Responsive suite nets firm global contract

Henrik Arlund (left) and Roland Leemans, co-owners of ReserveGroup. Photo / John Borren

Tauranga's ReserveGroup has scored a major coup in winning the contract from fast-growing Swiss-Belhotel International to deliver its new global website, which launched this month.

ReserveGroup co-founder and co-chief executive Henrik Arlun said the website - delivered through its in-house-developed evoSuite software - made it easier and faster for guests to book online while helping the business improve its digital marketing and operational efficiency.

Swiss-Belhotel International has its corporate head office in Hong Kong, with global sales and marketing based out of Jakarta, Indonesia, but is led by major shareholder and Auckland rich-lister Gavin Faull.

The group has expanded rapidly throughout Asia and the Middle East and says it plans to triple its property portfolio to more than 150 hotels by 2017.

"The challenge for them was they were growing fast," Mr Arlun told the Bay of Plenty Times. "We've given them a tool where, when they acquire a new hotel, they can add a website, get it up quickly on their main website, and also create a mini website for the hotel."

Steve Woods, Swiss-Belhotel's group director, ecommerce business development, said ReserveGroup was picked over 10 other global vendors because of its leading-edge marketing tool evoSuite, in-depth knowledge of the hospitality industry, and proven track record in developing innovative results-driven websites for tourism businesses worldwide.

Mr Woods said the company worked with ReserveGroup to create key deliverables including increasing online booking conversion, reducing bounce rate, promoting website direct bookings and introducing the ability to cross-use content between the main company website and property microsites.

The hotel group also wanted to ensure the website looked good on all devices such as PCs, tablets and mobiles, and add Google maps functionality.

"The results have been beyond our expectations," he said.

Key results had included reducing the bounce rate from 62 per cent to 19 per cent, compared to an average industry bounce rate of 40 per cent, and increasing daily page views by 92 per cent.

"Online revenue in the first two weeks of the launch increased by 41 per cent and conversion by 29 per cent," said Mr Woods.

"We now have a clean, simple and attractive responsive design. Even with the new site launched we are working together to add new features and functionality to improve on what we have."

ReserveGroup co-founder and co-chief executive Roland Leemans said he and Mr Arlun first met in the Cook Islands more than a decade ago while working in tourism.

"We both wanted an online bookings engine and some more sophisticated functionality for our companies' websites, and it didn't exist then," he said. "So we decided to move to New Zealand and start our own business.

"Our evoSuite product is something unique that has been developed here in Tauranga."