Google it!

As part of our web presence we tried to be listed on the major search engines. Yes, search engines will track your web-site even without your active participation but we wanted a listing that we have more control of. While Yahoo was very unresponsive we found that it is easy to work with Google. They suggested key words and rates and we chose what seemed the best fit for us. In addition we pay for a tracking service and so we are able to see how many people are visiting our web-site and how they are finding us. This supply us with another way to judge the efficiency of the different online advertising channels that we use and pay for. it is also interesting to see the locations from which people are coming and what attracts them on our web-site. Yes we are a little Internet crazy but we believe that this is an important tool and try to utilize it as much as we can.

Booking engines... PMS...GDS...

The terminology can be very confusing and the money involved pretty hefty so I will try in very few words to shed some light on this 21st century trend in hospitality.

PMS- Property-Management- System, are programmes that give you a software to manage your room inventory and reservation.

When operating on your web-site they are booking engines and guests can look at your rooms, rates and availability and book what they like without actually talking to you.

GDS - Global -Distribution- System, refers to world wide Internet reservation system run and managed by several companies and used widely by travel agents and all the big travelling agencies like Expedia, Travelocity, Orbits, Priceline and so on. There are companies who can offer you software that will interlink all three parts and create "one efficient seamless booking machine". As you can imagine each section of the reservation- booking, costs money and you will also end up paying commissions on each reservation made online plus a flat fee for the service.

It is quiet a competition out there and you want to be seen. The price however makes it very hard to swallow. There is also something that is lost, the ability to talk directly with people. Evaluate their needs and make them feel unique and special.