Expedia Inks Deal with Nokia
Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN) and mobile phone giant Nokia recently announced a new collaboration in which Expedia’s hotels will be integrated into Nokia’s Ovi Maps technology, reported HotelMarketing.com.
All Expedia properties, including property details, availability, pricing and review scores will be viewable on Nokia’s Ovi Maps.  Phase One includes a call-to-book functionality directly from Ovi Maps to Expedia call centers around the world.
As the program grows, a click-to-book functionality is planned making all properties available to book directly online from their handsets.
Henrik Kjellberg, president, EAN Worldwide, comments: “This is a landmark partnership for EAN, representing a move into the mobile space. Our technology makes it easy for partners to offer travel across different consumer interfaces whether it be desktop or mobile and we are pleased to be an enabler for Nokia’s innovative Ovi Maps mobile service.”
Robert Rogers, senior product manager for Social Location, Nokia, comments: “Travel and mobile services go hand in hand. The hotel booking service we have developed with Expedia Affiliate Network complements the growing ecosystem of services Nokia already offers its users. The fact that the service will be available on both the mobile device and the desktop computer means interaction can be had with the user at various points of the travel lifecycle, not just at the time of booking.”

http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/expedia_nokia_partner_on_hotel_booking_functionality/

Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research recently conducted an experiment with JHM Hotels and Expedia.com to study what, if any, effect being visible on large online travel agent sites (OTAs) have on hotel bookings. The study was conducted by Chris Anderson Ph.D., an assistant professor at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration who used four hotels (chain and independent) and listed each for a period of time on Expedia.com, then removed them completely from the site. The properties reported they experienced excess bookings through other distribution channels when they were on Expedia vs. when they were not.

Often referred to as the “billboard effect,” the experiment determined that visibility on large sites like Expedia and hotels.com leads to a boost in reservations through the property’s own distribution systems, e.g. property website or contact directly with the property. “The study found that when the hotels were listed on Expedia, they saw an increase in reservations from their own distribution channels (that is, not through Expedia).”

Anderson concludes that “the theory behind this phenomenon is that the would-be guest gains information about the hotel from its OTA listing, but then books the room through a channel controlled by the hotel or its chain family.” The study went on to estimate that being seen on the site generated up to a 26% increase in total bookings.

The study summarized that “the benefits of being displayed on an online travel website like Expedia.com should not only be measured by the revenues gained by the specific distribution channel, but also the marketing and direct sales benefits the hotel receives through the billboard effect.”

Click here to view the entire report.

EyeForTravel reports that an online survey initiated by UK's Thomson and First Choice has indicated that an "overwhelming 80% of respondents" expect to take a holiday in 2010; similar numbers said the recession will not lead them to change their holiday plans.

About half the people surveyed plan to spend the same amount of money as they did this year; 24% plan to spend more. Of those people who said the recession had changed their holiday plans this year, about 6% said they had considered package holidays this year so as to offer extra security in case an airline collapsed. But that figure more than doubles to 13% for 2010.

46% said they would use the recession to book five-star hotels at three- or four-star prices. Travelers may be traveling farther next year as well – more than 23% said they look to buy a longer flight for the same price as one nearer to home. The proportion of people saying they would consider booking all-inclusive holidays jumps from 10% to 16% for next year.

One downside for UK travelers in 2010 is the Air Passenger Duty tax increases planned by the British government which will come in two stages - from November 2009. These will increase the tax on long haul flights – typically 12 hours or more - from £40 to £80.

The reservations you receive via the BedandBreakfast.com Online program are generated by many different websites, receiving a total of over 100 million guests each month.

If the reservation is made on BedandBreakfast.com, SideStep.com, and Kayak.com, we can give you the guest’s email address because the transaction for these reservations takes place on the BedandBreakfast.com website.

When a guest books through Expedia, hotels.com, or one of their sister companies, the email address cannot be shared with us because of strict guidelines and laws that govern the sharing of a personal email information with a third party. When guests book through Expedia, they complete their entire booking transaction on the Expedia website, unaware that BedandBreakfast.com has supplied Expedia with the B&B information. For Expedia to pass their customers’ email addresses would violate anti-spam laws, and would also raise privacy concerns among their customers.

Originally, when Expedia and hotels.com began listing B&Bs on their websites, they did not even share guests’ phone numbers with innkeepers. When we partnered with Expedia, we successfully negotiated to get them to share this information. In addition, the direct phone number for your property is on each guest confirmation email, along with a request that each guest contact you 48 hours prior to check-in.

We do understand that phone numbers supplied by travelers are not always useful and that it can be difficult to reach people once they have booked. If you are unable to get in touch with a guest who has booked your property through this program, please do not hesitate to let us know. We can submit a request to Expedia and ask them to send the guest an email asking them to contact you.
 
Although we realize that’s not a perfect solution, we are convinced that the benefits of this program far outweigh any drawbacks, and we hope you agree.

Thank you again for being a member of BedandBreakfast.com and for your participation in the BedandBreakfast.com Online Reservations program! We sincerely value your business!

With each online reservation you receive, remember that guests have already accepted the terms of your cancellation policy. Nevertheless, sometimes guests cancel inside of your policy and seek to avoid cancellation fees. Here are some ways to alleviate headaches, avoid a negative review and encourage a positive experience for the manager and guest when this happens.

There is a time and place for an exception to your cancellation policy for the online traveler. What you lose in revenue can come back to you in a future reservation and a happy guest who's a fan of your property.

There are going to be guests who have plans change or personal emergencies that cause them to change the dates of their stay. In some cases there are external factors (flu outbreak, hurricane, wildfire or death in the family) outside of their control. Providing an exception to policy can leave a good taste in their mouths and encourage a future stay.

If you are thinking about giving a guest a waiver, you may want to take these factors into consideration:

• Are all rooms reserved and guests have been turned away?
• Can you rebook the room?
• How long has the reservation been booked?
• Do the guests plan to reserve a future date/are they regular guests who have stayed with you before?
• Will granting an exception keep a guest happy enough to come again?

Many properties offer different options such as rain checks or gift certificates, or allowing another guest to stay on the reservation.

Cancellation policies are in place to protect your interests with respect to the online reservations program. Always remain courteous to guests to ensure a positive experience. In a case where you are not granting an exception to your cancellation policy, please be sure to explain the reasons for your position and inability to offer an exception. Many guests will feel less negative about the fees they owe to your property when they have a better understanding of how it affects you.

Online reservations can provide more guests reservations. They can also provide more inquiries about cancellation policies. Treating each guest inquiry as an opportunity and providing some exceptions can go a long way toward promoting your business in a positive fashion.