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Project Overview
Venere, an Expedia Inc. company, is a global online travel agency specialising exclusively in hotel reservations. The Venere apps are the ideal travel companion for travellers that book their stay on the go, allowing you to search, explore and book a hotel or bed & breakfast anytime, anywhere.
The apps integrate with Venere’s proprietary booking system, and allow users to find and book the perfect hotel in one of eight different languages. The user can make a reservation without advance payment and has real-time access to all information about the hotels they select.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Compsoft have been specialising in mobile since 2009, having designed and developed web-based applications for many years prior. Compsoft combine stunning interface design with cutting edge development to deliver the best possible app for each customer. Our thirty-strong team lives and breathes mobile - we love nothing more than to apply our passion, creativity, skill and experience to each client’s individual requirement.
Compsoft worked closely with Venere’s programme management, design and back-end systems development teams on the Venere mobile apps project.
Project Brief
Venere's business model is based on pure intermediation between the guest and the hotelier; the hotel owner has full control over availability, rates and payments. Venere identified a requirement to develop native mobile apps in order to build on the success of its mobile optimized website and provide the following additional benefits:
• Improve the conversion rate compared to Venere’s mobile web offering
• Increase the average spend per purchase compared to the mobile web
• To specifically target late bookers - users booking within 24 or 48 hours of check-in
Compsoft was introduced to Venere by Hotels.com, another member of the Expedia group, with whom Compsoft has worked extensively. Venere’s requirement was to develop bespoke, native iPhone and Android apps, along with a Content Management System and middleware component to integrate the apps with Venere’s proprietary booking system, XHI.
The apps allow the user to:
• Access thousands of hotel deals and offers
• Sort hotels based on current location or use a map to find the perfect location
• Book while on the move using the mobile friendly checkout
• Get direct & easy access to Venere’s 24/7 assistance service
• Access everything they need to check-in on arrival, whether on or offline
Project Need
The Venere apps integrate with Venere’s proprietary booking system for real time access to rates and availability; Venere gives the hotel owner full control over availability, rates and payments.
Each of the 135,000 hotels in the system has multiple data sources, for instance pricing and availability, catalogue information, and guest reviews. Innovative use was made of algorithms to rationalise requests, and to quickly collate and transmit relevant data in the correct language and currency for display in the apps. This gives the user access to the key benefits of Venere’s service without sacrificing performance.
Other differentiators of Venere’s apps include:
• Mobile only deals which target the needs of mobile users (such as a shorter booking window)
• Location based search – the ability to use current location to book a hotel on the go
• Innovative UX – features such as full page image galleries make booking a pleasure
• Localization - the app supports eight different languages as well as multiple currencies
User Experience
The UX for the apps has to cater both for users booking in a hurry, and those who want to explore comprehensive hotel information. It was therefore essential that the user be given access to information without being bombarded with it unnecessarily. Venere has a loyal customer base, and is strong across diverse demographics, for instance business travellers and senior citizens. It was therefore key for the design to be warm and comforting, with easy navigation and obvious, but not pushy, calls to action.
The apps use native iOS and Android controls, animations and themes to give the user a familiar and responsive experience. Furthermore language, currency etc. are automatically set, but can be changed if required.
Users begin with a simple screen where they enter key details of their stay including dates and location (including an option to use current location). The user can sort and filter results; hotel results and detail screens are designed to enable at-a-glance assessment while providing easy access to more detailed information like full page image galleries. The user is efficiently guided through the selection process to the booking area - the app monitors the device’s data connection and provides the option to phone Venere when booking via the app is restricted by network availability.
The app flow was designed by Venere’s UX team in consultation with Compsoft’s mobile experts. Venere created draft wireframes which were reviewed by Compsoft and refined before being passed to the graphic design team.
Project Marketing
Venere’s marketing emphasizes features such as localization, location based search and full page image galleries that differentiate their
apps and make them a joy to use.
To make the experience even more rewarding the apps support special mobile only deals that are tailored to the needs of mobile phone users. For instance, mobile deals are at their best for a shorter booking window; this means that mobile bookers, who more often tend to look for hotels in the same day or the next, will find mobile exclusive offers of up to 50% off.
In the near future mobile deals will be joined by app-only coupons which will be offered to select audiences and can only be redeemed by app users, in some cases only for their first app booking.
Venere’s strategy for marketing the apps includes:
• Marketing on the Venere website explaining the advantages of booking via mobile
• A special mobile app landing page
• Mobile mailings
• Features in the Venere newsletter
• Flip banners on the mobile website
• A full page layover on the mobile website (soon to go live)
Venere are also adding messages to all their booking confirmations that inform customers of the benefits of the apps. Last but not least, to grow the App’s ranking in the stores, Venere are using a variety of methods including App Store Optimization.
Project Privacy
The apps utilise authenticated, encrypted communication with the Venere back-end system, which receives a user’s search request then collates and returns the required data. Likewise, on booking, users’ personal and financial information is encrypted and relayed to Venere’s secure payment gateway.
The app features a secure Reservations area - the user must login in with their Venere username and password to see and manage all their Venere bookings. Booking changes (e.g. cancellations) also require password re-entry before the change is submitted.
Travel & Tourism
This category relates to applications dedicated to travel and tourism services and information.
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