As India’s second-largest online travel platform, EaseMyTrip is continually working with the hospitality sector to enhance its end-user experience. Co-Founder, Rikant Pittie explains how it has worked around safety and technology to build trust while dealing with the users as it is crucial to work in that direction to create positive sentiments towards the hospitality sector. The company also worked proactively during this period to offer more value to enhance the end-user experience.
How is your company leveraging technology to map hotel content, including occupancy and rates and provide real-time content updates and insights?
Initiatives such as full-refund on flight tickets due to medical reasons have gained a very positive response from the travellers. On the hotel front, we ensured safety and hygiene for our customers with the help of our hotels’ partners.
These hotels are implementing several procedures to ensure the safety of the guests by adding features like contactless entry, chat-box, QR codes and robot housekeeping. As we focus on offering the best value service to our customers, we also offer them personalised experiences basis their preferences and demands to provide a hassle-free and enhanced end-user experience.
There is an increase of almost 40% in the available inventory post- COVID. Additionally, we have expanded our inventory of private villas and home-stays and increased tie-ups with hotels and resorts across new and offbeat locations to cater to the evolving travel demands. With the huge demand for hotels and stays in various cities, we have taken exclusive deals with some hotels and ensured that maximum benefits are passed on to customers.
We have ensured that hotels and resorts have stringent safety measures and offer other services like contactless check-ins, highly trained staff on hygiene parameters and overall, a safer environment. Further, we are adding more value by offering suite rooms and villas at competitive prices to our users.
Going forward, the company plans to focus heavily on its hotels and holidays businesses and expand in the existing markets. We are working proactively to address this growing demand. We also continue to leverage and utilise our vast agent network to grow our holiday booking segment.
Did you convey this to the hospitality industry during the 12th Hotelier India Awards?
The hospitality industry has witnessed a V-shape recovery with a growing positive sentiment across users. We need to continue to come forward and work together to ensure faster recovery of the sector.
Even with the new variant, restrictions and limitations, the hospitality industry has been resilient. It is expected to only grow further in the coming year as industry stakeholders and travellers are gradually adapting to the evolved travel norms.
How did the event help you underline that EaseMyTrip helps hoteliers deliver value-driven accommodation options?
The 12th Hotelier India Awards created a platform for the entire hotel industry to come together and work towards rebuilding a robust ecosystem post the pandemic. At EaseMyTrip, we continue to offer greater value to our users with the help of our hotel partners where we emphasised safety and technology to enhance the user experience.
We are looking forward to this continued support from the hoteliers’ community as
we have aggressive plans to expand in 2022 as well.
