Dec 09, 2005
The hospitality industry is one of the fast-growing market segments today, enhanced by a recovering global business environment. Thus, market opportunities are now expanding throughout nations and continents. With such a broader potential market, hotels are now able to increase daily occupancy. The better a hotel can maintain its customer base, the better revenue maximization it can enjoy.

The online Reservation System, an emerging tool, is able to connect hotels not only with Internet Users but also with travel agents and corporate clients around the world. Studies show that reservations made online are increasing steadily. Although intermediary websites such as Priceline, Expedia, and Orbitz remain the top reservation contributors, making direct reservations through a hotel's own property or chain website cannot be underestimated.

Many reservation systems are built only to accommodate direct customers/Internet users, but in fact a hotel has travel agents and corporate clients who all share a large portion of room allotment. A recent survey of two hundred hotels in Asia and Europe revealed that the contribution from travel agents and corporate clients ranges from 30% to 70% of total bookings. The lack of access for accommodating travel agent/ corporate client in reservation systems takes place for two main reasons:

1. Many hotels still maintain contracts with travel agents and corporate clients manually. Hotels in reality deal with hundreds, if not thousands, of travel agents and corporate clients. Maintaining masses of manual contracts is not only ineffective but the potential of losing business is also high. With the help of an online reservation system, a Hotel can actually switch into online contracting, allowing high flexibility in arranging rates and allotments without having to neglect any of its massive number of customers.

2. Many reservation systems are often designed by those who do not have detailed knowledge about the industry. In reality, the hospitality industry deals with numerous business flows in its customer relations. One of these is mentioned above. A reservation system has to be designed by a computer person working closely with hoteliers, in order to produce it comprehensively.

Pelican online-reservation System is one designed inclusively for hotels serving global markets. With in-depth experience in both the Hospitality Industry and Information Technology, the Pelican system team has engineered a system favoring both hotels and their customers.

With the Pelican system, a hotel will be able to get in touch not only directly with customers, travel agents and corporate clients around the world without having to worry about how to manage it. Travel agents and corporate clients are served on a "first come first served" basis in the system maintained by the hotel, with high flexibility of room rates and allotment adjustment. This will result in higher occupancy, since room rates and allotments are adjusted from time to time for the benefit of customers.

Internet Users (Direct Guests) . Pelican System provides instant confirmation of reservations made through the hotel's website, and will notify the hotel's Reservation Department, through automatically generated e-mail messages.

Travel Agents and Corporate Clients . Pelican System offers a feature called Online Contracting which eliminates the need of paper-based fixed-term contracts, allowing the hotel to set and adjust rates and allotments instantly, according to the seasonal period, special events, or unexpected demand. Online contracting, besides helping a hotel to adjust room rates and allotment, also helps a hotel in monitoring customer productivity. Comprehensive reports compiled by the System help a hotel in reviewing the large number of travel agents and corporate clients. Lastly, any travel agents and corporate clients around the world can contact the hotel directly through the reservation system, to get rates and room allotment. Those deemed credible will be granted login access and a password by the hotel. As a result, the hotel will be able to secure additional travel agents and corporate clients worldwide. Below is a view of Pelican System's reservation button on your website.

• Note: the three button location will be adjusted according to the hotel's own original website.