SKO
03/02/2016 08:30
GENERAL
NOT PRICE SENSITIVE
REL: 0830 HRS Serko Limited
GENERAL: SKO: Strategic Partnerships Enable Industry-First Business Tool
Market Release
3 February 2016
Strategic Partnerships with Expedia and Booking.com Enable Serko to Offer
Industry-First Online Hotel Comparison Tool for Business
Serko Limited (NZX:SKO) announces a new feature that enables business
travellers who use Serko's Online Booking Tool (OBT) Serko Online, to compare
the price of hotel rooms from all major hotel providers in the region and
book the 'Best Rate of the Day'.
The new service has been made possible with Serko's recently announced
strategic partnerships with the world's two largest hotel room aggregators,
Expedia (including Wotif, owned by Expedia) and Booking.com, which together
with content from the GDS's (Amadeus, Travelport and Sabre), has given Serko
what it believes to be the largest hotel database in Australasia with more
than 12,000 properties (1 million globally) - all instantly comparable and
bookable.
Darrin Grafton, Serko CEO said "The idea of an online comparative search
engine for hotels, like Trivago for example, is familiar to people booking
leisure travel but is relatively new to the business world. Until now,
businesses using an OBT have been limited to hotels via the Global
Distribution System (GDS) only. With this new feature, Serko Online users can
compare prices from all major suppliers against GDS rates and can book the
'Best Rate of the Day', without leaving Serko Online. By tapping into the
buying power of Expedia, Wotif, and Booking.com, Serko Online users now have
access to alternative rates that can be as much as 15-20 per cent cheaper
than those found solely via traditional GDS."
This new service will benefit Australasian businesses by enabling them to:
o Compare negotiated rates against rates provided by Expedia, Booking.com and
Wotif on more than 12,000 properties across Australasia (1 million globally)
o Help save money by offering the Best Rate of the Day on every search
o Assist with Health and Safety compliance by reducing the number of hotels
booked outside of the OBT - providing instant visibility into where staff are
staying
Serko receives a share of the supplier commission on every Expedia, Wotif,
and Booking.com room night booked through Serko Online. At this point, the
launch of Best Rate of the Day is not envisaged to be material to revenue
within this financial year.
Serko Online users wanting Best Rate of the Day can request it via their
Travel Management Company.
ENDS
For investor relations queries please contact:
Tim Bluett, Chief Financial Officer, Serko
+64 9 309 4754
[email protected]
For media queries please contact:
Thomas Hann, Porter Novelli, for Serko
Phone: +61 2 8987 2135
[email protected]
End CA:00277140 For:SKO Type:GENERAL Time:2016-02-03 08:30:00
