TECHNOLOGY Reservations.com founders Mahesh Chaddah, left, and Yatin Patel say their company offers more human interaction than other OTAs. Putting people in online travel planning Hotels have growing options in virtual booking technology O TAs’ share of the online travel market reached 39 percent in 2016, reports Phocuswright, which tracks reservations made for hotels, airlines and other travel suppliers. Hotels account for more than half of OTA domestic gross bookings and will continue to increase through 2020 as OTAs focus on growing the hotel segment and widening hotel inventory. Mobile is rapidly becoming travelers’ favorite method of booking. Mobile accounts for more than a quarter of OTA gross bookings, and will rise to 40 percent by 2020 – more than doubling in just six years, Phocuswright reported last month. The high-tech capability developed by OTAs has removed the high-touch or human element in travel planning, say two tech entrepreneurs, co-founders of Reservations.com. The company, launched in 2014, is among a growing number of online booking agents and software providers that have sprung up over the past decade, beckoning owners and operators of both branded and independent hotels to hitch their wagons to the virtual gravy train that chugs nonstop throughout the world. Once upon a time, people planning a trip would visit a travel agent, who would know their preferences. “Then everything moved to a digital space where you have no human interaction,” said Mahesh Chaddah, an entrepreneur who has developed an OTA he 16 AH_Editorial 1-27.indd 16 Asian Hospitality believes provides a more personalized booking experience. Chaddah and Yatin Patel are co-founders of Reservations.com, which seeks to restore the touch of humanity in travel planning and booking. Over the past three years, Reservations.com has built 500 customer assistance centers where operators augmented by computers help customers create tailored travel packages. “We are investing heavily in education and training the staff to give this concierge level of service,” Chaddah said. He and Patel believe their venture fills a void created by the consolidation of most OTAs into Expedia and Priceline. “We’ll be one of those recognizable brands that give consumers a choice,” he said. The venture has spent heavily on digital marketing on Bing, Google and other search channels to put its name in front of consumers. To date, more than 1.5 million consumers have used the site and more than 2 million hotel rooms have been booked at the 150,000- plus hotels the company works with worldwide. The concierge service provides users who want to speak to a booking agent on an optional phone number; smartphone users have only to touch the phone icon to reach a concierge. March 2017 www.asianhospitality.com 3/7/2017 2:39:35 PM