A multi-property search solution enabling hotel chains to cross-sell rooms has been developed by the Great Hotels Organisation.

The new booking engine for hotel chain websites is to be launched at ITB in Berlin next week.

G-wiz Xtra is an extension of the existing G-wiz website booking engine. It has been designed to address the fact many hotel chain websites are currently unable to offer multi-property availability searches, according to the company.

Research by GHO estimates that around 36% of hotel chains’ websites do not have a real time booking engine and 20% of those that do, still do not have a multi-property booking function.

G-wiz Xtra has the ability to allow multi-property searching within a single destination.

For guests, this means that all chain hotels within a single destination will be returned under a single date search, allowing them to select the most appropriate rates or select an alternative should their first preference be unavailable.

The ability to offer multiple options for a traveller’s chosen dates in one single screen search not only helps to cross-sell rooms but also enhances the guests’ booking experience, GHO claims.

Extra call centre functionality also means this same inventory is available to offline voice booking channels as well.

GHO business development group director Carly Gotz said: “We identified a gap in the market for a hotel chain website booking engine so after the success of G-wiz, this seemed the obvious next development for the product.

“The pricing system will take its lead from G-wiz, where hotels can choose either a flat fee or commission based structure, making G-wiz Xtra the cost-effective solution to the difficulty hotel chains have faced in taking full advantage of the online booking trend until now.”

by Phil Davies