Organising
corporate travel is no easy task, requiring the highest quality, often at short
notice. Bringing a clarity to complex systems, ehotel AG has been a pioneer
when it comes to keeping business travellers on track. It’s no surprise that
this hardworking team has won the award for Germany’s Best Hotel Booking
Platform for Business Travellers – 2020 in this year’s Corporate Excellence
awards. We take a closer look in this month’s issue of Corporate Vision to find
out more.
For
the last nineteen years, ehotel has been a one-stop-shop for all business
travellers. Directly targeted at corporate users, it’s no surprise that they
have become increasingly adept at handling the varied and specific requests
that these travellers make of their bookers. Their continued success, however,
demonstrates clearly how the approach
that the team has taken is paying off.
At
the heart of ehotel is something more potent than its rivals. Not content with targeting the business user,
the team make use of sophisticated meta search technology in order to deliver the
widest range of accommodation possible, combined with impressive rates. There
are almost seven million offers available on the site, with six hundred
reservation systems, processed and presented through ehotel in a clear and
understandable way. Finding a service that is able to present this much
information with such ease is truly exceptional and the reason why using ehotel
is not just a sure-fire way to discover a great night’s sleep, but it’s a way
in which costs can be reduced and employee satisfaction increased.
The
company’s commitment to innovation does not end there, with the proprietary
central payment and billing solution making the challenges of invoicing easy.
All the systems at ehotel are designed to work together, meaning that the best
rates, manage payment and correct VAT invoicing can all be found in one place.
Needless to say, the automation of
this process has delighted accounts teams across the world, saving them time
and improving the adoption rate of company internal booking procedures and
travel policy.
Of
course, the perpetual challenge for business users is that of VAT – ehotel has
worked tirelessly to improve and integrate the problems of reclaiming this into
its billing solution. Currently,
corporate customers are able to
get an invoice with separate VAT in 22 European countries, and this can be
reclaimed by ehotel on behalf of their clients. The next phase of this project
will see the same principles being applied to the USA, with plans already afoot
for this endeavour.
Hotels
are able to feel the benefit of ehotel’s exciting approach to the industry. For
those accommodations looking to secure additional sales and a higher occupancy
rate, ehotel is well equipped to recommend and put in place systems that will
keep business travellers coming back for more.
ehotel
also find ways in which these hotels can better serve the needs of business
travellers. This is just another way in which the travellers and the hotel are
able to benefit from the considerable experience that ehotel has to offer. A
reduced ehotel corporate rate allows hotels to access flexible booking
conditions, as well as free extra services. Making use of all of the
opportunities that ehotel presents couldn’t be simpler, with independent hotels having direct and
easy access to its ehotel extranet, thus enabling them to control their own
data and availability. For those organisations that boast a GDS connection such
as DHISCO, Pegasus UltraDirect or Amadeus, it is incredibly easy to make a
property visible on ehotel at the touch of a button.
Serving
the business traveller means that the team at ehotel must find and uphold the
highest data security standards possible. The team has adapted quickly to
ensure that each of their clients is not only safe and comfortable, but feels
it too. This process has been the same since the beginning of the company, when
ehotel used traditional
methods to communicate with customers and hotels. Nowadays, the business
boasts a unique and certified security mechanism, PCI-DSS certification in
order to guarantee the ultimate in data security. Trust has always been
paramount to the success of ehotel, and the team has worked hard to ensure that
it continues to have an impressive level of goodwill.
At
the heart of the ehotel model is the ability to provide hotel bookings and
related services in its totality for business customers, and this comes right
back to the formidable amount of experience that its talented team possesses.
The once-innovative WAP technology of 2000 saw the beginning of the company,
transforming into the business’s integrated payment and settlement solution in
2006. Constantly looking forward to the next big development is just one of the
factors that has guided the company into new and exciting territory. This
continual drive is how the business has been not only able to innovate, but to
grow into the world’s largest hotel content holder. The corporate culture
encourages the innovative and entrepreneurial activities of its employees,
which benefits the company and its users in equal measure.
For
those who work at ehotel, the importance of an entrepreneurial attitude has
given the company an impressive amount of flexibility in the way that it
operates. There are always opportunities available for those who have ideas
that can be implemented to the betterment of the company. New innovations and
suggestions from the team are treated with equal importance, assessed by risk
management and ultimately all will play a part in influencing the
decision-making process. Success can be found when a new project is positively
introduced.
Currently,
ehotel has its eyes on the future, with its growth causing constant work to
ensure that its systems are operating at peak efficiency. The need to close the
last system gaps for companies in travel booking in order to offer a complete
digital cycle has become ever more pressing and is a priority for the coming
months. Similarly, the team has generated exciting plans that will ehotel take
its place as an aggregator in hotel distribution. This will create considerable
savings potential for companies who use the new ehotel digital processes,
especially when it comes to travel expense accounting and hotel services.
In
all, it’s no surprise that the team at ehotel have managed to achieve great
things. The commitment to entrepreneurial innovation is to their credit and has
allowed them to advance swiftly in changing times. Secure, safe and carefully
targeted at the business traveller who wants something done easily, swiftly and
effectively, the reasons behind ehotel’s success are clear. This award is just
another amazing achievement for an amazing company.
Contact:
Christoph Metz
Website: www.ehotelag.com
