HotelConnect adds new rate options

Agents using HotelConnect’s site to book hotels will soon have access to a wider range of prices for each property. The company believes agents being able to offer customers a variety of price options for cities and short breaks is key to the success of the sector. The move is in recognition of the increasing…

Agents using HotelConnect’s site to book hotels will soon have access to a wider range of prices for each property.

The company believes agents being able to offer customers a variety of price options for cities and short breaks is key to the success of the sector.

The move is in recognition of the increasing number of rate options including advance purchase rates, rates that can only be packaged, best available rates and various rates with or without breakfast and other trimmings.

In addition, as hotels increase their own focus on price position, there is regular price fluctuation with rates changing multiple times a day.

HotelConnect’s new technology system handles these permutations by linking into many of their independent hotels’ own systems.

Managing director Chris Fraser said: “The times when our hotel contractors sourced rates once or twice a year have long gone. At the moment, in order to keep up, you’d have to be on the phone to the hotel every five minutes.

“Many of these rates have been restricted to prevent online agents selling them as a transparent hotel-only product. This wasn’t just about connecting to a few chain hotels.

“Our specialist approach means that we have to offer many technology solutions so we cover the needs of the fragmented independent hotel market.”

More than 500 hotels will become available to agents in the next three months and Fraser insisted the system will always give its trade clients the best available rate at any given time.

Fraser added: “The trade has always seen us as the best in the industry at supplying a good range of city centre properties and the new rate structures we can now add will cement our position as best placed to offer the trade our quality range at the best prices.”