Tim Hentschel, Co-Founder & amp; CEO HotelPlanner
Tim Hentschel, Co-Founder & amp; He is the CEO of HotelPlanner, someone who lives and breathes travel. It launched HotelPlanner.com in 2003, culminating in the dot-com era after an occasional conversation about beer being the biggest challenge facing travelers at the time of booking hotels.
Fast forward to today, the travel technology company is one of the world’s top facilitators of individual, group and corporate bookings, specializing in negotiated group hotel rates, long stays and more for everything from weddings to sporting events. This booking empire offers a global portfolio of more than 50,000 hotels, and continues to thrive, despite major travel space difficulties caused by Covid.
While worldwide travel has declined, HotelPlanner has not only continued to receive customer calls, but more than in previous years. In response, Hentschel decided to launch a gig – based global travel agent booking platform where remote agents can take customer calls from anywhere, anytime. This gives customers the ability to talk to real people, rather than conversations or pre-recordings.
Hentschel currently lives in Singapore, but has traveled extensively over the past few months including long stays in Manila for World Travel & amp; World Summit of Tourism Council and New York City for NYU Hospitality Investment Conference, where he was a speaker.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, the biggest obstacle to travel now is the Covid test, vaccine documentation, and ever-changing quarantine requirements, especially in Asia-Pacific,” explains Hentschel .
“When it comes to culinary travel, in Asia-Pacific, Covid is still the biggest negative impact on restaurants and bars, as they are about a year behind in their recovery compared to the rest of the world. world. However, in Europe and America, most people have returned to crowded bars and restaurants without masks. In a 100-room room, you may still see only a few people wearing masks. “
Based on all his recent tours, we spoke with Tim Hentschel, Co – Founder & amp; HotelPlanner CEO, on everything to do with travel, including Covid’s influence on it and practical advice for the average traveler; how the travel and food industries can strengthen each other in a recovering post-pandemic world; silver liners and many more. Here is what he had to say.
Do you think that variances in Covid restrictions is a deterrent? What do you see as discouraging for the average traveler to travel abroad right now?
Definitely. There are many citizens in Asia-Pacific who do not travel until it becomes much easier between countries. Europe is now doing very well with EU travel, and is likely to have a strong summer travel and August holiday season. In addition to 40-year high inflation and about 20% higher costs for flights and hotels, the # 1 disincentive for travelers to the US is the US government’s 24-hour Covid test requirement that remains in place. force.
The U.S. service industry is losing millions a day in unrealized revenue from incoming travelers who are still holding back on their US trips. I hope the US government meets that testing requirement. To see also : Tech Tracker: The store’s prototypes continue to get more high-tech; Kraft will launch a restaurant in the metaverse. When they do, it will be a huge catalyst for travel into the American coast.
Now that we’re getting past the worst of the pandemic (hopefully), what do you see as the new norm of international travel?
The new norm for international travel is likely to include the need to download various apps to upload your Covid vaccine and test documents, and the complicated and confusing process of traveling from country to country with different policies. To see also : Live music is back on stage in 2022. I think things like that will change there will be parity and predictability between countries, but not likely until 2025.
Mobile app to display covid-19 test results for travel.
My advice is to research the latest Covid policies for each country on your trip. Find out what documentation or app you need to use. Get your paperwork in order. In addition to Covid, with so much pent-up demand, I encourage all travelers to book their trips as far in advance as possible to ensure availability, but also lock in at a lower rate.
When it comes to planning a big trip, my top three tips are to book early, research each country’s Covid protocols (just check for any last minute changes) and consider travel insurance, just the small print to read.
Do you find that Covid restrictions and protocol have put a damper on leisurely activities for the traveler?
The answer depends on the country you are talking about, but in general, the last two years have been very intense on leisure travel. Most everything in the leisure space was canceled or made virtual. On the same subject : High-Tech Convenience Stores Boost amid High Labor Costs and Contactless Services. The good news is that leisure travel is at the forefront of global recovery as millions are now traveling to embark on an epic or exotic holiday they’ve always imagined about, or to get married or attend a wedding, or just to attend on a live event like his Broadway Show in NYC, or to finally bring their kids to Disney World.
When it comes to drinking and dining specifically, what are the differences amongst various countries and cities you see?
People still want to drink and eat in groups, not alone. We are social beings. But what I have noticed during my international travel is a lack of transparency and consistency with Covid protocols. For example, masks may be optional in the hotel lobby, but you must still show vaccine proof to enter the hotel restaurant. That does not make sense. Or maybe I’m attending a hospitality conference and the city has already removed its indoor mask or vaccination policy, but conference organizers or the conference venue still need vaccine proof.
Has culinary travel taken a hit?
Culinary travel and any other leisure activity was equally affected. During Covid’s time, if a restaurant wanted to experience exotic cuisine, they probably had to order it for local delivery or cook it at home.
In the US, I have noticed a significant increase in marketing and events for Brewery and Wine tours, Food tours, and Food and Wine and Beer Festivals. Culinary events are making a strong comeback. Both the restaurant and travel industries have been severely disrupted by Covid.
Is there a silver lining anywhere?
If Covid has any money line, it has forced restaurants and travel companies to innovate and evolve, work with skeletal teams, and hire and fire in a faster and smarter way. I hope the permanent change is much cleaner restaurants, hotels and event spaces. The permanent changes are: Improved cleaning, better air filtration systems, and hand sanitation stations everywhere.
What are some ways you see the two industries of food and travel coming together in new, fruitful ways because of what has happened?
Restaurants and hotels and live events are three pillars of the service industry, while airlines are the fourth pillar. They need to work more closely together now because they depend on each other to survive. For example, a hotel or restaurant may need to rent its event space more frequently to stay profitable. And event organizers need more unique and flexible hotels and restaurants to host their events. It is a symbiotic, mutually beneficial, interdependent relationship.
Has Covid become a catalyst for positive change in any way that you see?
The positive change for the entire service industry, which has been hit hardest, is that they are now ahead of the post – pandemic recovery of the universe. And I think a lot of industry executives understand that ‘we’re all in this together.’ I think there will be more company partnerships that the world has never seen before. Hotels in partnership with restaurants. Restaurants in partnership with airlines. Organizers of live events in partnership with hotels, etc.
A meal is served on board a plane.
What have been some of your favorite dining experiences around the globe?
The art in Singapore is legendary and my family and I have really enjoyed expanding our culinary palettes over the last two years while we lived there. Now that I have relocated my family back to London, I look forward to the fare of an authentic British pub like Fish & amp; Chips; Bangers N ’Mash, or Sheperd Pie. And Indian art in London is also world famous. But to answer your question directly, some of my favorite dining experiences around the world had nothing to do with food, and were more related to the friends or family or business partners I was with. . The people you eat can make all the difference.
What are your current favorite restaurants?
My favorite restaurant for date night is the Quilon at Taj Buckingham Gate in London and with the kids, it’s Benihana’s.
Who doesnt own Expedia?
Expedia also owns Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotwire, Hotels.com, VRBO, HomeAway, and Trivago, etc. has a majority. The major travel sites not owned by Expedia or Priceline are essentially TripAdvisor (previously spun from Expedia) and AirBnB. And Skyscanner!
Does Trivago own Expedia?
Are Orbitz and Expedia owned by the same company?
Expedia and Orbitz are part of the same company, but its two rewards programs are distinct and have key differences. Both reward programs are free and have three levels, with membership status depending on the number of bookings during the year.
Does Microsoft still own Expedia?
Following the initial public offering, Expedia, Inc. is a separate company, but will have a contractual relationship with Microsoft® and the majority will be owned by Microsoft®. As part of the contractual relationship, Expedia, Inc. will continue. providing Travel travel services on the MSN.
What does HotelPlanner do?
HotelPlanner.com is a leading provider of online solutions and services to the global hotel sales market. This technology ensures the lowest rates by allowing customers to get quotes online directly from hotel group sales managers as well as access all sources of rates in the industry.
Is Expedia membership free?
Expedia Rewards members get even more And, it’s free to join Expedia Rewards. Benefits as soon as you register: Get three times the number of VIP Access bookings.
What does it mean to be a member of Expedia? Members can access discounts and special features. Sign in Create a free account. List of favorites Expedia Rewards Customer support Feedback Opens in a new window List your property. English · USD $ · Hotels.
Why did Expedia charge me $50?
6 answers. If you want to have a credit card on file to charge the room, then yes, they put a pending charge on your card at $ 100 BD per night ($ 50 US). This is not normal practice as they are trying to ensure that your card has space to meet the charges.
Does Expedia charge for membership?
The Expedia website itself costs no money to use, nor does it cost to sign up for an account. It only costs money to search for holiday accommodation on the website or app; you only need to pay for the full amount of your arrangements when you confirm your booking.
How do I cancel my Expedia membership?
How to Delete Your Own Expedia Account
- Sign in to your account.
- Select â € œMy Account.â €
- â € œSelect â € œClose Accounts.â €
- Select â € œClose this Account.â €
- Call Expedia customer service phone number.
- Sign in to your relatives’ account.
- Select â € œMy Account.â €
- Select â € œAccount Closure.â €
