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REPORT – ITB BERLIN 2012 – BERLIN: Pegasus Solutions is the first hotel reservation solutions provider to offer responsive web design for hotels, which allows hotels to deliver hotel content correctly formatted to any mobile device. The solution, OpenFlex, is available now through Pegasus’ Open Hospitality division, and is credited for helping one customer realize half a million US dollars through iPad bookings alone in January 2012.
Responsive design offers hotels affordability and efficiency in providing mobile booking as an option for guests. Leveraging fluid widths, scalable images and adjustable layouts, it allows bookers to quickly access important details via their preferred point of mobile contact – any smartphone, tablet or operating system.
“Mobile is no longer a novelty or ‘nice-to-have’ for hotels that are competing for global business. It has become a must for generating revenue,” said David Millili, chief executive officer of Open Hospitality and chief web officer for Pegasus Solutions. “Displaying a desktop version of a website on a smartphone will frustrate a customer, and spending additional budget designing multiple mobile sites for each mobile tool will frustrate the hotel. With OpenFlex, we are the first hotel reservation solutions provider to offer hotels responsive design to optimize the significant business opportunity in mobile bookings.”
With OpenFlex, Pegasus also addresses the discord created when hotels create a mobile site that then links to the existing desktop booking environment, which will create attrition in the reservation process from mobile bookers.
“If you’re going to create an effective mobile hotel site, the guest must be able to enjoy the shopping and booking experience, or even the convenience of accessing hotel information, location details, and dynamic mapping features in a highly compatible display size,” added Millili. “Make sure the experience is doable – ask whether they could manage it while walking the show floor at ITB, or hailing a cab at the airport. If not, your mobile bookers will go where they can book.”
Pegasus also offers hotels RezView Mobile, a product that gives hotels using Pegasus’ RezView NG central reservations system (CRS) enterprise delivery platform the ability to design downloadable native applications for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. With RezView Mobile, RezView NG customers can maintain centralized content and rate management while also establishing a brand presence in Apple and Android stores to encourage loyal consumers to access their hotel for bookings from their mobile device. Flagship customer Utell Hotels & Resorts’ app is already available in both app stores.
Pegasus Solutions Expands Voice Services Offering
The company also has expanded its Voice Services offering with an additional call center in the United States to provide expert booking and revenue generation support via four global call centers. Capturing reservations in 11 languages and serving more than 30 countries, Pegasus Voice Services’ flexibility enabled one major hotel chain to answer more calls at an increased conversion, resulting in an additional $11.6M USD in hotel revenue.
Pegasus Voice Services enables hotels to maintain a global call center presence without expensive overhead costs, managing voice reservations for a hotel or hotel group so staff can focus on serving customers. Often credited as the second most important revenue generation channel, behind online, voice reservations can drive as much as a quarter of a hotel’s bookings.
“A weak voice presence can single-handedly diminish every other investment you have made in selling your hotel rooms,” said Ges Doran, senior vice president, customer support and voice services for Pegasus Solutions. “A customer booking through a desktop or mobile site may make secondary contact by phone to confirm details, finalize arrangements, or alter a booking. The call support offered can either reinforce confidence in your brand, complete a sale, or drive them to explore other options. They want staff who speak their language and who are trained on your hotel and branding, and you want to make sure you don’t miss any revenue opportunities.”
Pegasus Voice Services provides flexible options that can be tailored to fit a hotel’s specific business needs with call-gating support during peak under-staff hours or full-time call answering. The highly-trained sales staff has both sales and hotel experience, and undergoes regular coaching, training and test calls. Seamless call routing allows staff to quickly answer calls in the travel agent or guest’s own language, reducing potential frustration in booking.
Maintaining a call center is an expensive option for hotel brands. Pegasus Voice Services infrastructure and technology enable hotels to replace the fixed overhead costs associated with in-house staffing, technology and management of reservation call services with a competitive per-minute fee when services are needed. The call centers in the U.S., Madrid, Singapore and Sao Paulo provide support in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin and Japanese, ensuring coverage of important global outbound travel markets.
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.
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