Olery partners know that the power of machine learning, to predict that a dataset created tailor-made for will bring the best results

Creating a new sentiment rating system (1-10) Olery has moved sentiment from being a scary unactionable source of information to being an integral part of #Hospitality #Reputation #Data. Sentiment Analysis is the future industry standard of data collection within the Hospitality Industry.

•Identify trends based on keywords – (Act on potential problems quicker)
•Vertical Specific – #Accommodations, #Restaurants and #Attractions gain an immense amount of new actionable insights.
•Flexibility to create your own Sentiment Ratings – Sustainable Travel, why not track your progress by monitoring keywords let in written reviews.
•Provides more insight and flexibility than numerical ratings. Let your guest openly write their experience and then analyse, rather than have them rate a predefined area.
•Mapped to Traditional Numerical Ratings. This allows for the very first time an easy to combine holistic view. Combine cleanliness, Numerical and Sentiment ratings for unparalleled insights.
•Native Language analysis on 15+ languages – English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Russian and Simplified Chinese.

We know that the need for recent and relevant review data is key.

The post Sentiment Analysis in Hospitality: Creating a Decision-Making tool for partners appeared first on Olery data for Hospitality, Travel & Destinations.

APIs and data feeds are the lifeblood of the travel industry. They power everything from selling flight tickets to beautiful map-based travel guides.

Think about it. It’s amazing that entrepreneurs can make use of all the existing infrastructure and data to build exciting new things on top of it. Want to build a recommendation engine for worldwide spontaneous trips, combining flight ticket prices and weather data? Not a problem.

This is why we have listed a collection of great travel APIs to work with. The following list is certainly missing a ton of interesting services, so please drop us a line, if you know of other exciting APIs. The only two requirements are that the API is related to the realm of travel and somewhat universal (public transportation data for an individual city is great but not for this list).

Accommodation

HotelsCombined Data Feeds
Hotel meta search (price comparison) data

Expedia Affiliate Network API
Full-stack hotel search and booking API

Olery Review Data API
Access to data about hotels, Restaurants & Attractions quality extracted from online reviews published on various booking sites

TripAdvisor Content API
TripAdvisor listings, ratings and (limited) reviews  for approved consumer-facing sites/apps

HomeAway Platform
Access to more than 1 millions vacation rental listings

ZUMATA Hotel Booking API
Aggregates hotel inventory from 60+ suppliers at makes it all bookable

TraveloPro

Travelopro provides travel API integration, third party API integration, xml API integration services for hotels, flights, car rentals, holiday packages and many more.

Makcorps

Hotel price comparison API. They compare more than 200 hotel OTAs

Transportation

Skyscanner API

Flight, car hire and hotel meta search (price comparison) API

FlightStats APIs
Everything about flights, airports, routes and schedules

Uber API
Integrate Uber in your application

Rome2rio API
Multi-modal (flight + bus + train etc.) travel search

Wego Affiliate Network
Meta search for flights and hotels

Obviously there are also the APIs of the 3 major GDS’ Sabre, Amadeus and Travelport.

Mapping

ViaMichelin REST API
Maps, routing and geocoding

HERE APIs
Maps, routing, and places data from Nokia’s former mapping division

Google Maps API
Google maps for your app or site

Factual Data API
Data on over 65 million local businesses and points of interests

SmartyStreets Address API
Address validation, autocomplete and geocoding

Location

Google Places API
Information about 100 million places

REST Countries
Information such as capital, currency and population per country

timezonedb
Time zone information based on the location

Numbeo.com API
Crowdsourced database with details about the cost of living, perceived safety and other topics for cities and countries worldwide

OpenWeatherMap API
Well, pretty obvious, right? Free tier!

Sunset and sunrise times API
Sunrise and sunset times – plain, simple and free

webcams.travel API
Access more than 50.000 outdoor webcams

izi.TRAVEL API
Provides access to a large collection of city and museum multimedia guides

RoadGoat API

RoadGoats Cities API provides content about towns, cities, regions, and countries (neighbourhoods coming soon). Content includes hand-picked high-quality photos, known-for tags (such as foodie or LGBT-friendly), editorial descriptions, Covid stats, safety rating, budgetary rating, and more.

Other

WorldMate API
Extracts travel data from confirmation emails of more than 1300 sources like airlines or hotel booking sites

allmyles API
Attempts to provide all “global bookable travel” content in one API, so far includes flights, hotels and car rentals

Travelpayouts API
Provides travel content (flights & hotels) in an affiliate model

The post Travel APIs – (discover & contribute) appeared first on Olery data for Hospitality, Travel & Destinations.

Cleanliness

“Accor has announced that its cleanliness and prevention programme, ALLSAFE, has secured government approval through the government backed Primary Authority Scheme. The group can now confirm they provide hospital grade room disinfection, deep cleaning of all upholstery and carpets, with bedding washed and treated at high temperatures. The hospitality group created ALLSAFE in a response to the Covid-19 pandemic and is independently audited to ensure compliance with its rigorous standards”. https://bit.ly/3iOAcn2

“Hilton announced today a new program to deliver an industry-defining standard of cleanliness and disinfection in Hilton properties around the world. In a first for the hospitality business, Hilton will collaborate with RB, maker of Lysol and Dettol, and consult with Mayo Clinic to develop elevated processes and Team Member training to help Hilton guests enjoy an even cleaner and safer stay from check-in to check-out”. https://newsroom.hilton.com/corporate/news/hilton-defining-new-standard-of-cleanliness

Reviews

13 minutes and 45 seconds that is what the average consumer spends reading reviews before making a decision. (BrightLocal, 2019) Reputation is a key influence and not only in the process of booking but more important in the way visitors experience the destination. In light of the recent developments around COVID-19, health, safety, and cleanliness are top of mind for travellers.

Using customer reviews to rate an establishment’s Pandemic Precautions, gives visitors, owners and destinations usable data for decision making when deciding which places are safer to visit. In a time when visitors are eager to be out visiting again, this score enables them to make more informed decisions on which hotels, destination, attractions and restaurants have the right precautions in place to keep them safe. 

Pandamic Precaution Score

The Pandemic Precaution Score uses visitors as the judge of how well an establishment or destination is doing in regards to the safety of its visitors. This real time information enables quicker decision making for the safety of your visitors and staff.

So, Olery can keeps track of your Pandemic Precaution reputation, in an easy to understand score. Use the Sentiment based Pandemic Precaution & Sanitary Safety Scores for your Destination or establishment.

Keep your visitors safe and build your reputation. https://olery.com/destination/

The post Use the Sanitary Safety Score & Pandemic Precaution Score and secures government backing. appeared first on Olery data for Hospitality, Travel & Destinations.

THE TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY AWARDS is an annual celebration of excellence across all sectors of travel. The independent awards programme is an annual celebration of excellence for the best hotels, spas, restaurants and tour operators.

It’s a clearly a recognition of the Olery’s efforts to create high quality software and data for the hospitality Industry.

Recipients of Travel & Hospitality awards were scrupulously selected based on the aggregation of reviews from multiple third-party sources. Selected by a panel of experts who analyze submission material, review customer feedback and compare each entrant on their given specialty, each winner is awarded for the details that make them distinct.

For more details on Travel & Hospitality awards, go to www.thawards.com

Source: https://thawards.com/olery-bv-has-been-nominated-for-the-travel-hospitality-awards-2020/

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QR Codes are really cool instruments to embed in your marketing strategy. Improves the way you engage with your guests and create a unique guest experience on proporty also after stay. With Feedback you are ready to take your hospitality business to the next level?

https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/287386019942138818/

Examples QR Codes.:

• feedback in Rooms
• feedback during meals
• feedback for events
• feedback for service

Cubicles will redefine eating-out landscape in Mumbai (article)

As the state contemplates the idea of allowing restaurants,  bars and hotels to unbolt from the first week of July. It’s hard to foresee what the new face of India’s dine-out culture will look like against the backdrop of a pandemic, but it will presumably be wearing a mask – with an emblazoned smiley- and come bearing thermal gun and sanitisers instead of drinks and appetisers.

Full article about the QR codes industry in India read more

How Restaurant Design Is Changing As a Result of COVID-19 (article)

Masked waiters, tables spaced six feet apart, plexiglass barriers, and even stuffed animals occupying seats—these are some of the changes you might encounter the next time you dine out. As many U.S. states and countries around the world come out of lockdown, a whole new set of restrictions meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 are coming into play.

Full article about QR codes in Restaurant design read more

The post Be creative with QR Codes appeared first on Olery data for Hospitality, Travel & Destinations.

The highlights of the report are:

• Guest Experience is getting better: All destinations were able to improve their average guest ratings.

• Qatar defends top position: In last year’s report Qatar was able to take first place from Cyprus. It’s the same this year, but the gap gets narrower.

• Kuwait makes a jump: Kuwait is still in the bottom third of the list, but an improvement of 3,8% in GEI shows promise.

The post Report on the Guest Experience in the Middle East 2019 appeared first on Olery data for Hospitality, Travel & Destinations.

The rise of B2C marketplaces is well-documented with success stories like Amazon, Apple, Google Play and Spotify.

For B2B the picture is less clear. A select few – like Apple, Alibaba and Microsoft – are doing well, but many others are struggling.

This isn’t surprising given how difficult it is to set up a B2B marketplace. To make it work you need a centralised hub, a very broad spectrum of products, and a vast number of vendors and suppliers to trade those products.

But what about B2B marketplaces in hospitality software? Several large software vendors are banking their future on those marketplaces becoming an important driver for technological innovations in the hospitality sector.

Given how asymmetrical the relationship is between buyers and vendors when it comes to software solutions, this seems like a poor strategy.

Larger buyers want deeper partnerships

Most software innovations in the hospitality industry have been driven by a small number of technically-minded buyers and start-ups.

Their CIOs are highly clued-up on latest developments. When it comes to making high-value purchases, they either work directly with trusted partners or indeed build their own solutions.

A B2B marketplace in software brings no benefit to these buyers, because it lacks the personalised customer service and the problem resolution they’ve come to expect from a traditional buyer/seller relationship.

Smaller buyers want fewer partnerships

Some of the smaller buyers may well be tempted by the one-stop-shop promise of a hospitality B2B marketplace – at least initially.

These buyers might be smaller-scale, less digitally-minded, family-owned companies. Or they might be corporates whose executives are too busy managing an already wide enough range of existing delivery partners.

A marketplace won’t serve them either. Not only do they lack the necessary expertise required to make an informed product choice in a marketplace, they’re often also short on the extra bandwidth needed to manage an additional partnership with a new vendor.

Travel APIs

Travel APIs and hospitality APIs (including Olery’s own review data API) are a much better tools when it comes to accelerating technological innovation.

This is why they’re one of the driving forces behind the current growth in the travel industry.

They allow vendors to leverage their existing knowledge of a client’s needs and infrastructure by building a customised solution – one that’s very different (and usually way better) than the generic products on offer in a marketplace.

It’s a win-win situation, where vendors can deepen their relationship with existing clients.

At the same time, buyers get an additional set of customised modules without the hassle of having to manage a new relationship with yet another supplier, as would be the case if they purchased in a marketplace.

Doing business with people

It’s worth remembering the old mantra that ‘people do business with people’. That’s why the one-size-fits-all solution offered by a B2B marketplace in hospitality software will never work.

APIs on the other hand offer an integrated ecosystem that allows buyers to focus on what they do best – providing a seamless travel experience – while vendors can use their expertise in hospitality APIs to help them deliver just that.

Like what you are reading? Follow us on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook for more regular updates on online reputation management and social media for hotels.

Learn more about why and how our data and solutions can help you improve your business and how you can test this. Schedule a discovery call today.

The post B2B Bazaars In Hospitality Software – Plenty Of Haggle But No Bargain appeared first on Olery data for Hospitality, Travel & Destinations.

This can be a costly misstep that results in headaches down the road. Even worse, should things go badly with your wholesaler, you could end up without a backup supplier of vital products like toiletries, food, and other essentials. As a result, your brand suffers from failing to deliver the optimal experience for your guests.

Fortunately, partnering with a wholesaler doesn’t have to be difficult. That is as long as you follow these seven tips hotels need to know about partnering with wholesalers.

1. Find Wholesalers that Believe in the Business of Hospitality

Partnering with companies—regardless of what they do—that are solely concerned with making a quick buck is a recipe for disaster. You need to partner with people, whether they’re supplying bed sheets for your rooms or food for your restaurant, that believe in taking care of people.

At the end of the day, everyone’s in business to make money, but it’s those companies that take the long view and take care of their customers that you’ll want to associate yourself with. That way at the very least, your partners are driving towards achieving the same mission as you.

2.Verify their Business History

When you apply for a loan, the bank wants to know that you have a proven track record of generating revenue and paying bills. Since your wholesale supplier will—in some part—contribute to the viability of your business, you should exercise that same level of due diligence. Talk to previous and current customers of your wholesaler. Do some online research. A little extra investigation will go a long way.

David Dayton, an expert in procurement, suggests using external websites to verify your supplier and to pay for background information and document verification.

3.Evaluate Their Delivery Capacity 

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, your wholesaler needs to give you what you need when you need it. Otherwise, you run the risk of your guests having a bad experience. And bad experiences can add up to poor revenue numbers.

As Casey Ueberroth, Senior Vice President of marketing at Preferred Hotel Group mentioned in a New York Times article, “The loyal, engaged guest is driving large amounts of revenue. If you take care of that guest, he keeps coming back.”

Make sure your wholesaler understands and is capable of delivering what you need when you need it so you’re always taking care of your guests.

4.Communicate Early and Often

So many issues can be solved with better communication when it comes to wholesale partnerships. Don’t be afraid to double and triple check with your supply partners. Worst-case scenario, you ruffle their feathers a little bit. But that’s far better than the alternative of risking a miscommunication that results in an inventory shortfall with no backup in place.

5.Prioritize Wholesaler Location

When it comes to supplying your hotel reliably and on-time with quality products, it’s worth making the effort to find a logistically convenient wholesaler. Even if the wholesale partners that are geographically closer to you price their products higher, the added convenience may be worth a small price markup.

6.Don’t Overemphasize Price 

Of course, you want to get the best possible deal with your wholesale partner. However, getting the best deal does not necessarily mean getting the best price. That’s because even if you get a low upfront price, you’ll be paying for that low price in other ways. The quality of service and products, as well as the reliability of your partner, will surely go down along with their prices.

Failing to deliver the experience your guests expect is rarely worth the short-term savings of only considering the cheapest wholesalers out there.

7.Consider the Buying Experience 

Hopefully, when you find a high-quality wholesale supply partner, you’ll work with them for the long haul. Which means you should make a careful evaluation of the buying experience with various suppliers. Do they have a convenient online system? Are they responsive to your needs?

You, or one of your employees, is going to be making purchases regularly, so make sure the buying process is seamless and convenient. In today’s digital age, there’s no excuse for outdated, clunky online shopping platforms.

Conclusion: Ask the Tough Questions

 Ensuring a successful partnership with your wholesalers is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. However, so long as you’re not afraid to ask the tough questions, conduct due diligence, and work to maintain a good working relationship, you’ll have a great chance of long-term success with your wholesale partners.

Author Bio

Justin Laxton is the Chief Operating Officer of Weiner’s Ltd. Since 1991, Weiner’s has been working to become a trusted supplier of travel size products to businesses ranging from intimate B&B’s to large five star hotels, gift shops in hospitals and airports, as well as airlines and charter services, college bookstores, e-commerce, pharmacies, vending, government institutions, charities and event planners.

The post 7 Tips Hotels Need to Know About Partnering with Wholesalers appeared first on Olery data for Hospitality, Travel & Destinations.

The highlights of the report are:

• Guest Experience is improving: The Middle East features vastly different satisfaction levels, but as some destination are stepping up, the whole region is benefitting.
• Qatar takes top position from Cyprus: For many years Cyprus offered the best guest experience, now it has got a challenger.
• Saudi Arabia is gaining ground: Saudi Arabia is still at the bottom of the list, but continued improvements show that last year’s sharp rise in rating score were not just a fluke.

Download the full report here

The post Qatar Now Offers the Best Guest Experience in the Middle East appeared first on Olery data for Hospitality, Travel & Destinations.

Cyprus still on top but losing ground

As in last year’s report, Cyprus is holding on to its #1 ranking among hotel customers. However, the country suffered a minor setback in guest experience ratings and other destinations are catching up quickly. When it comes to room quality and cleanliness Abu Dhabi already has the better offering.

3 destinations are leading the pack

The report also shows that most country’s guest experience continued to improve in 2016 and Early 2017. Hotels in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar made the biggest advancements, with improvement rates between 2.8% and 3.3%.

Download the free report

Get your free copy of the report right now.

Contact

Olery is attending the Arabian Travel Market, April 24 – April 27. Our CEO, Kim van den Wijngaard is in Dubai during and after the event. Contact us for a meeting during the fair or afterwards.

The post The Countries in the Middle East with the Best Guest Experience appeared first on Olery data for Hospitality, Travel & Destinations.