Travel agency Fora has unveiled the alpha release of its integrated booking platform. Advisors can now seamlessly research and book trips from their computer or on-the-go with their smartphone.
Jake Peters, Fora’s co-founder and chief product/technology officer, said “We know travel advisors are busy, and our booking platform streamlines their workflow. It negates the need for countless website tabs open, comparing different hotels and partner perks … Fora’s new technology allows advisors to go from research to booking with just a few clicks.”
On the booking platform, advisors can search by specific hotel or browse by destination, comparing preferred partner hotels in real-time, besides learning about Fora’s preferred rates and perks. The platform is connected to Fora’s Vault, a secure tool for payment card storage and collection. When advisors are ready to make a booking, they can add client payment information to lock down the reservation, without ever leaving the Fora Advisor Portal.
The booking platform is powered by Fora’s central supplier database, so advisors can easily gauge the popularity of hotels through Fora’s bookings data. In the future, proprietary data such as traveler and advisor reviews and related training sessions will be available on the platform.
“It’s a huge win for our suppliers and partners because we’re developing all of this amazing content and linking that intel to the booking platform,” said Henley Vazquez, Fora’s co-founder, and travel advisor of 15 years. “It’s super simple to see how many advisors have booked a property, how many times their clients have stayed, and what their commission levels are. We’re taking the mystery out of search and discovery for advisors.”
All Fora advisors will gain access to the booking platform in September. The alpha version includes a browse and book function for the agency’s 4,500 partners with additional features releasing this fall.
“This is the next step in our big vision for our tech platform because it connects all of our tooling together,” Peters said. “And it’s just the start. Later this year, we will bring online all the 100,000-plus hotels available through the GDS. Next year, we’ll look at cruises, transportation, activities, and insurance. It’s going to be a one-stop shop to seamlessly browse and book travel.”
For more information, visit www.foratravel.com.
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