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Umi hotels and web agency 2am have this week released a new accommodation booking engine which enables users to book a room from their smart phone and helps independent hotels compete against larger industry players with greater online visibility.
BookItWith is a secure online booking system that has been seven months in the making and is now available for “white-label” licence inclusive of office-hours technical support. The PHP-built software is a dynamic system, with plans to add a new feature every six weeks so that it remains the most capable booking software on the market. The online engine can be found independently of the accommodation provider’s website through a sub-domain of BookItWith.com, on any device with web browsing capability.
Hotel owners will be able to access a conversion report showing exactly which keywords people have used to find and book their hotel. This knowledge will allow them to adopt a better seo strategy, targeting keywords that provide a better conversion ratio. The cost of the software is calculated on an individual basis, with commissions and support levels taken into account.
An online survey conducted by umi found that the top two “most off-putting aspects of making a purchase online” were security levels and complexity. When testing the new BookItWith software, 97% of respondents rated the booking engine as “easy or “very easy” and 90% said the amount of room features available to choose from were “good” or “great”.
Founder of umi hotels and originator of the concept, Steve Lowy, said “It’s been a long and difficult project but working with 2am and thoroughly researching the market from all points of view will make it a success. We have designed the software to be individually branded and assist independent hotels with their online sales strategies. This platform will also allow us to advance our franchise expansion plans by giving our member hotels a comprehensive sales tool that can drive their direct business.”
He went on to say, “this product is not just aimed at hotels but all accommodation providers and very much aligned with the ethos of umi, we aim to offer a five star service to companies without breaking the bank”.
Designed with both customers and owners in mind, usability testing has led to increased page load speeds, optimum layout designs and the integration of Yahoo Money to give users an accurate estimation of their local currency rates. The software also has intelligent features such as offering all available room types relevant to the number of guests and taking a payment pre-authorisation if guests would rather pay in person at the time of their stay. BookItWith can be integrated into existing websites, be adapted for alternative languages and currencies and be used with a wide selection of payment gateways.
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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