing the customer.

"No other supplier is focused so strongly on the hotel's website, partnering with the hotel to bring more and more direct business to them, and we believe that with this major upgrade we are years ahead of what is on offer in the Irish marketplace and indeed further afield", said O'Mahony.