ABC HOLIDAY Extras and Jersey Tourism are now reaping the benefits of Internet booking sites set up at the end of last year by Chauntry Corporation.
On ABC Holiday Extras Web site, agents can book rooms in airport hotels, airport car parking, travel insurance, foreign exchange and airport lounges and still get the same commission as they would booking on viewdata.
ABC Holiday Extras Information Technology director Anthony Williams said: “Agents enter their viewdata password on the site, so their bookings are sent to their account with us. The process is the same as with viewdata. It is a direct replacement for our viewdata system, with the advantage that the Web site screen is much more interesting. We have pictures of hotels, and for information you just click on an icon – information is much more readily available than on viewdata.”
Williams described the new system. “It was critical we used our existing booking system and linked it to our Web site. It means we are not maintaining two separate systems, otherwise we would end up with a million people in the background doing data entry to keep the Web bookings in sync with the main system. It also means agents can see availability and book straight away.
The site has been designed to make booking as easy as possible for both agents and the public. “At the beginning, we ask which airport they are flying from and the departure date. That way we only show hotels which have availability at that time and we only show the relevant car park,” said Williams.
One thing that has taken the company by surprise is the interest shown by overseas visitors. “The Web site means that, for the first time, we will be able to market to an incoming audience. Passengers flying in might want a night in a Heathrow hotel if they have a flight out early the next morning,” said Williams.
Attracting a new market abroad is also what Jersey Tourism is looking to achieve.
The organisation has had on-line hotel booking on www.jtourism.com for a month, and is attracting a minimum of 100 visitors a day, although booking figures are still modest – in the two digit range.
The system has live links to 300 Jersey guest houses and hotels and the owners can take beds on or off the market and move their fares up or down daily according to demand. The Web site provides a 24hr service. Jersey Tourism computer reservations system data controller Steve Parlby said: “Hoteliers can even take bookings from the other side of the world when they are asleep, without manning the phones and fax.”
While it is designed primarily for consumers, Parlby said agents could use the system to check availability.
“If your client is having trouble finding a hotel, this system will give you the availability across all the properties in one click. Before you would have had to make lots of phone calls,” said Parlby.
ABC Holiday Extras
The Web site started accepting live bookings in November.
It is aimed at both consumers and agents. It cost around £100,000 to develop over five months.
The company is looking at tweaking its Web content to run on mobile phones and digital interactive television. The sales target is to do around 4% of business over the Internet.
In January and February this year, the site attracted a total of 9,000 visitors, translating into 1,800 on-line bookings.
ABC’s business is high volume, low margin, straightforward products – ideal for selling on line.
Web site address: www.abcltd.co.uk