Rebecca Brett, retail director for Europe at Bedsonline, remains bullish that the platform (and wider HBX Group) is "readied... [for] the rate and pace of change" hitting travel at WTM 2024
Inspiring agency
Earlier this year, speaking to Travel Bulletin, general manager of retail travel agencies Bertrand Sava noted that 5.6 billion searches are processed every day via HBX Group platforms. For comparison, Google processes around 8.5 billion searches a day.
Those searches are translating into valuable opportunities; Rebecca revealed that 2024 has seen around 20% increased demand against 2023 so far. "It is really encouraging to see that agents have responded so well [to increased demand]... long may that continue into 2025."
Utilising HBX platforms and its data not only represents an opportunity to partake in valuable discussions around sustainability and trends but, Rebecca believes, leaves agents in a better position to deal with potentially unexpected changes of tides in travel.
"We have been, and will continue to be, very good at making sure that our business is readied for change. To be able to leverage change, pivot to trends or behaviours. We are able to change and do what we can to support agents."
With great power comes great responsibility
One such change which remains almost inescapable in discussions around the industry's future is sustainability. HBX Group is not one to sway from responsibility when it comes to climate-friendly choices; Rebecca's appearance at WTM extended to participation in a keynote, Embracing a Circular Economy Addresses Climate Change in association with the Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council. Noting HBX Group's role in working with over a quarter of a million hotels and over 50,000 agents worldwide, Rebecca explained, "We have a very significant position... we take that very seriously."
That responsibility manifests itself in multiple ways. A recently launched sustainability hub allows accommodation partners (largely geared towards small- to medium-sized properties that lack the resources for traditionally in-depth sustainable certifications) to measure current progress on key and measurable areas of sustainability, which HBX Group believes delivers a positive return on investment economically and sustainably.
"We want to make sure that we are speaking the same language as our partners, from an internal business perspective and to those clients, too."
That approach extends to the agents working with Bedsonline and the wider HBX Group, which encompasses Hotelbeds and Roiback. "Sometimes [agents] don't have any concerns around sustainability, and those are always the more worrying instances.
"We have got around 40,000 hotels that are certified sustainable in our portfolio, but sometimes agents' clients aren't necessarily communicating that as a non-negotiable.
"It's about understanding and guiding agents to educate their clients. One of the comments coming out of Tuesday['s panel session] was the impetus to take action, but how do we do that? Who is responsible for that?
"Bigger companies need to set an example for smaller companies; that is what we are here for. To help them along the way, encourage collaboration. All that comes with talking to agents."
WTM 2024 took place at ExCel London from November 5th to 7th, 2024.
