travel, hotel and booking Information

Mega-trends shape industry future

Hotel Booking The hospitality industry will need to address five major issues over the next three to five years, including brand, emerging markets, human capital, technology and operating models.

"Groople and Avis Budget Group continue to lead innovation in the industry with the launch of our group rental car product. The rapid growth in booking travel online and the size of the group travel segment is driving demand for group based travel tools, " said Mike Stacy, chief executive officer of Groople. "We have demonstrated our leadership in group hotels, breaking tool for cars, which will make their travel planning and booking much easier."

Travel Agency These factors will be key drivers in determining winners and losers through 2010 and beyond, and will heavily impact shareholder value, according to a new report by Deloitte and the Preston Robert Tisch Centre for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management at New York University.

8mong many firsts for the group market, the new technology platform enables consumers to do something that other sites haven k allowed to book travel and accommodations for more than five rooms in a single online session. Featuring more than 56, 000 hotels, including 7, time group rates, Groople is primed to become the industry largest automated solution for unmanaged group leisure travel, a market estimated at $18 billion to $24 billion. Under its hosted inventory and commission models, Groople generates group bookings niche by niche for hotels and plans to add air, car, cruise, bus and rail later this year.

Cheap Hotel The Baby Boomers in the United States and Europe are a huge demographic with enormous amounts of disposable income. Alex Kyriakidis, Global Head of Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure at Deloitte says: The percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Europe will increase from 15 percent in 2000 to nearly 25 percent by 2015 and increased travel by the silver segment will maintain Europes position as the number one tourism exporting region, delivering some 730 million travellers by 2020. This will provide an enormous opportunity for the hotel sector, which should be developing strategies to market products to generational segments now.

Groople In the News Groople Selected by Bizbash as Provider for Group Travel Bookings June 1, BiZBash, the preeminent resource for the event planning industry, today announces a partnership with Groople.com, making Groople the exclusive online group travel partner for BiZBash's thousands of event professionals. BiZBash users now have Groople's group travel tools, with the unique ability to research and make group travel arrangements online. While most travel booking sites don't allow for group reservations at all, through BiZBash, hotel bookings for 5 rooms or hundreds of rooms are now simple to book and include special group rates. With an initial offering of hotels, the service will expand to offer airfare, cruise, car and rail bookings online. free number ( 4316) is available for arranging air, cruise, car and rail, as well as more complicated hotel requests.

Flight Booking In addition to addressing the needs of aging consumers, the hospitality industry will need to address talent management issues, as aging populations hamper the ability to find sufficient staff in some regions.

At any time, cancellations will be assessed a $50 Cancellation Fee per person (adults over the age of 12) plus any applicable hotel and airline cancellation penalties. A credit towards future travel will be issued for the balance remaining. New travel plans must be reserved and travel completed one (1) year from the original booking date and are subject to availability. Air travel must be booked with the original carrier and no refund or credit will be offered for reservations that result in a decrease in price. New travel must be reserved and completed within one (1) year from the original booking date. Upon rebooking, any increase in price for the land or airfare will be the responsibility of the customer. All reservations are subject to availability. Air travel must be booked with the original carrier and no refund or credit will be offered for reservations that result in a decrease in price. 100% penalty applies; not eligible for any future travel credit.

Travel Agent In China, India and the Gulf States, both domestic and international travel is booming, due to lower airfares and emerging middle classes keen to travel for the first time. Between India and China, the report predicts that a total of 35,000 additional hotel rooms will be required to reach the same penetration as in more developed countries, and the majority of these will be positioned in the economy and mid-market segments. These new markets pose unique challenges in politics and ownership, as well as in recruiting, training and retention of local staff.

Groople is the leader in online group travel, stop group booking on hotel, cruise, air, bus, and rail, and is backed by partnerships with the largest travel suppliers worldwide. Groople is group travel made easy, offering discounted rates, individual payment options and a single point of contact. With more than 60, 000 hotel choices worldwide and six top cruise lines brought together in an online group booking website, Groople offers unrivaled benefits for the group travel consumer. Groople customer sales center provides personal attention and offers group travel experts to advise leisure group travelers on weddings, family reunions, religious groups, sports teams, and more. Created by twenty travel industry veterans, Groople pioneered the online group travel space and continues to lead the group travel industry in technology, inventory and convenience.

Hotel Chicago Alex Kyriakidis says: While these emerging markets offer exceptional growth opportunities, the worlds largest tourism market the United States still has a way to go. Total travel and tourism spend in the US, both domestic and outbound, is predicted to double from $830 billion to a staggering $1.6 trillion by 2015, leaving room for growth, particularly at the luxury end of the market.

Online Booking The industry is historically in the lowest quartile of technology spending; however, all the executives interviewed expected to increase IT investments, particularly in reservations, distribution, loyalty programs, and customer management. In the US and Western Europe more demanding customers have come to expected more personalised service, and in the future hospitality suppliers will need to consider online room selection and check-in, personalised bed (variable firmness), and personalised in-room food and beverage offering.

Travel Health Insurance Alex Kyriakidis says: Historically, the airline industry has led the way, with travellers showing greater preference for airline miles than hotel points, willing to fly the same carrier despite inconvenient schedules. All CEOs interviewed plan to spend more on IT, appreciating the opportunity to interact directly with the guest maximises revenue, and avoids the potential merchant intermediary costs which can be as high as 25% of room revenue.

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