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Blog and News

New BookIt booking process

clock August 26, 2011 14:26 by author Andrew Schofield

We’ve just completed a major revamp of the Bookit booking process. The new process is cleaner, feature-rich and requires only 1 or 2 steps to complete bookings. Early indicators are that the new booking process has directly increased conversions by up to 30%.

If you use BookIt on your own website you’re already running on the new version. We’ll be sending a detailed feature summary so look out for this in your inbox soon.

Inclusions now live on BookIt and Travelbug

clock March 22, 2011 14:54 by author Andrew Schofield

It has been a busy start to the year for the BookIt development team and we've just released our new 'daily inclusions' feature.

What is daily inclusion data you may ask?

It is a short summary of what your guests will enjoy with the room/product they book. Inclusion data should describe what the customer is paying for, eg "includes buffet breakfast for two and free wi-fi internet", rather than a full room description. This information will also appear on the Travelbug confirmation page and the traveller and operator confirmation emails.

Here's how it looks on Travelbug:



How to load inclusions data

If you are a customer of Siteminder, Seekom or STAAH you just need to ensure you have loaded inclusion data at that end and BookIt will do the rest. Take a look at your listing on Travelbug to see how it looks.

If you are not using one of the channel managers above you will need to load and manage the inclusions directly in your BookIt account.
  1. Login to BookIt
  2. Click on the 'Inventory Manager' tab
  3. Click on the 'Manage inclusions' link
  4. Enter your default inclusions for each product. Where a rate includes just the room, enter "Room only"
  5. Click 'Save' when you are finished

If you need to enter separate inclusions for individual dates, click on 'Override inclusions' - again don't forget to click 'Save' when you are finished.


Both the BookIt booking confirmation email and booking details pages will include the relevant inclusions data for the booking, so you and your team know what the guest has paid for and is expecting.

Login to BookIt now

If you have any questions at all, please contact us any day of the week between 9am and 5pm on 0508 BOOKIT or support@bookit.co.nz

Happy inclusion-ing!

Reseller API changes

clock February 15, 2011 14:36 by author Andrew Schofield

I'm pleased to say that the reseller API now allows multiple accommodation categories to be queried. Instead of passing a single PIMCode parameter you can now pass a comma separated list of PIMCode parameters.

E.g. "HOT,MOT,BAB" - this would return all hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts.

If you pass nothing to the API it will return all types. The full list of PIMCodes are as follows:

Hotels HOT
Motels MOT
Bed and Breakfasts BAB
Backpackers BAK
Apartments APT
Lodges LOD
Holiday Parks PRK
Holiday Houses HSD

BookIt Newsletter February 2011

clock February 7, 2011 10:14 by author Andrew Schofield

It's now February and 2011 is in full swing. We've been busy and have a number of exciting new features to tell you about and a cool new activities reseller on the network. Check them out and as always, let us know if you need anything! 

Cheers - Daniel

In this issue:
  • Using BookIt in your own website or for the new-look newzealand.com
  • New BookIt features
  • New Travelbug features
  • Trade Me auctions reminder
  • New resellers in the network
  • Reseller feature - activate-me.co.nz
BookIt, low cost self-retail and the new newzealand.com
You may know that you can use BookIt to sell your own product on your own website, but you may not know that it only costs 4.5% commission for accommodation bookings and 6% for non-accommodation - including credit card fees and commission.

With the new newzealand.com providing you the opportunity to link to your own website, make sure you are maximising all your traffic by offering quick and easy bookings for all visitors to your site. Adding BookIt to your site is quick and easy and is available for no upfront cost.

You can add BookIt to your website for no upfront cost or you can choose to add your own website's look and feel for a small additional cost. Contact us for more information. You may know that you can use BookIt to sell your own product on your own website, but you may not know that it only costs 4.5% commission for accommodation bookings and 6% for non-accommodation - including credit card processing fees. With the new newzealand.com providing you the opportunity to have a 'Book Now' link to your own website, make sure you are maximising all your traffic by offering realtime (and secure) booking services to visitors to your site. Adding BookIt to your site is quick and easy and is available for no upfront cost. You can choose to add your own website's look and feel for a small additional cost. Another reason for adding BookIt services to your own website is to be able to measure the effectiveness of your website, and cut down on the steps potential guests/visitors need to make to confirm a booking. Recent feedback from Flying Kiwi Parasail in the Bay of Islands was very positive, they have had over $5000 in direct bookings since adding the BookIt calendar to their website in December - prior to that it was difficult to differentiate where the booking closed i.e. web, email, phone or walk up. Contact us for more information, and for assistance in adding BookIt services and tools to your own website.
New BookIt features
The dev team have recently released a few cool new features on BookIt including:
  1. Manage products outside your channel manager - if you've ever wanted to run a short-term promotion on Travelbug but have been unable to because it takes too long linking it with your channel manager, good news! You can now choose to load a product and manage it manually by entering rates and inventory directly in your Inventory Manager.

  2. Product descriptions on accommodation bookings - travellers and operators now get the full product description on confirmation emails. This makes it easier for both parties to see what has been booked. Please make sure you are happy with your product descriptions today.

Login to BookIt and check out these new features.

New Travelbug features
Trevor the Travelbug continues to sharpen up his act. There will be more cool new features coming out soon (so watch this space) but for now here are the recent improvements:
  1. Travelbug enquiry feature - we now allow back-and-forth enquiry threads between travellers and Travelbug properties to enable easier enquiry and reply. These enquiries are free for operators and so we'd ask that wherever possible you direct travellers back to your Travelbug listing to make their booking.

  2. Travelbug deals of the week email makeover - one property per week will be featured at the top of the email and in the subject line. If you have a deal that you would like featured, email deals@travelbug.co.nz and send us the details.
Trade Me auctions reminder
Have you tried auctions on Trade Me yet? You can load accommodation auctions in BookIt for no upfront cost (just a 10% commission on confirmed bookings) and there is no post-auction hassle.

Auctions are great for selling distressed inventory but even more useful for getting free exposure for your business. To maximise the opportunity you should make your auction name interesting, make your description stand out and try $1 reserve auctions - they attract more bids, more pageviews and therefore more buzz.

Login to BookIt and load some auctions today!

New resellers in the network
We've got more new resellers selling product around the world every month, here are the latest additions:

Reseller name Reseller type Website target region
Automatic inclusion
Stay in New Zealand Accommodation directory National
Contact reseller to register
Destination Marlborough RTO Marlborough
Tourism Coromandel RTO Coromandel
Venture Taranaki RTO Taranaki
The Coromandel Roadtrip Regional travel directory Coromandel
Activate-Me Specialist activity directory National
New Plymouth Accommodation Specialist accommodation directory New Plymouth
HanmerNZ.com Regional travel directory Hanmer Springs
Whakatane District Council Regional travel directory Whakatane
Opotiki District Council Regional travel directory Opotiki
Holidays Queenstown Specialist travel directory Queenstown
Reseller feature - Activate Me
Activate-Me.co.nz is a website devoted to promoting activities throughout New Zealand. Like Accommodate-Me, every listing can display pictures, video, description text and BookIt calendars and secure booking service.

All Activate Me listings will display on Accommodate-Me accommodation listings enabling you to be viewed by over 50,000 visitors every year. We invite all BookIt customers to list on Activate-Me for a yearly fee of $59.95 + GST.

To view the site go to Activate-Me.co.nz or for more information, contact steve@accommodateme.co.nz

Activate-Me
BookIt billing address change
Please make sure you have the correct billing address for BookIt - it is:

BookIt
C/- Trade Me Limited
PO Box 11042
Wellington
New Zealand
Thanks for reading. If you need any help, please contact us on 0508 BOOKIT or email support@bookit.co.nz.

Kind Regards,

The BookIt team

 

BookIt Christmas Hours

clock December 16, 2010 16:47 by author Andrew Schofield

We are only closed for a couple of days over the Christmas and New Year period to provide you the best service possible.

Opening hours: 
Now until 24th December 9am-5pm every day
25th and 26th December CLOSED
27th December - 31st December 9am -5pm every day
1st and 2nd January CLOSED
3rd January onwards 9am-5pm every day

On the days we are closed we will be checking the inbox for urgent matters. If you have something that cannot wait until the next business day, send us an email with "URGENT" in the subject line and it will be picked up when we periodically check the inbox.

We wish you a safe, prosperous and enjoyable festive season.

Happy holidays!

Auctions - fixed price offers

clock November 1, 2010 15:51 by author Andrew Schofield

We've been running auctions for a little while, but until now one auction meant one winner and therefore one booking. Well, no more. Today we're pleased to announce the release of a fixed price offer feature that lets you turn one auction into many bookings.

How it works

When your BookIt-generated auction closes, you'll get a 'successful auction' email that contains a link to enter your fixed price offer details.


This takes you to BookIt where you complete just two fields and then click continue.


We then email all the Trade Me members that placed a bid on your auction (or added it to their watchlist) offering them the deal. As soon as the number you have offered have been redeemed on Travelbug, the offer expires.

But you can't make fixed price offers without first running auctions that generate interest, and the best way to do that is load cool, fun packages that grab attention.

Case study: SKYCITY Grand Hotel

The good people at SKYCITY Grand ran a $1 reserve auction for their Superior Suite package, created in their BookIt account. It sold for $275, had 1,880 pageviews and 196 bidders and watchers! If the fixed price offer had been available, they could have sent an offer at whatever price they wanted to those 196 people - that they already knew were interested in the auction - and nobody else would have been able to see the offer price.

And remember - Travelbug handles the bookings and sends the traveller emails, and BookIt takes care of the invoicing for you. Once you've loaded the auction you can just let the auction run its course and answer any questions that come through.

How to run successful auctions
  • use $1 reserves like SKYCITY - these get more views and more bids
  • use a detailed description - you'll get fewer questions and bidders will be more comfortable
  • load lots of photos - photos are free with BookIt auctions
  • make the auction title interesting - use your business name and list the inclusions

Auctions are fun, but now they can generate a lot of exposure for your property and they can even sell a lot of rooms. The only thing limiting your success is how exciting you make your auctions. Login to BookIt and load some auctions today and try this new sales channel out for yourself.

Login to BookIt now

 

Don't just take our word for it!

Here are a couple of comments from businesses that have been using BookIt-run auctions:

"The number of bids and views we get on our Trade Me auctions are awesome - it's great exposure for our hotel" - Briana Jellyman, Copthorne Hotel and Resort Bay of Islands

"Auctions have been great for our resort, to auction off distressed inventory but equally for exposure to Trade Me's very large audience: an audience we could not otherwise afford to market to! The auctions are very easy to set up and manage. And last but not least the team at BookIt are great to deal with!" - Jon Doherty, Terrace Downs Resort



If you have any questions, our support team is available 9am - 5pm, 7 days per week.

New GST rate? No sweat!

clock September 30, 2010 15:43 by author Andrew Schofield

Unless you have been living under a rock you will know that as of midnight tonight the New Zealand GST rate is changing to 15%. We've been working hard to make sure the new rate is calculated correctly on bookings, amendments, cancellations and all GST invoices that we issue.

Below is the effect this change will have on your bookings:

Operators

  • If you are GST registered, travellers will be invoiced at the new rate of 15% from midnight on 1 October (invoices are sent to customers with your name and GST number)
  • Trade Me's booking fee/commission will be invoiced to you at the new rate of 15% from midnight on 1 October
  • However the rate of 12.5% will apply for credit notes issued for cancellations of bookings confirmed prior to 1 October
Retailers
  • Trade Me generates a buyer created tax invoice for the commission you have earned when we pay you each Thursday
  • From 1 October the GST rate of this invoice will change from 12.5% to 15% - even if the booking was confirmed prior to 1 October
If you have any questions about the GST change please let us know.

Vianet has shut down for good

clock September 30, 2010 15:36 by author Andrew Schofield

As of 1pm today Vianet is no longer available to operators or retailers to take new bookings. However, forward Vianet bookings and funds are safe and you will still be able to log into your Vianet account to review existing bookings and draw down funds.

If you are still using Vianet in your website to process bookings, you need to remove these links ASAP. Simply visit the Product setup > edit business > link manager page in BookIt and you'll find the tools you need.

Travelbug turns three!

clock September 7, 2010 22:17 by author Andrew Schofield

It's Travelbug's third birthday!

Travelbug is Trade Me's travel website and is powered by BookIt.

To celebrate Trevor the Travelbug blowing out his candles, we're giving away 3x Novotel B&B vouchers. To enter, simply find Birthday Trev (pictured right) hidden in one of our Novotel listing photos, and then email us the hotel name before 14 September. We'll contact the three winners before the end of the month, and announce them in November's newsletter.

Find Birthday Trev

Travelbug now has a new engine

clock June 3, 2010 09:15 by author Andrew Schofield


We are thrilled to advise that the migration of Travelbug to BookIt is complete. As of 3.15pm on 1st June, the BookIt system is processing all bookings on Travelbug.

Congratulations to Pinewood Lodge who was the first operator to receive a Travelbug booking through BookIt - a Travelbug t-shirt is on its way to you!

There are a few things we need you to know about how "new Travelbug" differs from "old Travelbug". While it is essentially working in exactly the same manner, thereare a few differences that come out of the extra flexibility that the BookIt system enables, so please see below for the answers to our most frequently asked questions.

Thank you for helping us meet our targeted date of 1st June. Please let us knowif there is anything we can do to help you get the best out of the BookIt system.

Kind regards,
The Trade Me Travel team
support@bookit.co.nz

Answers to some frequent questions:
Travelbug bookings
  • As Travelbug bookings are processed by BookIt, you will receive booking emails and invoices from BookIt. These are formatted differently to the old Vianet emails but have all the information you need. Here's an example of how your booking confirmation/invoice email will appear:


  • You can now amend Travelbug bookings within your BookIt account, with extra charges or refunds processed automatically back to the traveller's credit card.
  • The minimum cancellation fee on BookIt is $10, rather than the 20% minimum that was applied on Vianet. Please make sure you set your cancellation policies in BookIt on the 'Product setup' page.
Travelbug changes
  • We've added BookIt traveller feedback to Travelbug so there may be some new feedback on your Travelbug listing page.
  • Rankings have changed slightly as a result of the switch. Bugrank still applies, however, and offering instant confirmation is still the best way to rank highly in search results. Give us a call if you need help to move to instant confirmation.
  • Regions and districts have changed, please check where you appear and make sure you are happy with your region and district. We can't add every little district but we'll do our best to help you out.
BookIt information
  • By default, payment for BookIt bookings are made to your nominated account automatically 7 days before arrival, with weekly payment runs on a Thursday evening. If you already have a BookIt listing and have changed your payment terms, your settings will not have changed. You can view payments due on the 'Billing' tab within BookIt.
  • If you have lost your BookIt login details go to http://business.bookit.co.nz/pub/PwdRecover.aspx and enter the email address ich this email was sent
  • BookIt does not currently offer a text message notification service for booking requests and confirmations.
Vianet information
  • We won't switch Vianet off until around the end of September. Funds for forward bookings are secure and will be paid out as normal.
  • Please keep updating Vianet for self-retail (if using Vianet within your own site) and other Vianet reseller websites. If you don't want to manage instant confirmation on both systems, please use Vianet for on-request and make BookIt instant confirmation.
  • If you use Vianet in your website for direct bookings, you will need to switch to BookIt. The code is available for you to download within your BookIt account so please let us know if you need any help with that.


 

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