Why different, cobooking ?
Why we shouldn’t do what everyone else is doing ?
We have to do something different but also find the right kind of different, the one that works. Cobooking has been in gestation for many years and we think it’s the “different” that’ll make all the difference. Doing the “same” certainly isn’t working…. so what’s to lose?
Join to help build cobooking, the home of direct booking and a different that works…
What’s broken?
Online booking is broken, let’s see if it can be fixed. This isn’t just about booking accommodation, it could (and is being) said about much of the internet structure including search engine, social media and online buying in other sectors. One player’s dominance through their connectedness causes issues like higher consumer costs, lack of diversity, manipulation of suppliers and stifled innovation. These closed systems are open to massive abuse of both the consumer and supplier creating hidden costs and general unhappiness.
How is it broken?
OTAs simply aggregate supply and charge a high commission that’s hidden from the consumer. None of the OTAs have any particularly groundbreaking or “special” technology, making a booking hasn’t changed much. Most of their “interesting” technology is built around the use of psychology to maximise profit by getting properties to pay more commission and bookers to book the high commission properties. Building algorithms that purely maximise profit per booking results in collateral damage to the consumer.
It’s not about consumers getting the right hotel for them, it’s just about making the most money. There’s no sustainable “partnership” with the accommodation when the machine is set to maximise profit. This wouldn’t matter so much if there was a fully functional market but there isn’t. Instead there’s a super dominant OTA leaving consumers and properties as victims to the algorithms that manipulate their choices. Is this really what we want from our technology?
If you are not angry then you’re not paying attention. Being angry in itself is not enough neither is understanding, elaborating and discussing the issues. You actually have to do something, to act and use your power of agency to build something different…. something like cobooking.
Get going become a partner and join cobooking if you have not already done so – sign up !
If you have already joined cobooking you can get involved in helping on the cobooking users facebook group (closed group for cobooking users only)
Also help by sharing the cobooking news with other accommodation businesses, on social media (on any media) and personally.
No kidding, there are many billions in cash bet against this changing. It is the business of cobooking to be different and to actively correct these issues, so please join and help build it. Share the story of cobooking and our common hope in making the near impossible happen.
Cobooking is the home of direct booking, everything we do is for direct booking ….