Embarking on a journey for innovation and new growth

AN OTRAVO CASE STUDY

OTRAVO is already one of the largest online

travel agencies in Europe with over one million

segments annually. With long-term plans for growth

and expansion, it wanted to build the fastest,

easiest, and most comprehensive online travel

products and best customer service experience in

the Netherlands and Belgium. Powered by the

flexible solutions of Sabre, bookability is at

95 percent, customer satisfaction has improved

by 20 percent, and turnover is up 40 percent.

Bob Rus is fixated on it, fascinated by it, and fiercely

protective of the customer experience at OTRAVO.

Rus believes that offering online travel shoppers

speed, superior choice and ease – providing the

best customer experience – is the key to

OTRAVO’S success, and its future.

As one of the five managing directors of OTRAVO,

Rus spends much of his time thinking about ways to

improve key performance indicators like look-to-book

ratios, website response times, and meta-search hit

rates. For him, it all started with a simple curiosity

and desire to be of service.

A CASE STUDY OTRAVO

Customer experience the key to success.

Bob Rus Managing Director

“I’ve always asked a lot of questions about costs,

schedules, and travel options,” said Rus. “As a

company, we’re constantly focusing on customer

needs and looking for ways to innovate so our

customers can get exactly they they want.”

About 90 percent of OTRAVO’s annual sales of

more than 240 million Euros come through leisure

travel and the company has aggressive growth

plans. To accelerate and prepare for new growth, the

OTRAVO management decided to review and

analyse its technology platform.

“We knew we wanted to improve speed and choice

for our customers, but promises for upgrades and

new features by our previous technology partner

weren’t being met,” said Rus. “We also wanted to

continue to grow in terms of our sales volume and

our company culture. We wanted a technology

partner with high energy and a clear plan for

innovation and growth – just like us.”

A CASE STUDY OTRAVO

Bob Rus Managing Director

Since we’ve converted to Sabre, we’re booking more

complex and expensive dynamic packages and tours

Bob Rus, Managing Director OTRAVO

OTRAVO brands, Vliegtickets.nl and

WTC.nl (World Ticket Center) needed

faster performance, additional travel

product options, and a more advanced

technology platform to provide a better

customer experience and handle new

growth opportunities.

OTRAVO selected Sabre for its flexibility

and its commitment to ongoing innovation

and technology investments. Customised

Sabre APIs provide capabilities for dynamic

packaging and have opened new channels,

while Sabre Red Workspace has increased

agents’ efficiency. OTRAVO found the right

balance of technology, service and support

in Sabre.

The switch to Sabre has paid off for

OTRAVO: bookings are up 30 percent year

over year, turnover has increased 40

percent, customer satisfaction scores

among online visitors have improved by 20

percent, and the company is prepared for

new organic growth, new acquisitions, and

new product and service offerings.

A CASE STUDY OTRAVO

With Sabre upgrading is always uplifting.

A CASE STUDY OTRAVO

Sabre delivers a first-class experience everytimeOTRAVO’s decision to switch to the Sabre technology

platform was driven primarily by the power and performance

of Sabre APIs. OTRAVO determined that Sabre was faster,

populated with more travel products, and had a stronger

commitment to innovation with a roadmap for the future.

But it was the support of Sabre leadership, sales, account

management, and technical teams that clinched it.

“From the beginning, Sabre gave us their full attention,

bringing in their best people for planning and implementation,”

said Rus. “They also brought us new customer segmentation

and service ideas; they are as customer and technology-

driven as we are.”

Sabre’s open development platform Sabre Dev Studio, with

its resources, tools and services, powers the user experience

for OTRAVO’s online customers. And OTRAVO’s call centre

representatives use Sabre Red Workspace when handling

calls from customers that prefer booking by phone or have

questions about their options.

“Sabre helps us provide the best of both worlds: superior

online functionality, as well as the ability to deliver highly

customised travel arrangements with a personal touch,” said

Rus. “Sabre has invested in our success, developing new

content and features when needed to support our two brands.

They’ve gone above and beyond expectations and we feel

we’ve got a technology partner that is ready for the future.”

Sabre provides the best of both worlds: superior online

functionality, and the ability to deliver highly customised

travel arrangements with a personal touch

The metrics that Rus watches so closely are up substantially

since making the switch to Sabre. Bookability – the accuracy

and availability of travel options – has improved to 95 percent

which means online shoppers are able to find and buy what

they want more often. And that is paying off in more positive

online reviews and word-of-mouth advertising, higher net

promoter and customer satisfaction scores, and most

importantly – sales.

OTRAVO is making the most of Sabre’s customisable online

product portfolio, by differentiating its services and offering an

enhanced shopping experience for travellers.

“Since we’ve converted to Sabre, we’re booking more

complex and expensive dynamic packages and tours, we’re

able to show more flight details and seating options, and

we’re connected to the meta-site channel now,” said Rus.

“These upgrades have helped us grow our turnover 40 percent

year over year.”

OTRAVO’s ability to connect with meta-search travel sites like

Kayak, Trivago and TripAdvisor represents a new and very

large revenue opportunity. Travel products and packages from

OTRAVO are now included in search results and offered to

millions of travel shoppers from around the world each month.

Rus and his colleagues know the quest for better customer

experiences and improved financial results has no real end,

and that’s part of the fun.

“We have 170 employees, but we still consider ourselves

entrepreneurs in a company with lots of room for growth,

and we still have the same unending questions about costs,

schedules, selection, and fit,” said Rus. “Now Sabre is

helping us answer those questions more accurately

and more profitably.”

Otravo are always ready for takeoff

A CASE STUDY OTRAVO

The switch to Sabre has been a smart move for us

Bob Rus, Managing Director OTRAVO

Sabre is an innovative technology company that leads the travel industry by helping our customers succeed.

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