Friday, October 1, 2010
How info-comunication technologies change hotel room reservation services
Introduction
In this project, we will analyse how info-communication has change hotel room reservation through e-commerce website. Information technology has moved from a industrial revolution to information age therefore technology will never stop changing. In the past, people who wants to make a hotel reservation needs to either make a telephone call or through a travel agency. However, at this current world of technologies, mobile phones are not only tools for communication, they also allow you to access to the Internet either through a data plan or wifi. This is possible because of info-communication technology (ICT). We have chosen Zuji as our source of analysis as Zuji is an example of a transaction broker for hotels room reservation.
About Zuji
Zuji is an online travel agent which have a network of online travel sites throughout Asia Pacific. At Zuji, they offer holiday packages at great rates and they have a variety of 400 airlines, 60 000 hotels and thousands of cars for hire to chose from. On top of that, they have also included activities, attractions and travel insurance for travellers. Sabre Holdings, a world leader in travel commerce is also related to Zuji as Zuji is part of the Travelocity family.
Their sister companies include:
• Travelocity.com (North America)
• Lastminute.com (Europe)
• Igougo
• Travelocity Business
• GetThere
• Sabre Travel network
Transaction broker
Transaction broker acts as an intermediary between buying and selling of business. Transaction broker can assit the clients who are either businesses or customers in the buying and selling process.
Business to Consumers
Zuji adopts a Business to Consumer (B2C) type of business model. It provides travellers with the best holiday packages at a affordable rate. In order to do so, they need to manage their suppliers relationships throughout Asia Pacific and work well with the marketing department as well. No matter which country you are at, there is a unique Zuji site that caters to your needs. For example, in Singapore it will be http://www.zuji.com.sg/ .
Business to Business
Zuji also adopts a Business to Business (B2B) type of business model. For example, Zuji Partners Network division allows third parties such as hotels, travel agencies, insurance companies, to serve as a one stop service provider for its travellers. Customers not only can book their air tickets online, they also can book their hotels room and buy their travel insurance through Zuji.
Hotel room reservation procedures
Hotel room reservation has been made much more easier by info-communication technology. As we know in the past, technology was not very advance therefore to make a room reservation people need to go to a travel agency or make a phone call directly to the hotel. By making long distance call it will be very costly. On top of that, people have to book in advance to ensure that they get what they want. However, with info-communication technology, people can save on costly long distance calls and as long as the have access to the Internet either by using a computer, mobile phone or a laptop, they can easily make a hotel room reservation. People still have to book in advance but they can do it anywhere and for those who wants a last minute getaways could do so easily through the Internet as well. Below are examples of the steps to make a booking of a hotel room reservation with the aid of info-communication technology.
Hotel room reservation has been made much more easier by info-communication technology. As we know in the past, technology was not very advance therefore to make a room reservation people need to go to a travel agency or make a phone call directly to the hotel. By making long distance call it will be very costly. On top of that, people have to book in advance to ensure that they get what they want. However, with info-communication technology, people can save on costly long distance calls and as long as the have access to the Internet either by using a computer, mobile phone or a laptop, they can easily make a hotel room reservation. People still have to book in advance but they can do it anywhere and for those who wants a last minute getaways could do so easily through the Internet as well. Below are examples of the steps to make a booking of a hotel room reservation with the aid of info-communication technology.
Step 1:
Type http://www.zuji.com.sg/ and you will lead to the homepage of Zuji. After which key in which city or airport you are intending to go and your check in and check out date as well as the number of rooms, nights and adults you intend to reserve.
Step 2:
The website will than recommend a variety of hotels to customers based on your preferences. This allows the you to compare the prices and once you are satisfied click on the hotel name.
Step 3:
Once you click on the hotel, you can click around the web page for example you want to know more about the hotel facilities you will click on the description taps. The photo tab shows you pictures of the hotels so that you have a ideal of how the hotel looks like. It also have a map tab to show you the locations of the hotel as well as the MRT stations near by. Once you are satisfied with the hotel click on the room tab to select your room and add to basket.
Step 4:
Check your bookings and read the terms and conditions before clicking on next step. After this you will proceed to make online payments.
Pros and Cons of Zuji
As mention above with the aid of info-communication technology, it has made hotel room reservation much easier. It will only be possible with websites like Zuji, Agoda and Hotels.com. On the controversy side, there are also cons to such websites. Since I am doing a report on Zuji, I will talk about some of its advantages and its disadvantages.
Pros:
1) One-stop access to booking of hotels, flights, etc, worldwide.
2) User-friendly interface whereby non-computer savvy people could also access to it at a click of a mouse.
3) Offers value package tour where people could consider taking up.
4) Able to cater to both English and Chinese customers.
5) Offers the lowest price compared to other transaction broker and all prices on the website are inclusive of taxes, with no hidden cost.
6) Travellers can also rent a car in the country through Zuji.
7) My ZUJI tab allows customer to log in and check on their reservation their details and subscription to zuji newsletter.
8) Customer care consist of contact detail. search engine, top searches and travel alerts which allows consumer to have a better understanding of the products.
9) Zuji reward customers who book holidays through their website.
10) Payments are secured by TRUSTe® Privacy Seal Program and TRUSTSG® Privacy Seal Program.
Cons:
1) No virtual tours in the website which will give consumers a hard time visualising.
2) Though it has a user-friendly interface, there is still a possibility of consumers being confuse as there are quite a number of details in one page making it hard to digest.
3) Thread to virus online may still exist.
Policy
ZUJI Travel Pte Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of ZUJI Pte Ltd ("ZUJI") and operates using ZUJI’s Privacy Policy. Consumers can ensure that their information are being kept confidentially and personal information are well protected.
Awards
ZUJI is recognised as a leader and innovator in online travel in Asia Pacific. They have been award by:
- TTG travel magazines in Asia Pacific for "Best Online Travel Agent"'e
- Travel Weekly (Asia) Industry Awards for "Best Online Travel Agency"
- 'Condé Nast Traveler' magazine (March 08, US-edition) announced ZUJI as the 'best travel web site for flights in Asia'.
Conclusion
Information technology has made our lives more effective and efficient by making it more convenient in our daily lives, time saving, more choices to chose from and they can do it 24/7 instead of office hours. Zuji act as a middleman in the travel industry who links consumer and supplier at zuji.com. Zuji also constantly seek for improvements so that they do not lose out as technology keep changing. If they are not up-to-date they will lose potential customers.
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