Sudipta Dev – Mumbai
One of the world’s leading online hotel booking and accommodation provider, Booking.com has seen exponential growth of domestic bookings in the India market in recent times. Remco Van Zanten, director of Partner Services at Booking.com revealed that in early 2014 more properties being booked on Booking.com were by international travellers and since then, the ratio of international bookers to domestic bookers has dramatically changed. “We are seeing more domestic bookings than international bookings. Within India domestic bookings has increased significantly over the last couple of years. Indians are choosing to travel and explore their own backyard and travel and visit all the amazing places this country has to offer. More and more Indians are also opting for weekend breaks, close to home,” stated Van Zanten.
The Partner Services Department focuses on servicing Booking.com’s 815,000 plus accommodation partners around the world. Pointing out that India is an extremely important market with great potential for Booking.com in APAC, he mentioned, “It is an exciting time for the company to be in India. More than the whopping growth in property count, what is more satisfying for us is the changing complexion of our Indian business.” Van Zanten believes that the fact that the company has kept the customer at the center of everything, has been a key driver for its growth and success in the market. “We consistently worked on optimising our product, building relationships with Indian property owners to ensure good availability, prioritising customer service and user experience,” he remarked.
Elaborating on how the company’s global positioning benefits both hoteliers and customers in India, Van Zanten stated, “Our customers benefit from unparalleled choice and diversity of accommodation through Booking.com’s more than one million properties in 220 countries with 35 accommodation categories from apartments, villas, guesthouses, tree-houses, boats and more.”
Booking.com has an award-winning 24/7 customer service in 42 languages. The company enables its partners to capitalise on the growing internet opportunity, helping them attract guests from all over the world. “We are a highly cost-effective marketing channel with global reach,” he said.