Asia Web Direct (AWD), the operator of Phuket.com and 100 other websites focused on providing online hotel booking services, is expanding to cover the global market by the second quarter.

The global coverage will be possible after installation of the Pegasus hotel reservation system that provides a direct link to 60,000 hotel properties worldwide, said Wanliya Praharnpap, AWD's online product director.

Before its link with the Pegasus system last October, 99 per cent of AWD's business had come from offering hotel rooms in only two countries - Thailand and Malaysia. Now the company can expand to offer bookings for hotel rooms in Japan, the Caribbean and some locations in Europe and the United States, and will have global coverage in the second quarter, Wanliya said.

But it's not just anyone who can hook into the Pegasus system and thus gain a global reach, she said Wanliya.

"They filter who can connect to the system after checking their track record because they are opening a direct link between us and the 60,000 hotels on their network." she added.

Although Pegasus charges a booking fee, AWD considers that it is worthwhile because the system offers new markets which the firm had previously not been able to tap. For existing markets, the new system offers instant bookings and enhanced room availability.

AWD has upgraded its booking revenue target for 2007 by 13 per cent to Bt1.65 billion due to the successful implementation of the Pegasus system. That will be a 40-per-cent increase from the turnover of Bt1.15 billion recorded last year.

Within the first year, AWD expects bookings from new destinations to contribute 20-25 per cent of its booking revenue, she said.

AWD is revamping the content on its websites to cover global markets instead of primarily focusing on Thailand and Malaysian markets as before.

"We will start making people know that our websites are now selling hotel rooms worldwide. Previously, people knew us only as an Asian website," said Wanliya.

Meanwhile, to follow new consumers preferences, AWD plans to offer more customised services and tour packages. The firm will shortly introduce a "smart search" feature to its websites that enables customers to easily pick hotel rooms based on their personal preferences.

"For example, if the guest comes with his family, the search system will provide a choice of rooms which suit families."

In response to the "multi-stay" trend in which tourists prefer to make trips to various countries, AWD websites are now also able to offer a one-stop-shop for tourists to book all hotel rooms at various destinations on a single website, she added.

AWD says it has 110,000 visitors to its websites every day or 3.3 million visitors per month, and the company has received 10,000 bookings and 42,000 room nights monthly.

Headquartered in Phuket, the firm owns about 100 active websites, including bangkok.com, kosamui.com, krabi-hotels.com, gothailand.com, latestays.com, resort-hotels.com, smartstays.com, kl-hotels.com, visit-mekong.com and phuket.com. 

Pichaya Changsorn

The Nation