Big Interview: The winning credentials behind the “most technologically advanced and agile” rewards platform

2023 has already been a successful year for travel rewards platform My Booking Rewards. We sat down with founder and CEO Darren Pearson to find out what other developments they have fuelling their continued growth

Last month, My Booking Rewards saw their best and most successful Peaks campaign to date. 

The record-breaking 2023 Peaks campaign, which sees agents earn rewards for what they sell, is just one of a few successes that the UK-based company has enjoyed in recent months.

Darren Pearson, founder and CEO of My Booking Rewards told Travolution editor, Kate Harden-England: “We constantly have new things developing and new things to tell people.”

Pearson referred to the platform as a train that is “fast moving and not stopping”. You can see why when you break it down. 

This year they’ve seen growth in a number of areas. One of those is membership, which has grown “exponentially” with 9,000 new members, plus agents, and has more than doubled last year’s growth. 

Booking logging numbers have also grown with it, which in turn has seen revenue generated increase and earn back for agents increase. 

The roll out of a new update for their Bonus Programme, that allows clients to be more targeted and specific with a bonus, has been another contributing factor.  

This new functionality allows clients to target a booking window, a travel window and a specific product of theirs.

Pearson said: “Virgin Holidays are smart and very acutely aware of the potential that this [product] brings. 

“They partner and endorse this bonus because they drive that business to their agents and the agents become switched on to this week’s bonus and it works. It has been so effective.

“Other operators are now understanding the power, and also consortia, Co-Op has also recognised the power of it. It’s not just about driving down price for a special offer, it’s about increasing a bonus to an agent for the business that they deliver.

“The Bonus Programme and the bonus technology has really started to take hold for both the agent, the operator and the customer we serve.

“This is an alternative to dropping your prices. It’s let’s stimulate the market in a different way.”

Not stopping there, My Booking Rewards has also implemented OPTIMUS, a plug in Salesforce tool for clients with multiple BDMs. 

It allows for segmentation of the market by BDM and all communication, admin and planning by a BDM to be done within the platform.

“It’s super-efficient. It’s a massive salesforce tool that goes hand in hand with agent engagement.”

Perhaps it’s the mindset behind the creation of their products that has contributed to the wave of success they’re seeing recently. 

“New products always come about because we have a brain wave, and we have a need. We don’t deliver or build something that nobody needs," said Pearson.

“We build it with a real view of ‘is this going to serve you commercially and help you build your business and the business of the agents?’” 

It also helps that Pearson was previously a hotel contractor and a hotelier, so he "understands that hoteliers want and need to engage with both the contractor and the agents selling their product on the frontline".

He added: “We are industry people delivering an industry product.”

As a professed customer of his own product, it would be remiss of My Booking Rewards to not acknowledge the key driver to their claim of “the most technologically advanced and agile rewards platform”. 

“We own all our own technology. We don’t subcontract any services, all of the team is in-house, so if a customer calls, we’re quick to respond, we’re agile and we’re in control.

“I’ve also got a really, really sharp IT director. He gets the technology and I get the business.”

While Peaks continues to be “huge” this year with the likes of Marriot Bonvoy and Hard Rock as well destinations like Jamaica, the 13-year-old platform will continue to work hard behind the scenes in a bid to always deliver.

“It’s our time to shine. It’s a strong platform and you know we’re very proud of it but we’re also busy with our heads down developing all the time.”