Today, FastBooking announced 2008 aggregated hotel booking data that highlights a 41% average increase in direct hotel website business in 2008 versus 2007. In contrast, GDS companies are reporting 10% + declines in business during the 2008 recession.

FastBooking offers a complete set of hotel booking solutions that span Internet-enabled direct hotel website bookings, traditional GDS services, FastBooking consumer portals, and integration with 3rd party consumer booking websites.“FastBooking customers bucked the recession and booked more, high margin direct business in 2008 than 2007,” stated Richard Kefs, CEO of FastBooking. “Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, Worldspan, and other GDS vendors serve their markets well, but travellers are increasingly choosing to book directly on hotel websites. Though we also provide traditional distribution services like GDS, we really excel at maximizing a hotel’s revenue from its own website.”

This data clearly signals an accelerating shift of travellers’ preference to book rooms directly with hotels. Savvy hoteliers are turning to companies like FastBooking for solutions to meet this shifting demand.

Direct hotel bookings offer the following benefits to travellers and hoteliers;

Traveller Benefits

- Access more photos, videos and a full description of the hotel property and location

- Better pricing, and no additional booking fees

- Research massage and spa options, onsite restaurants, packages, and local attractions

- Confidence that the reservation will not be lost between a sales intermediary and the hotel

Hotelier Benefits

- Manage the entire customer experience from shopping, reservation, and post stay follow up

- Build your hotel brand rather than compete with other hotel brands at travel portals

- Present a comprehensive offer of options including spa, restaurants, and meeting facilities

- Increase profits by eliminating fees of 20-30% charged by intermediary sales channels
       
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