A new report out from FASTBOOKING reveals that the average hotel website conversion rate is only 2.2 %. The same report also tells us that the top 20 % of hotels convert at a rate of 5.6 %, while the bottom fifth only convert at a pitiful 0.3%. Clearly, the spread in between leaves a gulf of disparity. For hoteliers wanting to get a grip on how to bring their properties into optimization, this FASTBOOKING paper offers help.
Travel Technology
FastBooking Report Reveals Recipe for Direct Distribution
A new report and a revealing graphic from FastBooking reminds us that hotelier uptake for using more and more advanced tools and strategies needs to be incremental. The report entitled “A guide for independent hotels: budget hotels, small luxury hotels, and hotel groups” shows how CRM and other energies need to work hand-in-hand with websites, social, SEO and SEM, email marketing, metasearch and other facets to spur direct bookings.
eRevMax integrates with Moroccan PMS Pluri-Hotel
eRevMax has become the first connectivity provider to complete 2-way integration with Moroccan PMS company Pluriel.
Uber Changes Lanes with Yandex.Taxi Merger
Since launching in Moscow three years ago, Uber has had a tough time displacing its local counterpart in Russia. Yesterday the world’s biggest ride-share startup gave up on the quest and inked a deal with Yandex.Taxi. The newly formed venture is valued at $3.7 billion and is owned 59.3% by Yandex and 36.6% by Uber, with the remaining 4.1% held by employees.
Pricing Trends Graph Comes to Google Hotel Search
French hotel groups seed invest in RoomChecking
Astotel Group, Maurice Hurand Hotels and BPI follow into AccorHotels’s footsteps, investing in hotel technology as the future of hotel management, and offer 750,000 EUR late seed-funding to RoomChecking, a hotel communications, housekeeping, and maintenance system startup.
New Startups Fill Great Hospitality Hiring Void
Getting a leg up on hiring qualified people in the hospitality space, a couple of new startups are hoping to solve the problem of connecting skilled hospitality workers with the businesses that need them on-demand. Here’s a brief take on how apps and services are intersecting the hiring space too.
Six Travel Startups to Watch in 2017
Among the startups to watch in 2017, six have caught my attention for their potential for accelerated growth, but also due to clear benefits they offer for travelers.
Airbnb Raises Another $1 Billion for Possible Expansion
Home rental company AirBnb has just got another $1 billion (£821 million) cash injection to be used for expansion. The company, which disclosed the funding in a securities filing on Thursday, raised the money in a financing round that began last summer. The company is now valued at soem $31 billion, but this filing did not list new investors.
Dreamlines Raises $19 Million Growth Capital
Hamburg-based Dreamlines has announced its most recent investment round of €18 million euro. This is the latest backing of the online cruise marketplace in the last 12 months.
#SEW17 – Innovation Invades Crete
All this week the European conference ‘Startup Europe Week’ is being held across Crete, in Greece. Organized by the non-profit Youth Entrepreneurship Club, with the assistance of the Europe Startup/European Committee, the Region of Crete / Regional Unit of Chania, KEPPEDIH-CAM, and a host of others. After a two day stent in Chania, the conference moved up […]
Booking.com Launches Startup Accelerator
Today Booking.com announced the launch of a new accelerator program, Bookingcom Booster, designed to jump start innovation. The new 3-week program gives startups the chance to pitch for grants of up to €500,000 euro.