MARKET NEWS

Radisson expands its real-time instant online booking platform

Radisson Hotel Group continues its strategic digital transformation with the expansion of its innovative real-time, self-service online booking platform for meetings and events. Book It Easy is now available across all key conference hotels in EMEA. This best-in-class digital solution allows meeting and event organisers to save hours of precious time when planning for a meeting and booking a venue by making the process faster and more efficient.

In response to the rapidly changing meetings and events landscape for which meeting organisers need to book meetings and events ever more swiftly, Radisson Hotel Group’s Book It Easy platform allows planners to organise events seamlessly by simplifying the venue sourcing and booking process online. Planners can simply enter their event details, check real-time availability of meeting spaces, view the room options with ground-breaking 360 technology, book their preferred venue, and receive instant booking confirmation.

Book It Easy key functionalities include:

• 24/7 real-time availability of meeting spaces

• 360-degree views of rooms

• Best available rate guaranteed, and transparent pricing

• Custom-made packages, including AV equipment or additional amenities

• Easy and secure online payment

“We are incredibly proud to have launched our Book It Easy tool successfully across key hotels in our EMEA portfolio over the past 12 months. Radisson Hotel Group has a strong reputation for delivering world-class meetings and events facilities, and we are now making the booking process even easier. We conducted extensive research with our valued meetings and events partners to create this new platform and to ensure it includes all of the technology and information required for a seamless, real value, and real time experience,” says Chema Basterrechea, Global President and Chief Operations Officer at Radisson Hotel Group.

Radisson Hotel Group has developed the Book It Easy platform in partnership with EY. The tool is fully compatible with the Group’s unified technology platform, to allow for real-time availability and transparent pricing based on event requirements throughout the booking process. Built with a microservices architecture, the tool provides a swift and seamless user experience and scalability, backed by rigorous privacy and security testing.

Looking at the MICE industry in South Africa, Sandra Kneubuhler, country director of sales and district director, South Africa at Radisson Hotel Group said: “We have been seeing wonderful progress post pandemic; for instance, the international MICE business returning in the form of incentives, conferences and associations. Immediately post Covid, the lead time was as short as a week and we are now seeing an increase and return to longer lead times, which is now up to 12 months for international bookings. There is an evident, growing trend to make MICE more experiential and centred around local experiences. We are thrilled to launch the Book It Easy tool in South Africa, making it that much easier to book a meeting or event at our hotels.”

The Book It Easy platform is the latest offering from Radisson Meetings which promises the same personal, professional and memorable experience. Radisson Meetings provides tailored solutions for any event or meeting, including hybrid solutions, placing guests and their needs at the heart of its offer. Radisson Hotel Group’s world-leading 100% Carbon Neutral Meetings offering automatically offsets the carbon footprint of every single meeting and event taking place at any of the Group’s hotels worldwide, at no cost to organisers. In partnership with First Climate, one of the world’s largest carbon offset organisations, and through projects that help reduce emissions and have a positive social impact, Radisson Meetings strives for environmental best practice.