Now, when travelers visit www.dcvb.org to search for accommodations, they will interface with the Book › Direct system, which has been branded to match DeKalb County's website, including functionality allowing visitors to compare rates and availability, selecting their desired lodging property from the website. The visitor will then be redirected to complete their transaction directly with the lodging property on their reservation page. "We looked at a number of different companies to provide online booking capabilities for our visitors, and JackRabbit Systems' Book Direct Search Jason PelhamEngine provides the best experience for both our visitors and our lodging partners. We've been very pleased with both the design and implementation process and eagerly anticipate providing our lodging partners with quantifiable booking results." - Jason Pelham, Online Marketing Manager, DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau.
James Tsismanakis "We're very excited about the Book Direct Search Engine because it enables us to offer our visitors the opportunity to book directly through our hotel and lodging partners' websites, and if one of our properties doesn't have a booking engine themselves, JackRabbit Systems will provide a customizable one for them. This was one of the deciding factors on why we chose JackRabbit. We had to insure that all DeKalb County lodging properties would benefit from the booking engine." - James Tsismanakis, Executive Director & CEO, DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The Book › Direct Search Engine is the only booking solution in the marketplace 100% dedicated to facilitating direct reservations to all lodging properties in each tourism bureau destination. Book › Direct also keeps 100% of the gross lodging revenue within the DMO market (and 100% taxable).
Brian Mock "As Board of Directors Chair for DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau and General Manager of a DeKalb County hotel, it was a priority that all of the lodging revenue stay within DeKalb County. Of the systems we reviewed, JackRabbit's Book Direct Search Engine was the only one ensuring 100% to facilitating direct reservations to all DeKalb County properties. It's a win-win-win for the CVB, our lodging properties and our website visitors!" - Brian Mock, Chair, Board of Directors, DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau and General Manager, Hampton Inn Atlanta-Northlake.
Key Benefits
Overall
- JackRabbit Book › Direct allows travelers to go directly to www.dcvb.org to book accommodations while bypassing online booking fees, travel agency commissions and eliminating the "middleman."
- Website visitors can search by preferred location, category, and check-in and check-out date from the Book › Direct toolbar located on DeKalb County's home page.
- Date-driven Book › Direct search results provide information on the type of accommodations available, amenities, location and lowest average rate per night.
- JackRabbit Book › Direct benefits city and state tourism by keeping valuable tax revenue in the home market, instead of being paid to other online travel booking sites.
According to government officials, destinations are losing an estimated $1 billion a year in tax revenue due to travel agencies. Since JackRabbit Systems does not charge properties fees or commissions for reservations originating from the Book › Direct Search Engine, tourism departments are able to keep lodging properties' gross reservation and tax revenue in their market when they lease the Book › Direct software.
Instead of bed tax being collected on 70%-75% of rates with many major online travel agencies (OTAs), it is instead collected on 100% of the rate via Book › Direct. This not only keeps 100% of the lodging tax in the market, but also drives commission-free sales for lodging properties. These funds may be used to promote tourism and potentially pay for schools, law enforcement and other municipal services where the property resides, which is especially important during tough economic cycles when treasuries are lean.