JackRabbit Systems, Inc., developer of online travel software for destination and tourism bureau websites, today announced a partnership with Greater St. Charles Convention & Visitors Bureau.


Travelers will now interface with the Book › Direct system when they visit www.historicstcharles.com to search for accommodations. The Book › Direct Search Engine is branded to match the St. Charles website with functionality that operates like any other booking solution, allowing visitors to compare rates and availability and select desired lodging directly from the St. Charles website. The key difference is that the visitor is then redirected directly to the lodging property to complete their transaction.

"We are very excited to be working with JackRabbit Systems,"said Greg Maxon, Group Travel & Sports Sales Manager of Greater St. Charles Convention & Visitors Bureau. "One of the main reasons we chose the Book › Direct Search Engine technology is due to the ability for B&Bs and smaller properties to have their own reservation page at no extra charge, which is something that was not offered elsewhere. The JackRabbit team has been wonderful to work with and we look forward to a long and successful relationship."

KEY BENEFITS
Overall

 

  • JackRabbit Book › Direct allows travelers to go directly to www.historicstcharles.com
  • to book accommodations; 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 dates from the Book › Direct toolbar located directly on HistoricStCharles.com‘s home page and other site profile pages.
  • Date-driven Book › Direct search results provide information on the lowest average rate per night, hotel amenities, location, and type of accommodations available.
  • JackRabbit Book › Direct benefits city and state tourism bureaus by keeping 100% of valuable tax revenue in the market where the lodging property is located, instead of fees and commissions being paid to other online travel agency sites, which can result in lower net revenue taxed.

 

Lodging Tax Revenue

Government officials say destinations are losing an estimated $1 billion a year in tax revenue to online travel agency net rate bookings.
Tourism Bureaus are able to keep lodging properties' gross reservation and tax revenue in their markets when they utilize the JackRabbit Book $ Direct software, since JackRabbit does not charge properties any fees or commissions for reservations driven from the Book › Direct Search Engine.

The resulted change in lodging taxes collected is significant. For example, instead of lodging tax being collected on 70%-75% of the rate with many major online travel agencies, it is 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 booking revenue for properties.
These important funds can go toward promoting tourism and in some cases pay for schools, law enforcement and other municipal services in the city or county where the property resides. These dollars are especially important during tough economic cycles when treasuries are lean and every penny counts.

About JackRabbit Systems
In just four years, JackRabbit Systems has become the tourism and travel industry's preferred choice for development of custom travel search engines on destination and travel portal websites. JackRabbit's innovative Book › Direct Search Engine helps over 1 million satisfied consumers each month book their stay and tickets directly through city and state tourism destination (DMO) websites within hundreds of destinations. Book › Direct provides DMOs with tools to create a better, more engaging online guest experience while generating the greatest financial return for travel service providers with increased bookings and higher margins. By eliminating online travel agency commissions and other costly ‘middlemen' fees, Book › Direct allows consumers to search for real-time rates and availability, driving DMO website visitors to book directly with local lodging and event providers.

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 individual tourism bureau destination. Book › Direct also keeps 100% of the gross lodging revenue within the DMO market (and 100% taxable).