AFTER two years of blood sweat, tears – and lots of development cash – well-known travel industry veteran Dave Upton today announced the launch of online booking system/
home based business franchise AccommodationGuru.com Free to install, the ‘industrial strength’ accommodation booking system is initially aimed at smaller product aggregators such as regional tourism organisations which have so far slipped through the distribution net.
It is also perfect for boutique accommodation groups of 20 or more properties and travel companies representing niche products.
Upton, a founding director of travel.com.au, saw the opportunity to develop AccommodationGuru.com through the activities of his internet development company, ITbyus, which has built more 150 travel websites over the past three years.
“I realized there was a lack of affordable IT products for smaller tourist businesses and developed AccommodationGuru.com with this market in mind, although the system is totally scalable,” says Upton.
"This
computer and internet franchise allows small businesses to effectively compete with multinational hotel reservation sites.”
A major point of difference with AccommodationGuru.com is that there’s no up-front capital outlay or monthly fees. AccommodationGuru.com makes its money by charging consumers a A$3.85 booking fee.
“The cost to set up the software is virtually non-existent, and the return is substantial. Because aggregators get to retain 100% of their commission, profits add up fast.”
What is AccommodationGuru.com?
AccommodationGuru.com is a browser-based application which can be integrated into a company’s existing website free of charge.
Visitors to the site can search for their desired travel accommodation and make reservations in real-time. It can be used by aggregators such as regional tourism offices selling local accommodation product. In this case, site owners agree on a commission structure with property suppliers, and earn full commissions for each reservation that is made through the site.
“The program is extremely flexible. Companies can sell not only hotel rooms but camp sites and tours as well,” Upton says.
“Additionally, they have the option of focusing on a local market or expanding internationally. AccommodationGuru.com makes this easy by accepting a variety of currencies.”
AccommodationGuru.com provides travellers with the same tools and conveniences offered by many of the popular accommodation websites.
Features include first-screen availability and pricing comparison, instant book & requests too, last-minute booking options, and secure online credit card payments.
Dave Upton - Biography Dave has an extensive background in the travel industry, starting his career as a key member of the team that developed Trailfinders into Britain's largest independent travel agent, ultimately joining its Board of Directors.
Looking for a better lifestyle, Dave emigrated to Australia in 1983 where he founded The Travel Specialists, bringing international airfare prices within reach of the average person.
In 1997 Dave merged his company with Sydney Flight Centre to form travel.com.au and concentrated his efforts on the technical development of the business.
As CIO he was responsible for the development of the travel.com.au web site, booking engines, fares search engines, back office systems, corporate sites, conference sites, dynamic travel package builder and wholesale booking engine. Travel.com.au is now in the process of being sold to Wotif.com for around A$55 million.
After leaving travel.com.au Dave started his own internet development company, ITbyus, which has built almost 500 websites over the past few years, including 150 for travel companies, many of them well-known.
It was during this work – which continues apace – he saw the opportunity for AccommodationGuru.com, which has taken two years to develop. It’s now ready to roll.
17-Jul-2008