Bedsonline has integrated sister brand TravelCube’s customers into its bed bank amid a brand and website refresh.
It says the integration increases the number of hotels available to travel agents from 55,000 to 170,000 which the firm says will create a “significantly enlarged and more competitive portfolio”.
The move follows the acquisition of GTA, TravelCube’s parent, by Bedsonline parent Hotelbeds Group last year.
TravelCube’s customers will migrate onto Bedsonline’s booking platform, after a consultation, and there will be a new image for Bedsonline.
The retail brand of GTA, will progressively rebrand under the Bedsonline name and shift over to the Bedsonline booking platform.
Bedsonline’s brand refresh will include a new logo and brand identity, with videos made to explain the changes.
Bedsonline sales teams will be launching a campaign to introduce customers – both existing Bedsonline customers and those moving from TravelCube – to its revised offering. That will include sales meetings, presentations and webinars.
Technical support will be offered to TravelCube clients switching to Bedsonline.
Carlos Muñoz, managing director, bed bank, at Hotelbeds Group, said: “Once again it gives me great pleasure to reiterate our commitment to supporting our travel agent customers globally as part of our strategy to innovate in the bed bank sector. It makes strategic and practical sense for us to continue to develop our travel agent proposition under one integrated, global platform and brand.
“This new enhanced and consolidated offering will help all our partners boost revenues and profits by access to a greatly enhanced portfolio, improved functionality and increased chances to upsell high-yielding complementary travel services.”
Alistair Rodger, director of retail travel agents at Hotelbeds Group, added: “Since starting in this role almost one year ago I’ve been consulting endlessly with our travel agent customers all around the globe. Time and again the feedback about the Bedsonline platform has been fantastic – due to its superior functionality – and made taking the decision to move the TravelCube customers onto the platform easy. But we’re looking to continue to improve the experience still further, beyond the booking platform itself, by establishing a truly 360 degree proposition to fully support the growth of our travel agent partners.
“Already we are speaking with our customers – both existing Bedsonline customers and TravelCube too – in the UK to explain to them how they will benefit from these changes. Shortly we’ll be hosting a series of events and workshops to present the new enhanced offering. This follows the expansion of our product portfolio and strengthened position to negotiate the best deals for our customers with the inclusion of TravelCube’s 55,000 hotels, taking the total available up to 170,000 – along with all the additional improvements we have made to the Bedsonline platform by cherry-picking the best-of-class functionalities and know-how from TravelCube, such as improved payment options, operational support and loyalty rewards.”