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aothotels.com.au news Issue 3
aothotel s.com.au news
AOTHotels news
February
2014
Welcome to 2014 Happy New Year to our Agency customers. 2014 has well and truly
commenced with a very busy start to the new year as AOTHotels gears
up for the year ahead.
We have some exciting additions and enhancements to the
Accommodation Program well underway to deliver to you, our
customers in 2014, including;
• A major increase in regional remote accommodation
suppliers. We increased regional and remote suppliers by 65%
this year, this increase will provide even more regional and
remote properties for Agencies and allow a greater
percentage of bookings to be made online.
• A new Leisure booking portal for all Government employees
providing special rates for your holidays.
• The VIP and special request feature added to profiles is NOW
LIVE where Agencies have provided details to AOTHotels.
This information is now being automatically sent to hotels.
• Addition of higher room categories for VIP travellers such as
Suites and Junior Suites from our major 5 Star suppliers.
• Online profile management where individual Diners Club
accounts are not used by Agencies.
• Ability to book multiple rooms easily in one booking using
multiple Diners cards – an enhancement I am sure everyone
will be very pleased to see.
On a sad note for us, but very exciting for her, Kylie Rix our amazing
Operations Manager leaves us for 12 months maternity leave. She will
be missed by both you, our customers and the AOTHotels Team. I am
delighted to welcome Kate Thomas to the team, who will replace Kylie
for 12 months. Kate has spent the last 12 years with the AOT Group,
most recently as Operations Manager for our large wholesale division.
Kate brings a wealth of experience to ensure a smooth transition for
Agencies.
Rohan MossRohan MossRohan MossRohan Moss
Rohan Moss
General Manager
Maximise Efficiency We have recently analysed that 18% of all booking calls could have
been instantly confirmed either via the AOTHotels Portal or via your
Online Booking tool. Booking online saves considerable time, on
average nearly 4 minutes per booking quicker than via the phone.
When you multiply this saving per booking across an Agency, there is a
major efficiency saving delivered to the Agency by booking online. In
addition the traveller or booker can see the hotel images, exact
location in relation to the Agency office location they are travelling to
and also TripAdvisor reviews.
With the considerable time saving, delivering greater efficiency for
Agencies, AOTHotels in conjunction with your TMC, would be pleased
to run online training on our Portal and your OBT to help you drive
great efficiencies within your Agency, allowing more time to be
focused on core business activities.
Contact your AOTHotels Relationship Executive today to book training
via relationship@aothotels.com.au
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aothotels.com.au news Issue 3
Now Live VIP & Special Request Profile Information
The AOTHotels profile system has been enhanced to allow for specific
requests for travellers to automatically transmit to properties.
E.g. VIP Passenger – Secretary of Agency A – request high floor away
from elevators & king bed.
Click here to access the form to add information to your travellers’
profiles.
Smartphone and Tablet Site AOTHotels.com.au
As announced in December 2014, the mobile site is now LIVE.
The uptake and feedback from travellers has been excellent. Make sure
your travellers are aware of this new booking option when travelling or
away from their desktop.
Live in MARCH and APRIL Online Profile Management
Currently, AOTHotels profiles are managed by AOT’s eCom team, who
manage new profile creations and amendments to existing profiles, in
addition to agencies with a Diners Club auto feed, for which profiles
update automatically via a nightly feed from Diners.
A comprehensive development is being completed to allow:
• Agency nominated Super Users access to create new profiles
and amend existing profiles; and
• General Users access to amend their own profile.
Once a user has logged into the AOT Portal, a ‘Profile Management’
button will display adjacent to the ‘Retrieve Existing Bookings’ button.
When selected, the user will be taken to the Profile Management page,
where the options displayed will depend on the states of the user
(Super or General). This development is expected to go Live in March.
Leisure Website for Government Travellers
Good news for government employees! In March, AOTHotels will
launch a separate website for government staff to book their leisure
travel. Staff will be able to take advantage of special unique rates that
will be negotiated specifically for government leisure travel, across
Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Further details on this
exciting development will be released closer to the launch date. This
site will be totally separate to the WoAG Accommodation Program
managed by Dept of Finance.
Multi-Room Bookings with Separate Payments
When booking multiple rooms via the AOT Portal, current limitations
will only allow a single payment method for all rooms.
A comprehensive development is being completed to allow greater
flexibility when booking multiple rooms where travellers are required to
pay for their own room. The development will allow the travel booker
to nominate a different payment method for each room, if required.
This improved flexibility will ensure a smoother reconciliation process
and greater flexibility if the booking is partially cancelled – as payment
for remaining rooms will be unaffected. This development is expected
to go Live in March.
Free Wi-Fi & Wheelchair Access Tiles
In line with recently developed tiles on the AOTHotels Portal displaying
information such as Full Kitchen Facilities or Long Stay Rates, the
Portal will in coming months also display tiles for:
• Properties offering free Wi-Fi for travellers;
• Properties with wheelchair accessible rooms.
These tiles will assist travel bookers in easily identifying properties with
these features, allowing for a faster booking process. This development
is expected to go Live in April.
AOTHotels Enhancements
aothotels.com.au news Issue 3
REBRANDINGS
Choice Hotels Update – please note that the
following Choice Hotels properties have now
departed the chain and are now trading
under the following names:
Quality Inn HW Boutique (Port Macquarie):
now called Best Western Plus HW Boutique.
Quality Hotel Apollo International
(Newcastle): now called Best Western Plus
Apollo International Hotel.
Comfort Inn Sunrise (Devonport): now called
Sunrise Motor Inn.
Quality Hotel Hobart Airport: now called
Travelodge Hobart Airport.
Mercure Sydney International Airport –
A new development is currently underway
adjacent to the property. All services will
continue to operate as normal, noting
change of reception and car park entries. A
temporary gym is now located within the
property (previously an external building).
Hotel Lindrum Melbourne – refurbishment
now complete; includes new soft furnishings,
Samsung LCD televisions and Phillips Dual
Docking Stations.
SPECIAL OFFERS: FREE WI-FI
Many properties are now offering
complimentary Wi-Fi for Government
travellers, valid for stays until 30th
June 2014,
including;
• Hotel Lindrum Melbourne
• Quest Apartment Shepparton
• Radisson Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne
• Quest Bundoora Melbourne
• Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
SPECIAL OFFER: FREE BREAKFAST
Belconnen Premier Inn – valid for stays until
30th
June 2014 in Standard or Queen rooms
SPECIAL OFFER: REDUCED RATE
Medina Serviced Apartments Canberra –
Fantastic Savings in February 2014
Sheraton Melbourne – Opening March 2014
at the Paris end of Collins St, this 174 room 5
star property is now taking reservations.
NEW PROPERTIES ADDED
As per the December newsletter, AOTHotels
has focused on increasing the range of
properties available to book in regional and
remote locations. Recent additions to the
AOTHotels program include properties in:
NSW: Albury; Armidale; Barooga; Bourke;
Brunswick Heads; Canowindra; Casino;
Cobar; Coffs Harbour; Coolah; Cooma;
Coonabarabran; Dubbo; Fern Bay; Greenwell
Point; Kyogle; Louth; Moulamein; Mudgee;
Murwillunbah; Narrabri; Port Macquarie;
Tamworth; Tenterfield; Tocumwal; Wagga
Wagga; Wentworth
NT: Katherine; Mataranka
QLD: Barcaldine; Blackall; Boonah; Bowen;
Bundaberg; Dalby; Emerald; Hervey Bay;
Julia Creek Karumba; Kingaroy; Miles;
Moura; Normanton; Springsure; Warwick;
Windorah
SA: Bordertown; Coober Pedy; Elliston;
Innamincka; Kadina; Kingston; Mount
Gambier; Quorn
TAS: Launceston; Ulverstone
VIC: Ballarat; Beechworth; Camperdown;
Dunolly; Horsham; Port Fairy; Rochester;
Shepparton; Stawell; Swan Hill
WA: Kalgoorlie
FAST FACT : DECEMBER DAYS BOOKED
PRIOR TO CHECK-IN
December saw a reduction of bookings made
7 days or less to 49%. Book early to maximise
savings.
REFURBISHMENTS
NEW PROPERTY: COMING SOON
AOTHotels – Supplier Updates
aothotels.com.au news Issue 3
Emily South – Assistant Operations Manager,
AOTHotels, Melbourne
Emily has worked with the AOT Group for 11 years starting in
Inbound Reservations, working her way up into a Team Leader
role before moving over to help set up the brand new
Government Services Division in her most recent role as
Assistant Operations Manager.
The things I like about my job are… the people, and winning
best dressed at our end of month drink celebrations!
I have loved the challenge of moving from the Inbound area to
help set up the brand new Government Division and am proud
to be part of the management team.
And the frustrations… Parliament sitting… Can they build
more hotels in Canberra please!
If I didn’t work in travel I would be a… Vet, I love animals.
My proudest moment was… buying my first home
I try to relax by… playing a little sing star on the play station.
My neighbours secretly love it I am sure.
The last time I feared for my life… I don’t scare easily.
If I can, I always try to avoid… hook turns in the city.
I really wish I had… a better singing voice.
The best advice I ever received was… what goes around, comes
around.
My greatest weakness is…. .talking too much.
And my greatest strength is… my determination to succeed,
and winning best dressed at fancy dress parties!
If I was Prime Minister I would… challenge Joe Hockey to a
game of squash.
If I won $1 million in the lottery I would… invest it wisely.
If I could be someone else for a day I would be… Jennifer
Hawkins (Miss Universe).
I’ve always wanted to travel to… Hawaii.
My favorite holiday was… America when my fiancée proposed
on the top of Splash Mountain at Disneyland.
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