This Tourism Week: 30 June 2011

The South African tourism industry is nothing if not innovative. But is it tech savvy?

It wasn’t until quite recently. Because, while it’s been possible for some time to find really expensive property management systems that are geared up for online reservations for high end hotels and resorts, there was no way for the mom-and-pop B&B (very much a backbone of our industry, particularly in the domestic market) to do the same.

Until Neil and Theresa Emerick of Hout Bay developed NightsBridge.

I’m not sure why (although it could have been the name – it seems like it could be British), but I was actually quite surprised when I discovered that this incredibly easy to use (I’ve tested it) and very effective system comes from South Africa.

So I got hold of Theresa and asked her some questions.

If you’re in the business of selling accommodation, and you aren’t yet signed up with NightsBridge, you’ll be very interested indeed, because here’s a system that can promote available rooms, help you manage your business, get your phone ringing more often, and connect you to the world’s top agents and web sites.

This is what Theresa had to say:

What made you decide to develop NightsBridge?

Neil was on sabbatical after selling his accounting software company, and I’d just finished a contract in Nigeria. We travelled for a couple of months, then got married and 10 days later moved to Hout Bay. Once here, we had to decide on a business opportunity or look for a job. (The story on our website about the problems we had with our honeymoon reservations – About us -  is actually true!)

Having travelled in the USA where we were able to book everything online, we discovered that you couldn’t really do the same here when it came to guest houses and B&Bs. Hotels had systems, but they were far too expensive and complicated for the average B&B owner.

We decided tourism was a good bet, we saw a gap in the market, and we had the combined skills to provide a cost-effective solution. Neil has a background as a developer, and I had worked as an entrepreneurship facilitator and trainer for 15 years, learning a lot about how adults learn new skills.

Who developed the product?

Proud South Africans! (In fact, proudly Capetonian.) We did it ourselves – Neil as the developer and programmer, with my input on strategic alliances and trying to keep the user interface as easy as possible. We checked with local B&Bs what their requirements were. With input from our customers, the software has evolved into a small but very comprehensive property management system over the years. We work off a wish list: if at least five people or more ask for a specific feature, we evaluate it and add it.

For the connections to our marketing channels, we learnt by trial and error. We also studied and adapted the international OTA (Open Travel Alliance) standards for travel integrations.

Why’s it called NightsBridge?

Our service creates a bridge between accommodation owners and the marketing channels selling accommodation. It is a technical bridge for room nights, connecting B&Bs, guest houses, boutique hotels and lodges with web sites, online travel agents and tour operators.

When was it launched?

We launched in January 2005.

As a South African product, is it likely to be exported?

We have agents marketing NightsBridge in Namibia and Kenya, and we have about 40 users in each country at the moment. We’ve also been found on the web by small hotel owners in other countries looking for an easy solution to their online booking problems, and we now have installations in 13 countries.

We’ve had enquiries from agents and users as far afield as Scandinavia, Romania, Greece, Morocco and Argentina. Our current focus however is Africa.

Who’s it designed for?

B&Bs, guest houses, boutique hotels, lodges and even larger hotels looking for an easy way of maintaining their online marketing channels. If you already run your own front-of-house system but you don’t want to replace it, the NightsBridge channel manager can link to many other Property Management Systems like Semper, Hotelier, InnKeeper, Panstrat etc.

How many users do you have?

We have about 2,450 users, and we are linked to about 140 marketing channels. These include South African sites like Kulula, AA Travel, Safarinow, RoomsforAfrica, FlightSite, BnB Finder, and SA Places; tour operators like Ecco Tours and African Eagle; travel agents like FlightCentre; Local and regional tourism organisations like Cape Town Tourism; Knysna Tourism and private guest house associations; and all the major international sites like Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Travelocity, and Venere. And we have links to sites like Orbits and Wotif in the development phase.

An exciting (and important) development is the move that corporate bookers are making from hotels to B&Bs and guest houses. Our new partnerships with Bidvest’s My Market, Travellers Choices and Travelport Leisure will put B&Bs and guest houses prominently on the radar of corporate travel agents and in-house travel companies.

Whom do I contact if I want to sign up?

You can call us on +27(0)21 790 9910 or email info [at] nightsbridge.co.za.  Any of our consultants will be happy to tell you more about how NightsBridge can save you time and increase your visibility online.

You can also Like NightsBridge on Facebook.

Oh – and one other thing. NightsBridge offers more than just a booking system. It’s also got PayBridge,  which provides small accommodation providers with their own credit card processing facilities for online- and offline bookings – and it’s currently in the process of launching ActivityBridge,  where guests can check availability and make confirmed bookings (and payment) via individual activities’ web sites and via the marketing channels.

HEADS UP 1.0

Friend Carl Momberg recently wrote a great profile of NightsBridge: find it here.

HEADS UP 2.0

As the writer of This Tourism Week, I have more years of experience of the tourism industry – and communicating for the tourism industry – than either you or I care to remember. And now this wealth of information can be yours:

My team and I are available for

  • Copy writing (newsletters, media releases, corporate reports, guide books, web sites, etc.);
  • Strategic communications and planning;
  • Advertising design and ad placement;
  • Print design (brochures, info books, maps, etc).

… contact me, martin [at] thistourismweek.co.za, and let’s get you talking!