Hotels go online for booking

As the age of technology takes root, hotels have taken to the Internet for client bookings, writes Harold AyodoOnline bookings are fast changing how travellers on holiday make reservations to their destinations of choice.Locally, hotels are embracing Information Technology (IT), which markets them abroad at a click of a button.Southern Sun Mayfair Nairobi is among the hotels that benefit from foreign tourists making reservations online.Southern Sun Mayfair Nairobi general manager Paul Norman says an increasing number of guests subscribe to the modern system."We have of late been having an average of two to three tourists who make reservations from the website," Norman says.According to Norman, technology savvy tourists who book to stay at the luxurious hotel that sits on a 12-acre parcel of land in upmarket Westlands in Nairobi say the system is user friendly."Visitors make reservations on their arrival date, period of stay and departure and they immediately get responses on the same," Norman says.He says visitors have the pleasure to peruse pictures of the rooms, facilities and menu before making informed decisions from the comfort of their countries."There are also domestic tourists who use the system... it started slowly but we are surprised at how it is picking up," says Norman.Surprisingly, online booking is catching up as the number of tourists keeps growing. It has grown by 15 per cent in the first three months this year.According to Tourism Minister Najib Balala, tourism numbers increased to 313,691 between January and March from 272,424 in the same period last year."We expect to grow by about 20 per cent this year, all factors remaining constant," Balala said in a news conference recently.Last year, tourism earned the country Sh73.7 billion following 1.6 million visitors, therefore, the predicted 20 per cent growth could inject Sh80.6 billion this year.Dominion Hotels Consultants’ Francis Mwariga says travellers adore online booking as a one-stop shop."Our clients like The Sleeping Warrior Camp and Olumara thrive on online reservations especially for overseas clients," says Mwariga.The system entails making payments via credit cards and is currently with Kenya Commercial Bank and I&M Bank."Clients say the system has certainty as they leave their countries after making payments for accommodation," Mwariga adds.Currently, clients enter their tastes and preferences when making reservations and the hotels reply to them on the same.Some hotels have raised the bar and send confirmed reservations to clients on their mobile phones.Aggressive advertising"Technology has really changed the way of doing business in the hospitality sub-sector, which calls for a change in approach by industry players," says Mwariga.However, many hotels fall short of aggressively advertising the modern booking system."I think it is largely the responsibility of banks to market the system by educating would-be clients that they need not travel with loads of cash," Mwariga notes.Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) assistant director in charge of the eastern conservation area Jonathan Kirui says the Internet has a bearing on visitors."Majority of our national parks are showcased on the KWS website, which has a role in attracting domestic and foreign tourists," he says.According to Kirui, some tourists either make telephone calls or send emails — in response to the web sites — for further enquiries.Kenya Association of Tour Operators (Kato) treasurer Fred Odek concurs with Kirui that the Internet has welcomed a new dawn in travelling.Odek, who is also Silver Africa Tours managing director, says an increasing number of clients in major towns are subscribing to online bookings."Visitors spending nights in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret are adopting on line booking in line with modernity," he says.According to Odek, the adaptation in technology is welcome but he raises a red flag that it impacts negatively on tour operators.For instance, tour firms enter into one year contracts with hotels on the rates to charge tourists per night.However, some hotels with online booking services put the operators at loggerheads with tourists especially during the low season — April, May and June."The hotels give discounts to clients who book online by nearly 50 per cent yet we (operators) cannot lower our rates as we are on contract," Odek says.He says foreign tourists are giving them a wide berth arguing their rates are too high compared to booking online."It is hard for tourists to understand why our rates are constant even as hotels are occasionally easy on big discounts," he points out.The tide occasionally changes for online bookers during high seasons as hoteliers could increase rates to capitalise on demand."High seasons are from July to October… costs are often increased while tour operators cannot follow written agreements that bind us," Odek says.The Kato chief executive officer Fred Kaigwa and Odek say much as online hotel bookings are a step in the right direction, their members should be taken care of."We should reach a consensus with hoteliers on their reduction of rates during low seasons to fill their bed space," says Odek.According to the seasoned tour operator, majority of clients from overseas seek accommodation depending on what their counterparts sell abroad."If told that booking online is cheaper compared to dealing with local operators then that is what majority of first time visitors will subscribe to," Odek says.Even as online booking changes the hospitality landscape, some tourists still use tour operators to confirm their online findings.Hospitality consultants also concur that a growing number of tourists surf the web for destinations before setting off.

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