ADVERTORIAL I SPECIAL
ADVERTORIAL I SPECIAL FEATURE I TRAVEL TECHNOLOGIES I “Find, Book, Grow”: Cendyn’s commitment to hoteliers For Michael Bennett, President & CMO of Cendyn, the travel industry is rightfully shifting to a more personalised way of using technology, reflecting the needs and demands of consumers In an exclusive interview with ITB Berlin News, Michael Bennett addressed how Cendyn’s solutions are contributing to the travel industry’s digital transformation and outlined what direction the company is moving towards in the future. How are Cendyn’s solutions contributing to the travel industry’s digital transformation? It’s important that every guest interaction provides an opportunity to nurture relationships as well as maximise profit. Every search and booking creates momentum, driving growth but also turning hotels into a place of deeper human connection. Our integrated technology underpins these relationships, providing sustained growth and success for our clients. . What do you believe are the key trends set to shape the travel technology landscape? There’s a necessity to respond to the changing demands of both consumers and hotels. Direct bookings are a key trend—the pandemic reset how consumers engage with hotels as travellers prioritised human engagement and reliable, first-party information. Since then, inflation has led many consumers back to third-party sites in search of better deals, with direct bookings falling from a peak of 67% to 56%, according to Skift Research’s Global Hotel Outlook. At Cendyn, we help hoteliers take control of their direct booking channel, finding the right customer who will book via this channel and growing the "right" type of business. Through our solutions, hotels strengthen their brand, which is a great way to secure direct customers, and tap into the wider societal trend of building a sense of place and community. What’s next for Cendyn, and how does your new branding support your future plans? We’ve just launched our Revenue Growth package — it's the ultimate solution for hoteliers to unlock revenue potential in today's digital economy. Using strategic metasearch, paid search, and CRM, the Revenue Growth package creates prominent Google rankings, working with a seamless advertising strategy that strikes a balance. By utilising AI, we source even more direct traffic and conversions. Hotels can then allocate marketing spending where it makes the most difference, converting profitable revenue. But it’s more than direct bookings! For our 32,000 global customers, we are continuing to build strategic partnerships and integrations to further strengthen our digital offer. Our Revenue Growth Package also leverages sophisticated CRM targeting capabilities for personalised multi-channel marketing such as birthday email off ers, targeted social media ads, and WhatsApp campaigns. We also use data to build effective lookalike audiences. C o n t i n u o u s momentum is key—a strong digital, web, and CRM strategy should allow hoteliers to find more guests that book directly and grow revenue —and our solutions help hotels achieve that trinity of Find, Book, and Grow Michael Bennett President & CMO, Cendyn THROUGH OUR SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES, HOTELS STRENGTHEN THEIR BRAND AND TAP INTO THE WIDER SOCIETAL TREND OF BUILDING A SENSE OF PLACE AND COMMUNITY. CENDYN UNVEILS ITS NEW LOOK AT ITB BERLIN Michael Bennett, President & CMO of Cendyn, was enthusiastic about the brand's new look, and confident that ITB Berlin was the right place to launch it: “We drive success for our hotel partners – whether that be finding the ideal guest, or connecting (and reconnecting!) with them through meaningful digital experiences. Relaunching our brand at ITB Berlin made perfect sense to us. It’s the largest travel trade show in the world and draws significant attendance from our valued hotel customers and industry partners. For Bennett, this rebrand represents a more modern identity: "We’ve been in business over 26 years and we’ve evolved massively. The new logo captures the momentum and growth which hotels can achieve through our extensive range of products and services." The new rebrand and slogan “Find, Book, Grow" embodies the company's partnership Hall 8.1 / Stand 111 with hotels, underlying the importance of every hotel visitor: "Every guest interaction is turned into a growth opportunity, fostering loyalty. We create a cycle of momentum and compound growth, helping hotels drive revenue, maximise profitability, and forge lasting success” ITB BERLIN NEWS • TUESDAY 5 TH MARCH 2024 41
