Fighting town wants end to OTA low blows BENDIGO is the only city in the world named after a prizefighter, and motel owners in the

Fab FM Radio is the voice of the Douglas Shire. The region is a world-renowned tourist destination known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest of Daintree and Cape Tribulation.

Brian Kelly, The Points Guy, answers a reader question about booking hotel stays directly to earn elite benefits or with an online travel agency. Pack your bags: In TPGtv, travel expert and founder of ThePointsGuy.com Brian Kelly showcases the extraordinary experiences made possible by maximizing frequent flyer miles and credit card points. The web-series follows Kelly as he journeys to far-reaching destinations around the globe traveling in style for a fraction of the cost. The first season of ten episodes

1. Remove sources of customer friction
It is just not possible to have every customer the perfect customer. We all know that customer friction is any problem that adversely affects a guests experience with your establishment – the booking phase is one place you do not want any frustration – when they go online to book with you a bad experience there will reflect with them as to what the rest of the experience will be like.
It is worth the effort to try and locate your site and do a test booking – go to other sites and see where they are better than you. Streamline the process and simplify. There are many good booking engines out there. Get one that works for your clients.

And what are the advantages?
The most objective advantage is the fast, online reservation in secure environment, the possibility to order additional services and convenient payment methods. Another strong advantage is the complete range of all types of rooms and the possibility to combine them, especially in case of bookings for more people. The reservation portals do not offer all types of rooms that are available in the hotel.
The most important advantage, which is one of the most popular advantage when choosing accommodation, is the possibility of obtaining a discount, either on the accommodation price or services.

Entrepreneur Dick Smith has slammed online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia and Booking.com for “exploiting and extorting” Australian hotel and motel owners and has called on consumers to boycott the services.

Promo Tracker uses in an built tracking software that enables you to see where your clients are coming from.
It highlights your location with a standout “promo” flag that draws clients to your advertisement.
Promo tracker is prices at $330 for the first year and $250 subsequently.
A must if you want to track who is coming from where!