LaaSie is featured in Travel Tripper’s article, “How can we get Millennials to book direct?”

Millennials travel more than any other demographic. On average, they take 35 days of vacation each year, and they’re also bucking the trend by increasing their annual travel spend as other generations intend to be more conservative with their cash. 

As it turns out, OTAs are the ones benefiting the most from this lucrative market segment: studies show that over half of Millennials book through OTAs. That means hotels are losing out on a big chunk of potential direct booking revenue.

Adding to the challenge, Millennials are also generally averse to traditional loyalty programs, making it harder to retain their business once won.

But it’s important to bear in mind that 31% of them still book through a hotel website. It’s not that Millennials are particularly loyal to OTAs, rather they are most driven by convenience. So how can your hotel website work harder to ensure you capture a piece of this direct business?

In the post, Travel Tripper dives into this topic by outlining the specific ways Millennials research, browse and book their trips. They also offer a series of strategies you can use to implement this knowledge and get ahead of the competition.

One of their points is to make deals easy to see (and compare). They recommend that if a hotel’s rates are in parity with OTAs, to try to sweeten the deal by offering rewards for booking direct. Companies like LaaSie allow hotels to add instant rewards to their booking engine, which can dramatically improve conversion rates and booking revenue.

Read the full article here.

LaaSie, the company that rewards direct bookings and loyalty the right way for hotels through instant gratification and A.I., is proud to be selected as the Most Innovative Startup at HITEC Pitch Competition - Insights

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP¨) held its third Entrepreneur 20X pitch competition during its 2017 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) in Toronto, Canada on June 26.

Thirteen companies pitched their products. After deliberating, the five-member panel of judges selected LaaSie as the most innovative startup. The three hour pitch competition took place on Monday, June 26, 2017. After the competition, LaaSie was awarded with a US$5,000 check and the Judge’s Choice trophy.

“Participating in a pitch among such talented companies was a thrilling experience in and of itself, and being awarded the Judge’s Choice is such an honor,” said Jen Wong, Founder & CEO of LaaSie. “It confirms that our mission is meaningful for our clients and their business goals. We look forward to continuing to invest in our tech and delivering even more value for our hotel partners.”

LaaSie’s mission is to rewards direct bookings and loyalty the right way for hotels through instant gratification and A.I. LaaSie drives guests to book direct by offering relevant, immediate, and personalized rewards. The Smart Engine delivers the right incentive to the right user at the right moment. A traveler can receive a flight credit from their preferred airline while enjoying VIP access and complimentary cocktails at their favorite restaurant in town. To date, LaaSie has incentivized over $300 million in direct bookings.

In addition, LaaSie’s technology powers loyalty in a more relevant way for today’s consumers. Loyalty as a Service redefines how to engage and retain guests: No points. Just instantly gratifying rewards and a personal relationship with your guests.

Current hotel partners include Aqua-Aston Hospitality, Highgate Hotels, and Menin Hospitality. LaaSie was recently awarded the #1 Direct Booking Engine for 2019 by HotelTechAwards and won the Most Innovative - Judge's Choice Award at HITEC 2017.