Bangkok,
02
พฤษภาคม
2016
|
19:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Booking.com’s New Booking Messages Interface Empowers Customers to Personalise Their Stay in the Palm of Their Hand

New chat functionality enables guests and accommodation providers to instantly communicate and connect both before and during the stay

Bangkok – May 3, 2016 – Today Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, announced the release of its new Booking Messages interface, a chat-inspired communication platform that enables customers and accommodation providers to effortlessly connect with each other from the moment a booking is made. In addition to being able to initiate any kind of conversation they’d like with the accommodation, all Booking.com customers around the world can now quickly and conveniently manage the most common stay-related requests in just a few taps. The Booking Messages interface features automatically pre-translated templates for certain predefined requests, including arranging check-in and check-out times, as well as questions about parking and bed preferences—all in real-time and with a familiar, chat-like interface.

“We’re always looking at innovative ways that we can create an even more seamless travel experience for our customers,” said David Vismans, Chief Product Officer at Booking.com. “We know that 75% of our customers prefer self-service options to take care of simple requests. With the new Booking Messages interface, customers can literally customise and manage their trips in the palm of their hand. This technology takes away the worry of a busy reception desk, different time zones, or friction of communication between people speaking different languages.”

Although the technology is now available to all customers, Booking Messages is being rolled out to Booking.com’s accommodation partners in phases to integrate within Booking.com’s current Pulse app, a mobile platform for partners that keeps them up-to-date with the most relevant and time-sensitive news related to their property, including check-ins and check-outs for the day, new bookings, and now with the addition of Booking Messages, special requests from their Booking.com guests. With more than 150,000 accommodation providers already actively using the Pulse app, more and more customers will soon have access to this instantaneous communication channel for all of their stay-related requests. Full rollout of the chat interface to partners is expected over the coming months.

The new Booking Messages interface is now available to customers in both the Android and iOS versions of the Booking.com app, as well as the web versions of Booking.com on desktop, mobile, and tablet.

Current features include:

  • Expedited convenience in just a few taps for the most common customer requests (and partner responses) from the time of booking, all with auto-translation into all 42 languages supported by Booking.com
  • Easy-to-use, chat-like interface that replaces email by centralising all communication with the property in one place
  • Automatic integration into the Booking.com website and apps, as well as in the Pulse app for Booking.com accommodation partners

Additional features, such as complete translation support for all open text conversations in the app, express check-in, check-in reviews, and additional options for in-stay conversations and services, such as restaurant bookings or spa treatments that specific properties may offer, are currently in testing and are expected to be rolled out shortly.