Letsgo2 - the online tailor made holiday specialist -has contracted with HolidayMapper Ltd to produce an innovative map system that makes it possible for holidaymakers to ‘explore’ a destination and make an informed decision on where to stay.

Holiday Mapper features an interactive map showing the location of hotels and their proximity to selected feature preferences such as beaches, attractions, golf courses, restaurants, nightclubs, shopping, towns and excursions as well as information and images on each.

 

The system is designed to be used to pinpoint hotel locations and identify the ones that suit specific preferences such as being family friendly, adult only, offering spas or sports facilities, weddings or honeymoons.  The hotel icon changes colour to reflect how well each property compares against chosen preferences.

 

To allow customers to make an immediate choice with all the information at their fingertips, Holiday Mapper integrates into the Letsgo2 holiday search and display enabling visitors to view holiday prices for each hotel based on their chosen departure airport, departure date and duration. This is backed up with detailed flight, hotel and availability information all displayed on the map.

 

A recent report by Forrester Research in the US showed continued travel sales growth but a decline in the number of customers.  “This is a wake-up call for the industry,” said Henry Harteveldt, Forrester’s online travel analyst.  “Customers are tired of spending two or three hours trying to find the airline or hotel or vacation package that meets their needs.”

Mr. Harteveldt said companies that relied on a shrinking base of customers would lose ground if they did not help online travel bookers overcome some longstanding hurdles. In particular, he said, online travel agencies and sites from airline, hotel and rental car suppliers rely on the same approach they used a decade ago: they require shoppers to type in their travel dates and locations and wait for a list of options that may or may not fit their budgets or needs.

 

Keith Naylor, Director of Marketing and Online Development at Letsgo2 comments:  “Holiday Mapper is a fantastic new tool which saves time and takes the guesswork out of the holiday planning process. It enables holidaymakers to make an informed decision about where to take their holiday and assists in making quick and easy comparisons of hotels in terms of price, location and facilities.

 

“Holiday Mapper is currently available across all our Caribbean destinations and we aim to extend its coverage to our complete range of destinations worldwide.”

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