New player in on-line bookings

A new global player in the online accommodation booking business, Worldhotel-link.com Limited (WHL), has been launched by a team based out of Sydney. WHL is at first glance a commercial accommodation booking business much like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Wotif and Hostelworld. It is however a completely different business model from others out there.

Designed originally for the developing world as part of a World Bank/IFC financed project, it has now been launched as a commercial venture. In developing countries, where Internet access, language and other challenges necessitated a local on-the-ground presence by the online service, the WHL model has evolved into a full featured franchise model ….. a sort of Century 21 of the accommodation booking business.

This model has several unique advantages over the “centralized” models being used today by all the big players. Firstly it expands the reach. The franchise model allows WHL to bring online many interesting local properties which are otherwise unable to work with the (centralized) offshore or remote providers. These are accommodation providers who often need help with digital content, with online access, with language etc. and who value having a local person to work with them.

Experience has shown that there are significant benefits with this model especially in its ability to bridge the digital divide. Secondly, with an office in each destination serviced, WHL has a unique ability to apply local knowledge in the service of travellers. There is a local person just an email, or Skype call away to answer all those questions that make the difference in the buying decision (e.g. how do I get from the airport to the hotel at midnight, can we get an extra bed in the room, etc.). There are many travellers who like this feature …. the personal touch, and its something most others just can’t offer. Finally WHL can provide very competitive pricing. The challenge that all the traditional players have is that hotels do not want different prices to be displayed on the different online sites.

With prices fixed, most of the other big sites are now battling one another for market share with special deals financed from their commissions. With WHL, the franchisees are established local players in the travel business ….. people with contract rates and the ability to work specials deals with the hotels they know personally. So, rates on the web may look comparable, but if the traveller is looking for a special deal, the WHL partner well placed to provide a competitive rate.  

WHL currently has 18 destinations in 13 countries online and another 43 destinations in 40 countries under construction. It also has several other features and innovations such as new “Caring for the Destination” ratings to tap the growing eco-tourism market.

For more information go to www.worldhotel-link.com

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