Press Release Ezibed.com
7 November 2008
Waipukurau based last minute accommodation website Ezibed.com (www.ezibed.com) was last night announced the winner of the Online Innovation category of the Westpac Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.
The company that was founded in late 2003 has become a leading online accommodation booking website within New Zealand, recently expanding into Australia, Pacific Islands, USA and Canada. With over 2000 registered accommodation providers, & over 50,000 visitors per month looking for accommodation deals, the company's growth has been rapid.
Ezibed.com has this year launched a number of new innovative customer focused solutions that has separated it from its local & international competitors.
Users of the website can reach customer support through a live 'instant message'
interface allowing customers to communicate with the company without having to physically phone or e-mail for support, thus saving time. The company also launched a free text message booking confirmation service to assist travelers who either cannot print their booking confirmations due to being in transit or who don't have access to a printer.
Both features were a New Zealand first for an online accommodation booking website.
With customer service a core focus for the company when trying to compete in a very competitive travel market, Managing Director Gareth Pearce says that the company is committed to keeping up with technological & consumer trends & being awarded the winner of the Online Innovation category is proof that the company is on the right track.
"We continue to build up our brand awareness within New Zealand, and we are trying to communicate to New Zealander's that that they no longer need to go searching in the Yellow Pages or to make many phone calls to look for the best accommodation deal. If we can provide a fast easy to use website that consolidates all the accommodation on one page in an easy to view format and the website has a human touch to it then we will retain our customers and our customers will then be our marketers. We've already got over 30,000 sales reps out there" says Pearce.
Pearce says that understanding what their users want is critical to the ongoing success of the website.
"Our customers want to pay rates on accommodation that are dictated by the accommodation provider's occupancy. If it's a busy weekend or there is an event on and accommodation is at a premium they know that they might not receive a good deal but outside of those periods our listed accommodation providers and keen to provide to customers a great deal on their stay with sometimes up to 80% off full rate. We have 2000 supportive accommodation providers that appreciate that we provide a virtual marketplace for them to be seen", says Pearce.
Ezibed.com is a New Zealand owned company, competing in a highly competitive environment with large international travel websites. The company has plans to extend into Asian countries before mid 2009 expanding from providing deals in
8 countries to possibly 15.
