A new membership-based booking engine, BudgetBusinessTravel.com, was launched on April 27, hoping to “fill a gap in the world of OTAs” by catering to independent business travellers.
“Today close to 55 per cent of travellers book their trips online and this number has been growing around 12 per cent per annum in recent years. Independent business travellers (form) a large part but are often overlooked by the travel industry,” said Steve Harrop, founder of the company.
Apart from allowing business travellers to book their own trips, what sets BudgetBusinessTravel apart from other OTAs is the option for customers to request assistance from their personal account manager around the clock.
This will make it easier for business travellers to update their itineraries and change bookings quickly and without having to pay processing fees.
Harrop: addressing needs of independent business travellers
BudgetBusinessTravel also offers a seven-level rewards programme. Members can move up the levels and unlock additional concierge-like services and discounts by booking more trips on the website or through referrals.
Loyalty programme members would not lose their status after certain periods of inactivity and are guaranteed lifetime access to benefits.
