City moteliers get web savvy

Barry Mabey, Rotorua Association of Motels chairman, says the new online booking site for members will provide a better service. Photo / Ben Fraser

The Rotorua Association of Motels is set to launch its own free booking website to provide a better service and to redirect cash heading to offshore websites.

Third-party booking websites often charge commissions to the motels, as well as the users.

Association chairman Barry Mabey said all 50 member motels would be on the Rotorua Motel Bookings site, which was set to go live in a couple of days.

"It is a completely free site to the customer. A lot of them charge a fee to the customers and charge a fee to the motels so it is a double-edged sword.

"It's basically being funded by some of the attractions to help it happen. It's just to offer a better and more reliable booking service with approved moteliers."

Mr Mabey said it was a common fallacy that you saved money by booking online.

"The big misconception with online booking is that by booking online you are saving money. From a New Zealand point of view the consensus with moteliers is for customers to book directly with motels. Buy directly with the accommodation provider."

A Rotorua motelier said third party booking sites had a monopoly on the online-booking market, and were taking money out of the local economy.

"If they are taking 15 per cent of every booking from every motel, that's hundreds of thousands of dollars."

The man, who did not want to be named, said motels could not afford to boycott third-party sites, or they would lose access to the online, international market.

"If you search in Google "Rotorua" and "motel" we won't come up. They buy the keywords for the motel. They're very smart.

"Without the search engines we can't survive, there is no way they can find you, our own website is lost in that world."

He said the international sites were taking money away from businesses and out of the local economy.

"It's the cream of the business. It's the money that we would have reinvested into the business, or used to employ new people or begin a new venture."

-www.rotoruamotelbookings.co.nz