HBX Group is a global B2B TravelTech company present in 170 countries, that owns and operates Hotelbeds, Bedsonline and Roiback. It offers a network of interconnected travel tech products and services to partners such as travel agencies, tour operators, destinations and hotels, as well as businesses aiming to capitalise on the travel market.
The company aims to simplify the complex and fragmented travel industry through a combination of cloud-based technology solutions, curated data and an extensive portfolio of products designed to maximise revenue. TTN’s Publishing Director, Kim Thomson, spoke to Andrew Boocock, Sales Director, MEAPAC of HBX Group, to find out more about the group, its recent transformation and its interest in the Middle East. “Historically, we have been known as Hotelbeds, a destination management company, however, last year we launched the HBX Group brand and are now very much a travel ecosystem player,” he tells us. TRAVEL ECOSYSTEM Its sub-brand Hotelbeds serves as a platform for hotels to connect with various travel agents, tour operators, and online travel agencies. Its retail agency, Bedsonline, provides a web-based portal for retail agents to access a wide range of travel products, including accommodations, transportation, and experiences. Roiback, a technology solution, helps hotels grow their direct business by providing tools for managing bookings, distribution and marketing. Finally, HBX Group also offers a e-commerce platform that enables non-traditional travel companies to sell flights, hotels and packages. “It also allows us to go to partners like airlines and offer them a dynamic packaging solution as part of our technology stack as well.” While the rebranding was a really important exercise for HBX Group over the last 12 months, but one of the other big things the group focused on was re-platforming their technology. “This included moving onto a single API called APitude and migrating our hotel partners to a cloud-based solution called Mitra, which allows them to use the system to update their content and availability. More importantly, it enables us to add different components and technology products to interact with our systems. “We’ve invested heavily in the FinTech space and in B2B2C, adding mobility and experience products. This means that anyone who wants to buy travel products can connect to our systems easily, without needing to connect to multiple providers. We’ve become a single point of contact for our partners,” says Boocock. AGENTS, TRAINING Speaking of partners, people still really rely on travel agents to do their bookings for them, Boocock tells us. “Not just from a safety perspective, which coming out of COVID has been really important, or because of the trust and reliability, but because people don’t necessarily have the time to trawl through lots of different websites, and go through eight or nine different booking platforms to confirm their holiday. People just want to say, all right, I’ve done my research, hand it over, and let the agent book.” Boocock says: “We do a lot of webinars to train agents, particularly around product as well. For example, we do a lot of training around the big Disneyland and Universal Studios, just to explain how the ticketing processes work. We train, obviously, on our own platform, and then where there are agents that have a particular interest in certain destinations, we can run webinars, either with the product directly, or with our sourcing teams as well, where we talk around the type of product mix that we have. “We also communicate through our e-newsletters and through our Insights platform, which is a bespoke travel agency data insights network. Essentially, the agents are able to log on to that platform and see the travel trends that are impacting their region, the types of products that are being booked, so that they’re able to take that information and convert it into their own marketing materials as well.” THE MIDDLE EAST Whether it’s the Middle East or Asia, the focus has always been on growing direct contracting, Boocock says. “That’s always been our bread and butter.” The group also continues to expand its growth in the subsidiary space. “An example is we have recently helped relaunch Saudi’s low-cost carrier Fly Nas’s dynamic packaging and their holiday solutions. This is just one example and there will be more to over the coming months, but I think this is where we see the opportunity.” The region is a hive of travel activity and Boocock points out to the key destinations of interest. Recent visa relaxations have significantly boosted travel demand out of the Middle East, he says. For instance, the UK’s visa-free policy for certain nationalities has led to a surge in bookings from the region for London. Similarly, changes to US visa policy for Qatar citizens allowing them travel to the US for up to 90 days for business or leisure have piqued traveller interest into the US from Qatar. Asia, particularly Japan, has emerged as a top travel destination, driven by social media influence. The Middle East is also witnessing a rise in domestic tourism, with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh making significant strides in attracting visitors. While international travel is recovering, short-haul and regional destinations like Azerbaijan and Georgia are gaining popularity out of the Middle East. “Dubai continues to be a global hub, and Sharm El Sheikh is also attracting attention,” says Boocock.