Oct 05, 2004
The fact is that 64.04% of all website visitors are 'window shoppers', while only 35.96% actually make bookings (booker), as was revealed by Hospitality eBusiness Strategies, a hospitality consultant company, in the RUSHreport. This significantly bigger number of 'lookers' could have turned into revenue instead, by hoteliers optimizing their websites and reservation pages.

In addition to the significant number of 'bookers vs. lookers', the RUSHreport also found that 30.8% of visitors complete reservations, while 34% seek information and 23% are simply comparing rates or doing research.

The contemporary online reservation system has indeed brought enormous benefits to all concerned. It allows a hotel to control rates and room inventory distribution, building customer satisfaction and loyalty in the process. The next question, once an online reservation system is in place, is whether the hotel using this has really optimized their reservation page, convincing the casual information seeker and researcher to turn into a 'reservation maker' - and actually book the rooms!

Many online reservation systems only provide rates/availability information while capturing guest information, providing instant confirmation but without those additional features that assist a hotel in pushing their promotion packages or spreading hotel news.

Pelican System provides not just a reservation system but also incorporates a web promotion engine, thus enabling a hotel to place updated news and package information, complete with attractive pictures and text information, on their reservation page. This feature allows news and package information to be accessible to all Internet users, whereas generally this is only available to in-house guests (featuring such events as children's programs, special food & beverage events, and new facility announcements).

This feature provides multiple benefits to hotels, including:

Lookers are able to preview complete hotel information on the reservation page, without having to go back to the main page/hotel website. As a result, the user-friendly system will most probably turn the looker into a booker. Max Starkov, a noted hospitality consultant, states that 'Many surveys prove that the majority of customers will not choose a hotel with a poor website that does not reflect well the hotel product and the destination'.

Additionally, hotels can up-sell their product to the booker. A customer who decides to book would possibly add an extra night or another person, when he/she discovers the detailed package information or delightful news about the hotel.

As a result, a hotel's ability to transform the information seeker and researcher into a booker is enhanced. The features offered by Pelican System enable a hotel to easily set and modify pictures and text information at any time, without incurring complicated Webmaster procedures.