"Travel 6.0" ?

*** UDPATED - Scroll Down for Updates***

Henry Harteveldt of Forrester Research kicked off the first Keynote address this morning at ResExpo / Travelcom. We love Henry since we find that he actually goes on record with predictions regarding where the distribution industry is going without hedging, and most of his conclusions are based on actual data his company has collected.

So his big thing this year was that the next wave of travel ("Travel 6.0" as he has coined it – Travel 5.0 centered around search, Meta-Searches, and web-based communities) will focus on the digital media for the next 18-24 months. The goal is to "Humanize the digital experience" which includes "Interactions where human benefits are more visible than the technology".

We're not 100% sure what that means yet, but it screams of management consulting speak so look for it in future .PPT's you view soon soon.

Some random facts of note that he threw out:

- 4% of travelers have engaged in a Customer Service realtime chat session.

We think this is a great solution because it solves several problems at once. We consistently hear that people "just feel better" talking to a real person – this solution gives that feeling in a low cost manner. (Over 60% of people that used Starwood's chat support completed a booking). In addition, one service representative can engage several people at the same time providing some cost savings. It seems that any travel supplier would love this system rather than having that traveler pick up the phone for the call center. However, this is probably much easier for hotels, and will be a long time coming before we see it in major airlines.


- The average business traveler has 6.4 digital devices while traveling.

We guess having 6.4 devices makes it easier to leave your 2.5 kids…

My Goodness – MORE than 6 devices?? We personally travel with a laptop, I-pod and cell phone. Oh, our laptop has a DVD – so maybe that's 4? A separate PDA if your cell phone isn't up to the task? A digital alarm clock? Digital razor? Shoe phone? USB Toaster? We're struggling with the 6+ and not sure we buy this one.

*** UPDATE*** Henry Clarifies Via Email*****

I would like to correct one comment.

Travelers don't travel with 6.4 consumer electronic devices, they own 6.4 CE devices. These are travel-relevant devices, which include both stationary items like desktop computers or HDTV sets, as well as portable devices such as laptops and MP3 players.

What makes the fixed-positon devices relevant? They affect how travel firms market thier brands or products, and how travelers see, view, or interact with your messages (or, in the case of devices such as DVRs or MP3 players, have the ability to shield themselves from unwanted marketing
messages).

I hope this helps clear up any potential misunderstanding, and apologize for any inconvenience.

Thanks again - Henry

First - we appreciate the feedback and love the fact that Henry actually read this. Second, the apology should come from us. We looked at the slides again and FMV reported the facts wrong in our haste to get a post in as quick as possible. It does indeed say "OWN" the devices. Serves us right for second guessing Henry. Third - we now shift the other way and say how is it only 6?? FMV has 5 HDTV's between the two of us !!

We still love the concept of the USB Toaster though - "For toast on the go !!"

- 14% of travelers have changed a reservation online.

We're not 100% sure if this is for hotel, car, air or all three.

That's pretty significant if this statistic is for just air – especially given the amount of agent's time this takes up. Agents have to pull up the original reservation, search for the new schedule, wade through all of the rules manually, calculate the new price, add any applicable fees, charges and taxes. It's completely prone to error and takes a ton of call center time (we're hearing up to 20 minutes on average for airlines). It's easy to see that getting the right online experience can be really huge for an airline.


OK – we're off to the craps tables to see if our run of luck can continue. Last night saw a string of three great rollers go on a tear of hitting their points – and we're hoping a run of hardways shows up because one of us can't stop making that bet !!