Pegasus is launching a new capability to enable Brazilian travel agents to book the portfolio of Utell by Pegasus member hotels in Brazil in the Brazilian currency, reais.
The new functionality is planned to begin in January.

Under Brazilian law, services such as hotel rooms can only be offered for sale in the country in local currency (reais). Currently, room prices for Utell by Pegasus hotels worldwide are denominated in dollars, making it nearly impossible for Brazilian travel agents to book hotels via Pegasus’ call center in Sao Paulo or through the major global distribution systems (GDSs).

“This severely limited our customers’ access to the in-country tourist market, which a Sao Paulo University report estimated at 45 million people per year,” said Bob Boles, chief operating officer of Pegasus.

The new service will be launched initially for voice reservations.

Concurrently, Pegasus will also begin billing Brazilian customers in reais, eliminating the costly fees that hotels had been charged by their banks for currency conversions. “We will be the first global hotel services provider to offer our hotel customers both booking availability in the local currency and the convenience of being billed in the local currency as well,” Boles said.

“We’re making these changes for our customers in Brazil to forge stronger partnerships focused on meeting their needs and delivering tailor-made services that can help them grow and prosper,” Boles added.
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