Seamless Online Bookings: Jasons, Seekom, Callista

For Immediate Release – 17 March 2008

Seamless Online Bookings Tie-up with Jasons, Seekom and Callista

Jasons Travel Media Ltd, Callista Hospitality, and Seekom Ltd have announced the launch of a unique business partnership that provides seamless electronic connectivity between the front desk booking system of accommodation providers and websites like Jasons.com and Holidayguide.co.nz.

The Seekom software, which has just been made live, allows travellers to see live availability from a member property’s front desk system, and to book rooms on Jasons-associated websites which are then automatically entered into the front desk system.

“It is essentially ‘hands off inventory’ says Jasons CEO Steven Joyce. “Our website users now see real-time availability from the property’s Callista reservation system and make their bookings right into that system.”

Callista Hospitality supplies front desk reservations to more than 600 accommodation operators throughout New Zealand, and has partnered with Seekom for internet connectivity and inventory distribution.

Simon Casey, Managing Director of Seekom Ltd believes that the days of sales channels being given a fixed allotment of rooms are numbered because it is very inefficient especially for smaller operators. “Sales Channels must be able to offer instant confirmation bookings and our distribution system allows accommodation operators to share the availability from their reservation system with an unlimited number of sales channels on a shared first come, first served basis”.

Interest from accommodation operators using Callista has been very strong. James Brackenbury of Parkview Motel in Dargaville says “The Callista/Seekom system makes it so easy to work with sales channels like Jasons. By providing instant confirmation bookings on both my website and Jasons Holiday Guide, it has already paid for itself in increased bookings”.

The Callista/Seekom tie-up is the latest in a number of steps by Jasons to provide commission-free instant bookings for accommodation properties on the new Jasons.com website. In early February the company integrated its Holiday Guide online booking system into www.jasons.com to bring instant commission-free booking onto the Jasons site. “We plan to announce more seamless connections like this to further grow the business”, said Mr Joyce.

“We are currently the second-largest online accommodation booking service in NZ. We topped $800,000 in commission-free instant confirmation bookings by value in January, and February was strong as well”, said Mr Joyce.

ENDS

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