Web distribution specialist,  4oceans

has teamed up with BedFare, a leading
hotel reservation company, to launch a comprehensive hotel booking service
for third party websites.

David Yates, 4oceans Managing Director
Hailed by the companies as an `online travel agent in a box`, the
partnership enables companies offering hotel bookings on the web to feature
an advanced online reservations system via the 4oceans platform, while also
having the option to offer a customer service call centre through BedFare.

The move provides customers browsing for accommodation with a more flexible
and personal service, a feature traditionally associated with manual
enquiries.

Dev Anand, Sales & Marketing Director of BedFare, explained: “While the
popularity of online reservations is growing, customer service will still
form a significant element of the process: not least if there is a specific
query or individual requirement from the customer that needs a more
personal, hands on service.”

In addition, the new service simplifies the booking process further by
providing users with immediate confirmation via the hotels customer
reservation systems.

4oceans Managing Director, David Yates cites the changes as key to future
success and a clear indication to existing clients and partners of what
4oceans technology can deliver.

He said: “The partnership tackles the problems that are perceived with both
manual and online bookings. It is designed to provide third party websites
with an advanced online reservation and information system from 4oceans,
combined with the back up and support that BedFare already has in place.”

The first client to sign up to the new service is Hotellifestyle.com. The
site currently offers over 600 four and five star UK hotels, including
Hilton, Thistle and Marriott, with the same number of hotels to be added to
the system over the next few months.

Anand added: “We are beginning to see hotel booking agents, who have relied
on the telephone and central reservation office in the past, switch to
automated methods using electronic inventory checking.

“The subtle difference is that we already process over 545 bookings a day,
which results in £30m annual turnover for our partner hotels.”

Related stories on ITN:

(20/06/2003) 4Oceans Secures Contract with Great Hotels of the World

(06/06/2003) 4oceans Launches Agent Booking Portal With Free Trial

(02/05/2003) Leading Hotels Follow 4Oceans into China

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