Tourism has traditionally been one of the businesses that has been worst impacted by pandemics and crises. Because transportation is a vector for transmitting the virus, the tourist industry is in a unique position. As a result, it is frequently targeted for breaking the virus’s chain of transmission. Tourism has a dynamic aspect that requires mobility, which invariably aids viral propagation. The mobility of individuals by air raises the possibility of viruses spreading at a considerably quicker rate than usual. As a result, tourism is both a promoter of viral transmission and a victim of virus spread.
The Corona crisis is affecting the travel boom of the past years in the same way as an emergency brake: Regional destinations and individual planning are now overtaking the pursuit of global overmobility. Questioning the necessity of travel is increasingly gaining in importance. Thus, hybrid events will replace the otherwise usual meetings and conferences in the future. ehotel®, a medium-sized company based in Berlin, provides an exceptional service for private and corporate customers in hotel reservations in order to simplify organization and communication for the implementation of modern concepts. As a hotel booking platform, ehotel® is also constantly evolving, whereas personal customer service, practical tools, and modern technologies remain the reliable foundation of the company.
The CEO
If one wants to understand how ehotel® stands out from the competition, all one needs to do is spend a day with Fritz Zerweck. The CEO of ehotel® embodies the values of the company, which has grown with both fairness and transparency from a rather small independent portal for business travellers to an internationally successful hotel booking platform.
Since 2006, Zerweck has enriched the ehotel® team with his dedication and creativity. His leading position means encouraging the employees, pushing unconventional ideas, and maintaining the focus on the customers. It is part of the process that it is occasionally necessary to make unpleasant decisions or to discard an idea despite intensive work. “No one deliberately takes the wrong path,” says Zerweck, “but one can only discover new paths if one has the courage to start exploring, no matter where it may lead. That he is on the right track with his management is shown by the pleasant working atmosphere at the Berlin headquarters, the enormous customer satisfaction and the countless awards from institutions and magazines that ehotel® has received for its customer orientation and innovations.
With a degree in economics, Zerweck previously worked in the world of finance for many years before he was appointed to the board of ehotel® almost by coincidence. This is where he combines his talent with numbers with his passion for travel.
Innovation that Put the Company Ahead
Zerweck co-developed the unique Meta-Search technology and pioneered the central accounting system ehotel® central billing as a proponent of new technologies. Customers may locate only acceptable deals from all suppliers, such as tour operators, resellers, and hotels with their own contingents, using Meta Search technology. There are roughly 7 million Listings available. Individual filtering options allow the search to be filtered by price, stars, distance, and other common criteria, as well as sustainability, internal corporate requirements, and other factors. As a result, ehotel® provides a thorough cost comparison, and ehotel® central billing saves registered corporate clients up to 70% in processing expenses and a solid 30% in direct costs. The billing solution standardises travel bills, whether for individual reservations or for conferences, by accounting for any extra data such as project and people numbers, as well as cost centre. Additional features in the process-oriented ehotel® offer include the ehotel® rate manager, which analyses rate agreements in hotel room searches and makes frequent audits and negotiations easier for travel agents and purchasers.
Apart from process optimisation through innovative spirit and data-driven decisions, ehotel® is also always focused on individual customer care. The service provided by ehotel® addresses the needs of the customers, regardless of whether they are a small agency or a major international corporation with locations all around the world. Each of them benefits from the user-friendly tools, the clear overview of the pricing policy and the variety of offers, which can essentially be booked via desktop, OBE, mobile apps or offline via the ehotel® service team and travel agency partners and can be combined with various payment and billing methods. Moreover, fairness and transparency also characterise the cooperation with the hotels. Standard entry into the listing is free of charge for the hotels and chains. Only the installation of a direct PMS interface or the use of the comprehensive channel manager, which updates the availabilities on all distribution channels in parallel, is charged separately as a service.
The Recent Changes in the Industry
For the past 20 years, ehotel® has been gradually developing on the basis of its clear line and customer-oriented philosophy. The epidemic has left its imprint on the “tourist” business, and the whole travel industry is undergoing a major transformation. With improved technology and innovative responses to the difficulties of the Corona crisis, ehotel® is proven to be a trustworthy player. The need for trust and security among travellers has increased, as has the demand for flexibility.
By using ehotel® analytics, business travellers can be located at any time and companies can fulfil their duty of care. ehotel® travel managers and organisations can remain in touch with travellers even while they are travelling through crisis regions in this way. Rebookings can also be made quickly and easily. Even in the case of last-minute hotel closures or regional lockdowns, the meta-search technology’s up-to-date nature is always assured. Whether it is a long-term stay or a spontaneous rebooking, the service and individual billing solutions of ehotel® stand for uncomplicated business travel, whereby the safety of guests and employees has always been a priority. Through its own blog and newsletter, ehotel® keeps its customers up to date on hygiene rules, applicable Corona measures, and current travel warnings.
One of the good consequences of the pandemic is that it has increased public awareness of our world’s fragility and the impact of climate change. Environmental conservation and environmentally responsible travel are becoming increasingly important in the booking process. With its expanded filter features, ehotel® now allows users to take environmental factors into account when booking hotels and planning larger events.In doing so, ehotel® considers itself not only in the role of an intermediary, but also as a supporter of sustainable concepts: Providing blog posts and displaying all important environmental certificates in the meta-search technology, ehotel® attempts to facilitate environmentally friendly travel and to sustainably shape the booking behaviour of customers.
Multi-Layer Plans for the Future
ehotel® has a multitude of plans for the future. Not only does the firm aim to promote green hotels, but it also wants to improve its own sustainability management across the board. The energy supply is based on green power, staff utilise local water in reusable glass bottles in addition to utilising public transit, equipment is directed toward energy efficiency, heating is conscientious, and trash is minimised, all of which contribute to climate neutrality.
ehotel® supports the replanting idea of the climate-neutral search engine provider by only using ECOSIA. The hotel booking portal’s identity also includes promoting all workers equitably and having a sense of social responsibility.
“We represent contemporary solutions—internally and externally,” Fritz Zerweck emphasizes. Therefore, work is constantly being done to expand the ehotel® offering in order to provide a complete digital cycle. “Just like any company, we want to work economically; however, we have never overestimated monetary success. The important factor is the people: our customers, our partners, and, certainly, our employees, ” says Zerweck.
