The health crisis we are currently experiencing deeply affected the hospitality industry as people are constantly advised to stay home and are discouraged to embark on non-essential travel. Now that some countries are starting to reopen, hotels are also preparing to accept guests on their premises.
In Thailand, lockdown restrictions were eased and businesses, including hotels, were allowed to reopen. It is understandable that people are still anxious to book anything; thus, hotels offer attractive promos and deals in order to entice travellers. Travel tech company Megatix is actively helping Thai hotels drive bookings through their customisable software platform that enables hotels to sell their offers online.
Here are some ways how Megatix helps hotels in Thailand as part of their "new normal".
Facilitates end-to-end online process
In Thailand, hotels used to be dependent on exhibitions when selling vouchers. This entails high cost of rental, staffing and printing of vouchers. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented large mass gatherings and the government advocates minimising physical interaction. Good news, Megatix’s service revolves around offering vouchers solely online.
If your business is not online, you are way behind. In 2018, the share of internet users in Thailand was 56.8%. It is forecasted that the number of internet users in the country is expected to grow up to 57.4 million in 2023. With an increasing number of internet users and our current global state, Megatix is the perfect platform for hotels to offer vouchers.
Utilising Megatix, hotels are able to take this entire business segment online and to offer vouchers for certain time periods driving revenue into their desired outlets or accommodation. Selling vouchers online is vital during these times with much needed immediate cash flows.
Megatix facilitates the end-to-end process. The offers are promoted by the hotel clients direct to their fans/ followers through a variety of platforms, so their guests can purchase in a seamless way online. No need for email correspondence, phone calls, payment forms, etc.
Low marketing cost and improve conversions
Megatix provides tailored training to their clients on how to use their platform through an advanced dashboard where hotels can upload their offers and promotions easily and immediately. Hotels can launch campaigns with their full branding features, pricing strategy, product inventory, specific terms and conditions, key visuals and much more.
The terms and conditions are determined by the hotels and they set the refund policy and validity of the vouchers. This type of autonomy enables hotels to curate promos that will attract their target market. Due to the current state of international travel, most hotels are focused on domestic tourism in providing great deals for people who are ready and itching to travel in the post-COVID-19 world.
Hotel giants Accor and Marriott have exclusive sites within the Megatix ecosystem to encourage travellers to buy now and stay later.
Promotion
Megatix supports its clients to promote their offers to their database in the form of newsletters and social media posts. Moreover, Megatix also allows hotels to capitalise on the company’s unique social amplifier tool which incentivises customers to share content on social platforms during in the checkout process, creating organic viral sharing and increasing the hotels visibility online to a targeted audience. The Megatix dashboard also features a section for affiliate marketing allowing hotels to work with targeted media or influencers to push hotels’ offers and campaigns with real time tracking and visibility on conversions.
Experts on-board
Megatix is more than just a platform for e-vouchers, it understands the operational challenges of each hotel and helps mitigate those challenges. Having experts on various fields like hotels, events, and finance in their team help Megatix relate to the specific needs of its clients and look for ways on how to resolve it knowing that there is no “one size fits all” and each company is unique.
"We are encouraged by the great response for our Buy Now, Staycation Later campaign with Megatix. As border restrictions remain in place at present, our focus has been on targeting the domestic Thai market through this sale. This is an offer that appeals to all those people who want something to look forward to, who are excited to return to travel and are looking for a great value. We believe that the passion for travel and exploration of new destinations will always be a strong driving force for people and we believe the long-term future of travel is bright. Our industry has always been resilient and has bounced back from many crises before – we believe this will be the same once this pandemic is over," Patrick Basset, Accor chief operating officer – Upper Southeast & Northeast Asia and the Maldives, said.
For example, mode of payment is one of the challenges many hotels face in Thailand. Not many Thais own a credit card and there are various online payments in the country. Megatix solves this issue by providing hotels with access to Thailand’s largest variety of payment options as it accommodates everything from e-wallets like Rabbit Line Pay, Ali Pay and We Chat, as well as credit, debit, online banking and even over the counter services. Having an easy payment system provides an easy channel for local and international customers.
Get paid no matter what
One of the key differences of Megatix with other vouchers platforms is that hotels are paid whether the customers use the voucher or not. Since consumers pay in advance, Megatix transfers these funds to hotels for all e-vouchers. Other voucher platforms or services will only pay hotels when the customers arrive at the property to redeem the voucher. With Megatix, customers are buying a prepaid voucher; therefore, there is no risk of cancelled bookings or no shows.
“For Marriott, providing these value-added gift vouchers was an important way of rebuilding customer confidence and driving business back to our hotels. The fact that they can be redeemed for future travel, dining or spa treatments gives guests the flexibility that they need. And with 50% value-added bonus, these vouchers also help to stimulate pent-up demand. Having come through such a challenging time, our guests deserve a reward - either as a personal treat or a gift to their loved ones. Megatix is the perfect partner for this initiative; their online platform makes it easy for our customers to make their purchase and plan their trip from the comfort of their own home,” said Jakob Helgen, area vice president, Marriott International - Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia & Myanmar.
Since the deals are created and launched by the hotels themselves, most of the vouchers are exclusive. It is up to hotels’ discretion to define the dynamics of the offer. Megatix recommends offering the best value in order to attract customers. Currently, you will find some very exclusive deals on Megatix offering up to 60% discounts or all-inclusive packages to fantastic destinations for as low as THB 3,000 (USD 94) per night.
Moreover, most hotels have their own membership and loyalty programs and Megatix’s platform is built to facilitate this also. Therefore, a customer can select an offer, enter their member number and receive the added discount that is applicable to them.
For more information about how to offer deals through Megatix, shoot an email to the team as follows:
Onur Atasoy – managing director at onur@megatix.asia
Vinod Kumar – sales and marketing head/director at vin@megatix.asia
General questions at info@megatix.in.th
