Ashwin Damera, CEO, Travelguru gives his views on the future of travel technology

Ashwin Damera
Co-founder and CEO, Travelguru

India is in the midst of a significant travel revolution. But with the plethora of options available, it is not easy to find the best deal. Also, with every airline now practicing yield management, prices change frequently. The need for a one-stop price comparison option for customers is immense. Enter online travel portals. By marrying technology to travel, online travel portals can offer customers more options, better choices and hence better prices. Let’s illustrate this with an example. What’s the cheapest way to fly from Mumbai to Ranchi? Is there a direct flight? Is it via Kolkata or via Delhi? Even if it’s via Delhi, it could be on SpiceJet to Delhi and then on Indian to Ranchi. Now multiply that with the several other airline options and you suddenly have more than 1,000 options to choose from. Travelguru’s meta-search technology gives the customer the top 50 results out of all the permutations and combinations possible. What would have otherwise taken hours can now be done within a few seconds at the click of a mouse or by calling the toll free customer service number. This is the future of travel technology in India. Travelguru has also pioneered a similar revolution in the hotel space. The hotel industry in India is a highly fragmented one. With five-star hotels at an all-time-high occupancy level, the frequent traveller is constantly on the prowl for more affordable options that don’t compromise on quality. The leisure traveller is also looking for vacations beyond Goa and Kerala. Enter Travelguru that lets customers book rooms in over 1,500 hotels in India and 70,000 hotels worldwide online.

Imagine booking a hotel in London for Rs 2,000 per night, what the nearby attractions are, what the room facilities are and reading guest reviews and all this at a click of a button. Hitherto consigned to the realms of imagination, these options are a reality today, thanks to the proprietary hotel’s booking engine that we have implemented.

For all these and other reasons, online travel is rapidly gaining popularity in India. Customers are realising that the Internet offers them a transparent and hassle-free environment in which to plan, discuss and book their travel. With e-ticketing and credit cards the entire booking process is paperless and touch-free. In India the online travel market is still in its infancy. Online players can offer several opportunities to existing travel agents in India. They can work out deals with major hotels in India and share them with travel agents in a B2B model. Agents who book hotels on the site will earn a specified commission amount based on volume. Commission checks are guaranteed (unlike GDS bookings) and are paid on a monthly basis.

Taking from the best practices of Expedia, Hotels.com, Travelocity, Ctrip.com, Cendant, etc we have modified/adapted the same to suit the Indian scenario to bring a stellar product to market. The summary result of airline fares, the display of hotel information and content and the way vacations are sold, are all results of careful analysis and learning from the overseas markets.

source: expresstravelworld

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