When the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world forcing
hotels to close their doors, it soon became apparent that not all accommodation
providers also turned off their booking channels.
For while the majority of corporates have taken travel bookings
offline and through new approvals processes, some are still using online
booking tools (OBTs) – or at least trying to – and have reported concerns with
the accuracy of the content being displayed.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that, at a time when travel regulations
and social distancing measures vary across countries and regions, suppliers might
struggle to keep on top of their distribution channels.
However, as businesses ready themselves to travel again and corporates
switch booking tools back on, users must be assured that the content and
availability displayed reflects the reality. Moreover, new post-Covid safety
information must also be incorporated.
For Lisa Barnett, commercial contract
specialist at Bruker, the challenge has been finding hotels that are both open –
according to her booking tool – and within a reasonable distance of the sites
being visited by her engineer colleagues, but then also verifying whether they
are indeed open for business.
“It’s been difficult getting our engineers into hotels near
the sites they’re visiting. In some cases we’re staying 30 miles from the site
– we just can’t get any closer,” she says.
“Hotels are showing on the booking tool as open but they’re
actually closed. I’ve had incidences where people have been able to book a
closed hotel. It’s not a huge problem at the moment but more hotels are opening
now so this needs to be got right.”
Increasingly, Bruker has moved bookings offline – with calls
and emails to its TMC – in order to bypass any OBT content conundrums and additionally
check hotels’ new operating procedures.
Paul Baker, sales director at Global Travel Management, a
member of the Business Travel Association (BTA), says the organisation has had similar
feedback.
“We don’t necessarily trust all the information that’s
appearing in the GDS right now,” he says. “If we want to book one of the major
hotel chains, for example, we’ll ring them and check they are open as you also
have to find out about hotels’ Covid processes.”
The global distribution systems, from which much OBT content
is drawn, will probably point the finger at suppliers for current content inaccuracies,
while suppliers will blame the GDS, Baker suggests.
“In fairness to the GDSs, they are not the ones that load
the information that appears on our screens. They’re the processor of the data –
not the originator. But it's up to both parties to make
sure the information that travel managers use to make a decision is right.”
Amadeus, the world’s largest GDS, says
it is the responsibility of each provider to update their content in its travel
platform. It provides this content to travel sellers through a number of
interfaces including its Cytric corporate booking tool.
Responding specifically to concerns
around accurate hotel content, Katja Bohnet, director of hotel distribution at
Amadeus, says: “We are working closely with our hotel providers and they are updating
their content so we can give travel sellers visibility on closed hotels and
enhanced security measures.”
Bohnet adds: “In addition, our hotel data management team runs regular
reports on content accuracy which we review with our hotel customers and
highlight any issues on static and descriptive content.”
Amadeus has also put new initiatives in place that enable hotels
to add information regarding new Covid-19 protocols such as sanitation measures
and search and filter options for properties with enhanced hygiene protocols.
Such measures are necessary for online booking tools to gain momentum in
a post-Covid booking environment – it is incumbent upon hotels to ensure new
protocols are clearly communicated online in this manner as well, of course, as
the basics around their current operational status.
As one travel manager in the financial services sector told BTN
Europe: “I’m not sure OBTs are ready yet but I think people will be staying
offline for a while anyway. We need the extra information from TMCs about post-Covid
procedures and protocols.”
They added: “At the moment [inaccurate content] is not a
huge issue for us, but it could be as business travel picks up again.”
Several hotel groups were invited to contribute to this
article but, at the time of writing, none had supplied comment or offered
access to a spokesperson.