Tag Archives: OTA

MakeMyTrip.com has launched a new platform that will allow travel agents access to its entire inventory. Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip, said, “We have built our inventory over the years especially in the hotel space. The idea behind this new product is to give access to this rich content to the travel agents. This B2B2C foray will allow agents to use our technology to service their customers. Agents will get a log-in and it will be at no fee at the moment. Any booking changes can be made on myPartner by the agents and our back-end will take care of that.”

The Sikkim Hotels & Restaurants Association (SHRA) recently convened hoteliers’ meeting in Gangtok during which it was unanimously agreed to not continue conducting business with Go-MMT until the concerns were addressed and resolved. Effective January 16, 2019, hotels in the state have indefinitely closed inventory to the OTAs and have decided to not honour any new bookings that might come through. During the meeting, SHRA member hotels also decided to terminate their contracts with Go-MMT immediately. Pema Lamta, President, SHRA, said, “We are in solidarity with the country’s apex hospitality body – Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) and also our regional body – Hotel & Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) in uniting against the OTAs’ unfair and discriminatory business practices. We have made an official appeal to all our members to not honour Go-MMT bookings from January 16, 2019, and have requested them to terminate their contracts with the OTAs immediately. However, we will accommodate guests who have already been booked through Go-MMT even after the 16th. We do not want our guests to be harassed or inconvenienced. However, they will be requested to make payments directly to the hotel instead of to the OTAs.” Many other hotel Associations across India have accused the said OTAs of charging exorbitant commissions, unfair accounting practices and unauthorised and further discounting of hotel prices set by hoteliers. The boycotting of the two online portals gained momentum after Ahmedabad Hotel Association had first raised the issue, which many other associations and hotels followed on later. “SHRA had earlier written to OTAs with concerns raised by local hotels and even held meeting with them. The association had raised specific concerns …

Bengaluru-based OTA, Via.com has partnered with seven state-operated corporation buses to offer real-time online booking on its agents’ outlets, its website and mobile App for a range of State Road Transport Corporation bus services. Currently, it has tied up with seven state corporations, including Gujarat, J&K, Odisha, Punjab, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and Goa. With this move, Via.com is expecting an increase of 30 per cent in its overall bus bookings by the next quarter. Currently, VIA sells bus tickets worth of Rs 10 crore every month. To increase its presence in the land transport sector, the company is also looking at tying up with other state-run bus operators, including Himachal Pradesh, Rajashtan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharastra in the near future. Apart from the state-run buses, Via.com offers bookings across categories such as Volvo, air-conditioned, non-air-conditioned, deluxe, semi deluxe, sleeper and semi sleeper buses. VIA will offer competitive prices on bus tickets through over 5,000 bus operators and more than 75,000 routes across India, the company said. Swaminathan Vedaranyam, Chief Executive Officer, VIA said, “We are seeking to strengthen our portfolio of offerings and ensure that we remain the one-stop shop for travel solutions. With this integration, we aim to open this channel for a section of travellers who are loyal to state-run buses to make life hassle-free and easier for them.” The ticket prices for most routes range from Rs 650-1500. From April-July 2015 to April-July 2016, the growth in terms of sale bookings from the bus segment has grown 3X on Via.com, the CEO added.