By all accounts the hotel industry
today is witnessing a period of sustained growth amid the efflorescence of
travel industry technologies and options for consumers, with positive
indicators up across the board that range from baseline metrics such as
occupancy, to the average daily rate, and revenue per available room. The
outlook through this May for the top 25 North American markets looks to be up
by around 2.5 percent when it comes to committed occupancy (based on group
commitments and individual reservations) compared to the same period in the
previous year, according to TravelClick, the well-known revenue generating
solutions provider that helps hotels navigate the chaotic sea of online
reservations.
The success of sharing
economy-centric players such as Airbnb, which surpassed rival HomeAway last
year to have the biggest roster of vacation rental listings at over 1.2
million, has prompted many within the travel industry to predict an inevitable
intersection with traditional markets, from brick and mortar-focused big boys
like Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN), to tech-driven consumer facilitators like
Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE), Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN) and Tripadvisor (NASDAQ:
TRIP), or even new entrants like peer-to-peer marketplace innovators such as
FlexWeek (OTC: FXWK), which has developed a unique platform to harness the
underserved timeshare segment that allows timeshare owners to discover, book
and offer unused vacation time directly to the public or other owners. A
handful of companies today are truly poised to exploit the sharing economy
sea-change and the impact of the growing alternative lodging segment, but the
potential rewards for those who do are substantial to say the least.
Little surprise then that Monaker
Group (OTCQB: MKGI), the established travel industry player with over six
decades in operational leisure travel and a family of diverse industry-enabling
companies under its belt, today announced plans to add CustomTravelClubs.com as
a preferred distributor for its growing portfolio of travel products. This is a
smart move for Monaker, which has built up quite a presence in the alternative
lodging segment and continues to be recognized as a trailblazer in such areas
as land and tour escorted vacation packages thanks to its Maupintour brand,
which gained worldwide esteem back in the late 50’s as the first company to
arrange tourism into the Soviet Union after World War II. CustomTravelClubs.com
actually approached Monaker on behalf of its members in order to obtain access
to the company’s sizable inventory of alternative lodging, escorted tours and
other products, and with Maupintour, in particular, enjoying the highest repeat
rate in the industry among travelers, this synergistic marriage is clearly a
match made in heaven for both MKGI and CustomTravelClubs.com.
Monaker is something of a
developing juggernaut within the industry, with companies such as its flagship
NextTrip.com, which developed one of the industry’s first booking engines to
feature alternative lodging alongside a comprehensive list spanning airlines,
cruises, hotels, rental cars, tours, and concierge services, as well as
Monaker’s travel, home and lifestyle products/services private savings club,
known as Home & Away Club. Monaker also offers Voyage TV, which boasts an
incredible library consisting of thousands of hours of travel footage from over
30 countries across the globe. Another major component is Monaker’s RealBiz Media
Group, a sophisticated digital media and marketing company focused on the real
estate industry, which has over twenty imaging technology-centric patents for
real estate platforms and an exclusive agreement with Realtor.com, as well as a
preferred supplier arrangement with Realogy (NYSE: RLGY) for virtual tours.
Chairman and CEO of MKGI Bill Kerby
couldn’t contain his excitement at the prospect of sharing the company’s
mounting inventory with CustomTravelClubs.com, which he praised as a highly
unique travel club provider within the industry before going on to tout its
founder, Mike Putman, on account of his success in building up numerous large
and successful travel companies. Kerby was quite pleased to be on-board for
Putman’s latest expedition and anticipates not only mutual user base growth as
a result of the deal, but significantly beneficial business opportunities for
MKGI in the long run as well.
With over a century of combined
travel industry experience behind it, CustomTravelClubs.com is poised to become
a major fixture of the evolving travel industry landscape, acting as a one-stop
shop for travel club platforms and solutions. CustomTravelClubs.com employs a
highly tailored approach when it comes to providing travel benefits to its
members, such as discounts and assistance on everything from cruises and hotels
to event tickets. Facts which subsequently make CustomTravelClubs.com an ideal
partner for Monaker moving forward, especially when it comes to gobbling up
market share in the rapidly-emerging $100 billion-plus alternative lodging
segment, which is on track to hit upwards of $169 billion within the next three
years alone, according to a new report published by Research and Markets.
Take a closer look, visit www.monakergroup.com
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MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
