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Now it is no longer necessary for travellers to surf the internet for hours, looking for the right place to stay. Whether you’re going on vacation, a long weekend or a business trip, all you have to do is register with theZouk and file your personalized requests for accommodation. Tell the world what you’re looking for – and confidential offers adjusted to your personal needs, sent directly from the room providers themselves, will start to arrive in your inbox – one by one. theZouk is a brand new service that saves time and opens new business opportunities -often leading to lower rates – for all types of travellers.
theZouk is unlike any other service because it collects new personal offers directly from each hotel or room provider, instead of presenting long lists of predefined rates from a limited list of providers. Call it “reverse bidding” if you like, where the provider – not the potential client – is the active part.
More options and lots of time saved
”With theZouk we make it both easier and quicker for the travellers to find and book their rooms” says Bent Wehage, founder of theZouk. ”We save the travellers all the hassle of searching the Internet for hours on end, simply by taking over and automatically contacting all hotels and other room providers matching the criteria of each request on their behalf. All the traveller has to do (while doing things more important than searching the internet) is evaluate the offers received and choose the one that suits them best” Bent Wehage explains. Apart from traditional hotels theZouk also reaches castles, mansions, small intimate pubs and inns, B&B’s, cabins and even private homes.”
Lower rates for the traveller and higher occupancy levels for hotels and room providers
All types of accommodation, including private properties, can register with theZouk free of charge and save a lot of time and money spent on marketing through third party systems. For the first time ever, hotels and other room providers will now automatically be notified whenever a traveller is looking for accommodation in their area, enabling them to directly affect the client’s decision where to stay.
”What we have created is a window into the traveller’s world for the suppliers to use. This creates new savings and business opportunities, not least since the, often expensive third party is removed. All the room provider pays is a fixed finder’s fee of 8 euros for each offer resulting in a booking, no matter how many rooms or nights the reservation is for. Apart from that theZouk is completely free to use which is one of the reasons why theZouk is already home to many room providers not found in any of the traditional booking systems. The hotels and room providers can increase their revenue and level of occupancy in weak periods by offering extra special rates or additional services like upgrades, excursions or food & drink discounts since all offers are confidential and only shown to the one client in question. A true win-win situation since each empty room is money lost to the provider”, says Bent Wehage who got the idea for theZouk two years ago when he realized the advantages and need for an alternative to the traditional hotel booking systems, focusing on the customer’s situation and needs.
theZouk very well received in the hospitality industry
Backed by a small group of dedicated private investors Bent Wehage – who has more than 25 years experience from the travel industry in Denmark and Sweden – has spent the past two years expanding the service to include more than 120.000 hotels and other types of room providers in more than 40 countries, primarily in Europe and the USA. ”It is obvious that a great number of room providers have been waiting for this alternative on the market and so far the response has been very positive. The number of room providers registered in our database increases every day”, tells Bent Wehage who now hopes that the traveller community will embrace this new free service and show the hospitality market that this is a new channel to be reckoned with.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
