Growing popularity of online booking tools sees Hoseasons swap bulk brochure drops for digital

Domestic holiday company Hoseasons says the increasing popularity of online booking tools is at the heart of its decision to end bulk brochure drops to the trade.

All agents will still receive a file copy pack of the self-catering specialist’s new 2018
brochures when they are sent out later this month, but Sally Henry, Sales Director at
Hoseasons, says the company’s dedicated online portal is now the best tool for agents
looking to sell its huge range of luxury lodge, cottage and boating breaks in a digital world.

Pointing to the fact that 75% of the company’s Third-Party bookings are now made online, and that 90% of its customers go online to research their breaks, she said: “Later booking patterns and dynamic pricing means real time information is critical for converting leads to sales – something our online portal is perfect for, but our printed brochure just cannot provide.”

Recent investment in the portal means it is now fully mobile-friendly and gives agents
access to downloadable weekly special offers, printable posters, videos, agent testimonials and agent concession details

A new online ‘training’ section is also in development, while fully functioning e-brochures are available to download, enabling agents to email specific pages to their customers.

Those who prefer a printed format can request a newly-published mini-brochure highlighting the key selling points of the company’s main specialist brands, including luxury lodge collections Autograph Lodge Holidays and Evermore, as well as Go Active Breaks, Wanderwood, Bouja, Daisy Door and boating brand Starboard. None of these include Hoseasons-specific contact details – a move Ms Henry hopes will help agents convert as many customers as possible.

She said: “We are totally committed to supporting agents and very proud of our breaks. That’s why we’ve listened to what our agents have had to say and invested in the widest possible range of tools, both online and offline to help them sell our breaks.
The news comes on the back of the company’s seventh record summer in a row, when sales through third parties were up 20% in August compared to the same month last year.
Hoseasons has also developed real time booking APIs for agents wishing to integrate over 30,000 properties into their systems or websites.