RENNIES has taken a leap
out to the forefront of the
online travel business with
the launch of its new website,
Renniestravel.com.
The site can be used by
your average-Joe who books
online, corporate clients who
have access to discounted
pricing, and existing and new
entrants in the industry that’d
like to be affiliated with the
Rennies brand.
One of the main goals
of Renniestravel.com was
to achieve rate parity, says
Bronwyn Philipps, md of
HRG Rennies Travel. By using
aggregators, consolidators
and direct integrations, (such
as APIs) Renniestravel.com
groups all the content available
to consumers plus some extra
(including access to inventory
like Lots of Hotels and the
content available on two
GDSs) in one space. “Instead
of trying to compete with a
Booking.com, we did an API so
that its content would appear
as part of your inventory on
Renniestravel.com,” says
Bronwyn.
This site, which officially
launched February 1, gives the
discerning traveller who prefers
to shop online access to
cheap deals, luxury products,
and everything else that
has to do with travel, says
Bronwyn. Users have access
to information on security
risks and visas, and can also
purchase an international sim
card for example, she says.
The site also enables the
use of affiliate codes, where
closed user groups with a
specific code, have access to
all the content on the site at
discounted rates.
On the one hand, giving
access to closed user groups
is about cultivating client
loyalty: Any employee of a
corporate, from the md to the
cleaner, can book using an
affiliate code, says Bronwyn.
On the other hand, Rennies
can provide a solution for
agents who want to be
associated with the Rennies
brand. The site functions as
the front-end where travel is
booked, which can also be
linked to a mid-office solution.
“Agents can thus run their
business in totality, having the
functionality to make changes,
create quotes, and do their
admin,” says Lanice Newton,
brand manager of Rennies
Specialist Brands. Solutions
can also be provided for
people who want to sell travel
by just using the site, affiliate
codes, and the support of the
Rennies’ travel consultants.
A white-label version – where
the site’s url, content and
branding is tailored to suit the
client – is also available.
Furthermore, Rennies is
also offering an API of the air,
hotel, and car-rental content
and pricing available on
Renniestravel.com. The user
can pull this content through to
any sales platform they wish.
See TNW’s ITC feature on
page 11.
