The travel business management platform launches multiple features to assist travel businesses in converting more bookings and better managing travel logistics in 2024.
WeTravel announced its bi-annual set of new and enhanced features in its WeTravel Product Release – Winter, aiming to break down payment barriers, attract a broader base of international bookings and simplify business management for any multi-day travel business.
Within the platform, travel businesses effective today have access to new booking management and payment features and enhancements – not only supporting businesses in managing better operations, but also making a better checkout experience for the travelers who book with these businesses.
Within the booking platform, the newest feature, Inventory Management, allows clients to per-trip input and manage accommodation inventory. With access to manipulate inventory, clients can package and sell by accommodation–like single supplements or upgraded rooms–to travelers, clients can in-real-time access data on current inventory requests at a trip level and send to suppliers, and clients can leverage the booking analytics to better forecast availability, including discounting unfilled accommodation prior to departure.
The business’s newest payment feature, Multi-Currency Checkout, is a currency converter integrated into the check-out for travelers, enabling travelers to pay in their local currency without a credit card–regardless of the currency the trip is marketed in–to save both the travel business and the traveler unnecessary fees and fluctuating exchange rates.
“As consumers and travelers ourselves, WeTravel’s team understands the complexity of managing a travel business – and the lack of travel-specific software available to handle the intricacies needed to manage a travel business like inventory per trip and payments from global travelers,” said Johannes Koeppel, WeTravel’s co-founder and chief product officer. “We’ve focused this year’s first product release on new features and enhancements that support both booking management and payment flexibility in the travel industry; however, the common goal of the four features we released is to support our clients in increasing bookings from international travelers, and better managing these bookings.”
The full list of the four features released today by WeTravel includes:
Inventory Management – Booking Feature
- Travel businesses can now manage unlimited accommodations across trip packages and departure dates, which will automatically update their inventory availability based on bookings
- Travel businesses can export the traveler manifesto to send to suppliers and destination management companies for better operational support and on-the-ground logistics on a per-trip update, ensuring smooth customer experience on-the-ground when arriving at accommodations
- Travelers are able to view available packages priced based on accommodation options–like single supplement occupancy and room upgrades and categories–to choose which trip package best suits their needs
Multi-Currency Checkout – Payment Feature
- The feature integrated into the checkout interface gives international travelers the control to pay in their local currency, regardless of how the trip is priced, opening opportunities for travel businesses to increase bookings from global travelers.
- In its first version the available currencies to exchange are EUR, GBP and USD, with more currency expansions releasing soon; at checkout, the traveler’s local currency will automatically be detected with alternative currency options appearing in a drop down menu, the traveler can instantly exchange currencies then choose from any payment option and installment plan to complete their booking
- Clients can use the new local currency features to expand their client base by appealing to international travelers who may have been previously limited by checkout payment barriers
Calendar View – Booking Feature
- Within WeTravel’s booking platform, travel businesses can now view each departed and up-coming trip within a calendar view, making it easier to manage on-going trips and share the logistics with suppliers, tour leaders and other stakeholders
- The calendar is interactive, allowing any user per business to make adjustments and manage detailed trip insights like departure and return dates for multiple trips, in any country
Pre-registration – Booking Feature
- Adding to WeTravel’s lead generation capabilities, the Pre-registration feature can be added as a booking widget to a website to help travel businesses leverage interest on up-coming trips–like expeditions or retreats–for lead generation and strategic planning
- WeTravel’s Pre-registration feature integrates with its waitlist feature to ensure a smooth booking process for travelers
“Empowering travel businesses with the ability to customize their trips and the booking and check-out experience is a strategic initiative to propel our clients’ growth by capturing more bookings and being able to better manage those bookings,” said Koeppel. “This year, our features keep both the travel business and the traveler as the end-users, so everyone benefits from the platform enhancements.”