Press Releases

January 24, 2008
Asia Web Direct capitalizes on last-minute reservation trends

An increasing number of travellers are leaving their travel arrangements and hotel reservations until the last minute, a trend that can be attributed at least partly to the convenience factor offered by the Internet. That’s according to Sii Eawsakul, Chief Executive Officer of Phuket-based Asia Web Direct (AWD), whose very popular last-minute hotel booking site LateStays.com has seen a staggering growth of 72% and 89% during 2007 in revenue and room nights respectively.

Speaking at the ASEAN Travel Forum in Bangkok, Ms. Eawsakul said last-minute hotel reservations has been one of the most dramatic shifts in online consumer behaviour over the past few years. “Our research and development teams monitor Internet user patterns closely to ensure we can anticipate and respond rapidly to changing trends in the marketplace. Our findings are also in line with the World Travel Trends Report 2007-8, released in October last year by ITB Berlin at the World Travel Monitor Forum in Pisa, Italy. In response, the roll-out of LateStays.com to sign on more hotels and to incorporate other popular destinations beyond Southeast Asia has been one of AWD’s core focus areas,” she said.

According to her the phenomenal growth in last-minute reservations on LateStays.com – from 53,585 room nights in 2006 to 92,290 in 2007 – is a clear indicator that the company is on the right track in its bid to stay abreast in the fast-moving world of online travel distribution. “Be it for spur-of-the-moment vacations or last-minute business trips, LateStays.com fulfils the needs of this growing travel segment with instant confirmation and guaranteed reservations.”

Ms. Eawsakul explained that the website offers users an easy-to-use matrix chart with deals of a wide selection of hotels in different budget categories and locations for a 28-day window period. Hotels, meanwhile, have real-time online control of room allotment and rates, compliments ofan ‘Extranet’ facility that makes it easy, quick and convenient to manage their inventories. “LateStays.com is the perfect platform for hotels to boost occupancy by disposing of empty rooms quickly, and for travellers to find the best last-minute deals.”

Although predominantly focused on Southeast Asia with Thailand and Malaysia being the top performers currently, LateStays.com already includes other popular destinations in China, India, Australia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and several European countries. Top-selling chains are Accor and the Ascott Group, while Grand Sukhumvit by Sofitel in Bangkok has seen the best performance by an individual hotel.

Asia Web Direct has more than 100 travel sites in its stable – among them Phuket.com, Bangkok.com and SmartStays.com – that attract more than three million visitors monthly. The company currently represents around 50,000 hotels worldwide, and sold in excess of 450,000 room nights during 2007. “Our websites make travel planning easier than ever before, by offering travellers local-knowledge content, a comprehensive hotels database, exciting destination experiences like tours and adventures, combined with easy-to-use booking procedures that are supported by world-class service,” Ms. Eawsakul said.