Frequently Asked Questions

About Get2Hawaii in General

What is Get2Hawaii?

§         Get2Hawaii is a business-to-business, application service provider (ASP) that has developed a suite of web-based software applications that offers travel resellers such as agents, group planners, wholesalers, and travel-related portals, unprecedented access to a comprehensive network of travel inventory in order to facilitate cost-efficiencies along the entire travel distribution chain from supplier to end-customer.

What is the problem the Get2Hawaii solution addresses?

§         Travel providers lose millions of dollars in revenue every day because of the highly perishable nature of their inventory, and the inefficiencies in the travel inventory distribution channel.  Finally, the individual consumers and corporate customers are the big losers, missing out on the opportunities to benefit from flexible pricing options and available fare inventory commensurate with their financial and scheduling needs.

How does the Get2Hawaii solution specifically address this problem?

§         The Get2Hawaii solution addresses the problem primarily by providing an online solution that allows every travel vendor along the distribution chain to tap into a network of databases that offers a breadth and depth of real-time travel inventory that can be passed on to their end customers in the form of packaged travel and best value pricing.  By leveling the playing field across the value chain, the Get2Hawaii solution not only mitigates the shrinking margins that have become pervasive in the travel industry but also provides a way to scale and grow their business using the Internet to automate processes like customer service, 24/7/365 features, etc.

About the Product Offering, Technology and Launch Strategy

What is an Application Service Provider?

§         An application service provider publishes software that is typically developed for use over the Internet. Most often, the ASP hosts the application for its clients.  ASPs continually upgrade their applications to offer clients more robust features and functionality, and because the delivery platform is Web-based, there are no implementation and compatibility issues with legacy systems.  Furthermore, the ASP can leverage the cost of development over many clients who have similar needs for the application. Thus, companies opt to use ASPs over developing their own proprietary applications because it allows them to focus on their core business, leaving application development in the expert hands of the ASP.  This way they benefit from the nearly immediate ROI and cost efficiencies gained from a faster time to market and the resulting competitive edge.

Does Get2Hawaii’s solution include proprietary technology?

§         Yes, at the core of the Get2Hawaii offering is a proprietary online booking engine that provides travel resellers with real-time access to an unprecedented inventory of hotel rooms, flights, car rentals, and attractions in order to create travel packages on the fly, for solo travelers to group travelers.  Other components of the “patent-pending” technology include automated customer-service features that enable travel web sites to easily and efficiently scale their businesses, requiring no investments in technology infrastructure or staff.

When did Get2Hawaii launch Version 1.0 of its application?

§         Get2Hawaii’s launched a commercial version of the application (1.0) in August 2001.  Version 2.0, which will offer expanded functionality, will be released in November 2001.

Is part of the Get2Hawaii solution an exchange?

§         Get2Hawaii is an application suite that is delivered over the Web to a network of travel resellers.  Exchanges or marketplaces typically are conduits bringing together buyers and sellers, and operate as intermediaries, taking commission or transactions fees as a result of brokering the relationship. While Get2Hawaii’s software solution allows travel suppliers, retailers and planners to interact more efficiently by providing real-time access to a comprehensive inventory of travel in order to increase revenues and profits, it’s not an online marketplace for finding and buying travel services.

About the Market: Core Targets, Market Size, Competition

Who are Get2Hawaii’s target customers?

§         The Get2Hawaii solution is designed for travel suppliers and resellers in the travel distribution chain who would benefit from a Web-based application that derives efficiencies in order to grow revenue, reduce operating costs, optimize margins, increase profits and automate customer service.  In addition to the traditional travel reseller channels, the Get2Hawaii solution also benefits and offers a significant value proposition for travel portals and content sites focusing on travel.

Does Get2Hawaii have an offering for consumers looking for travel packages?

§         No, Get2Hawaii’s Web-based software application is designed for the needs of travel suppliers, travel resellers and group and event planners. While Get2Hawaii’s solution for travel retailers and travel portals includes a “consumer-facing” package travel system that enables travel retail and portal customers to “build their own” packages, Get2Hawaii as a brand and company will be invisible to consumers. 

How do travel exchanges such as Expedia, Travelocity, and Hotwire differ from Get2Hawaii?

§         On a number of different levels: First, those sites were designed to sell travel services to consumers over the Internet. Thus their travel inventory is extremely broad, providing a horizontal offering across myriad destinations worldwide. Get2Hawaii’s unique proposition is its deep, vertical offering of only Hawaii-based travel, providing its travel resellers with a comprehensive and unprecedented inventory of travel services.

§         Get2Hawaii’s focus is on the business-to-business market and will not be a destination site where consumers go to purchase travel online. 

§         Its success will come from offering access to its technology to an extensive network of retail travel planners who will use Get2Hawaii for their existing customers and to attract new customers to their sites by offering package pricing which is generally more attractively-priced than buying travel a la carte.  

§         Additionally, these sites do not offer functionality or features which allow consumers to “design” their own custom travel packages “on the fly” which travel retailers who use the Get2Hawaii solution will be able to offer customers.

Can consumer travel exchanges such as Expedia, Travelocity, and Hotwire use the Get2Hawaii solution?

§         Yes.  By deploying the Get2Hawaii solution and enabling their customers to build their own travel packages, they would be able to offer their customers a significant feature: a depth of inventory they currently don’t have access to and travel packages at a very attractive price.

Does Get2Hawaii have any competitors?

§         There are few companies who are directly competitive with Get2Hawaii’s solution.  The closest competitors are online travel sites that offer prepackaged or slightly customizable packages and have as part of their offering a Web-based application to maximize inventory management for the highest yields.

About Get2Hawaii’s Business Strategy and Revenue Models

What is Get2Hawaii’s business model?

§         Get2Hawaii’s business model resembles both traditional software models and ecommerce transaction models to ensure that its pricing/fee structure is flexible, yet viable and scales to the revenue and profitability goals of its various customers in the travel distribution chain.

How does Get2Hawaii generate revenue?

§         Get2Hawaii’s revenue stream is a revenue-share model with its partners. As implementation of the Get2Hawaii application extends across the various channels in the travel market, a number of revenue streams have emerged, from syndication models to affiliate programs to one-to-one marketing programs based on customer profiles.

About Get2Hawaii’s Marketing Strategy

What will Get2Hawaii do to ensure its success at a time when Web-based businesses are overtly challenged by the current economy?

§         Get2Hawaii has leveraged its key partnerships with Panda and others to establish and validate its online solution for the travel industry which is the fastest growing ecommerce sector and a standout among the shakeout of ebusinesses.  Focused on building a sustainable revenue model, Get2Hawaii is also leveraging its deep and extensive knowledge of the travel market and distribution processes in order to offer better service and competitive pricing scenarios.  By maintaining an open and on-going dialogue with its core travel partners as the Get2Hawaii application suite evolves, Get2Hawaii ensures that it is building features and functionality that drives revenues and increases profit margins. This suite of applications, delivered on-time and with an easy, intuitive user interface and rich feature set backed by reliable, timely customer support, provides a much-needed solution that currently does not exist for its core customer base.

How does Get2Hawaii market itself?

§         Marketing of the Get2Hawaii offering to travel resellers, suppliers and event planners is done primarily through direct sales. Calling on the credibility and relationships of existing and future partners in order to open doors and provide introductions is key to the direct sales process.  Additionally, Get2Hawaii uses traditional marketing tools such as attendance at trade expositions and industry events, professional association meetings and conferences, public relations and advertising programs utilizing the trade journals and publications, as well as Web sites that target Get2Hawaii’s core prospects.

About Get2Hawaii’s Value Proposition for Travel Suppliers, Retailers, Planners

Why should group planners and travel agents use the Get2Hawaii solution?

§         Get2Hawaii provides another sales channel from which to buy and sell travel inventory that is as simple as accessing the Internet: a veritable “plug-n-play” solution that instantly updates their business model with an e-commerce offering — All at no cost to them: There’s only upside, with no risk on their part.

§         Get2Hawaii lowers their transaction costs and allows them to expand their service offering requiring no investment in infrastructure, staffing, or technology.  Using the Get2Hawaii solution, they can grow their business, increase revenues and profits, easily and quickly, realizing an almost immediate ROI. 

§         Planners additionally benefit from being perceived by their customers as progressive, offering state-of-the-art, robust online capabilities, which complements the upscale travel customer demographics.

§         Providing this breadth and depth of access to airline seats, hotel rooms and car rentals enables travel planners to dramatically enhance their customer service: “one-stop” shopping for comprehensive travel needs;  24/7/365 availability; a user friendly interface for searchable travel information; access to lower prices through package travel options and wholesale prices; and instant confirmations.

What are the benefits of the Get2Hawaii solution for wholesalers and travel suppliers?

§         Similarly the Get2Hawaii solution for travel providers also lowers their distribution costs and gives them the option to bypass GDS and CRS without jeopardizing inventory access, or channel relationships. It also enhances or creates a full-service online presence for travel providers who only marketed a single service, e.g. airline sites, can now offer hotel rooms and car rentals.

§         The core business benefits include simple, real-time management of travel inventory in order to mitigate the effects of previously highly perishable inventory.  With Get2Hawaii they have the potential—because of the technology—to react quickly to excess inventory and increase load factors, occupancy rates, receiving maximum yields from every room, airline seat and car.  Facing a decision to “build their own solution” versus “buy” a robust, scalable and versatile application becomes self-evident, especially with a well-connected partner such as Get2Hawaii.  Finally, because of the symbiotic relationship the Get2Hawaii solution engenders, travel providers by virtue of their use of the Get2Hawaii application will have access to new customers bases, e.g. airlines will benefit from inclusion in a hotel web site travel inventory and packaging capabilities.

About Get2Hawaii’s Partners, including Panda Travel

What is Get2Hawaii’s relationship with Panda Travel?

§         Panda Travel recognized the need for an online solution in order to create efficiencies in the travel channel and thus provided the start-up financing for Get2Hawaii to build one. In exchange, Get2Hawaii will provide Panda Travel with the tools they need to allow their travel resellers to access their inventory more efficiently. As Get2Hawaii’s first customer, Panda Travel will also be the first beneficiary of the solution. However, Get2Hawaii is a standalone company and will also conduct business with wholesale competitors who may compete with Panda, as well as other travel suppliers and resellers who do not have a relationship with Panda.

How will Get2Hawaii leverage its Panda Travel affiliation?

§         The affiliation with Panda Travel imbued Get2Hawaii with immediate credibility, and provided access and introductions for Get2Hawaii’s business development efforts. Having a relationship with such a reputable and seasoned veteran in the travel industry dramatically increases Get2Hawaii’s odds for success and allows them to focus on product development rather than establishing credentials and relationships simultaneously.

§         By providing their years of experience to the product development process, Panda ensured that Get2Hawaii built the tools necessary for them to effectively fulfill their commitments to their customer base and delivering other features as well, such as real time booking, instant confirmations which will result in cost savings and greater profit.

§         Finally, Panda is a huge company with a complex set of vendor relationships and discreet processes throughout the distribution chain, if Get2Hawaii crafts its solution to address their needs, they can be confident that they will fulfill other customers’ expectations.

Does Get2Hawaii have any travel partners signed yet?

§         In addition to Panda Travel, Get2Hawaii has signed agreements with Hawaiian Airlines, and will be making announcements in the near future.

Does Get2Hawaii offer an affiliate program through its B2B customers?

§         Travel suppliers and wholesalers that use the Get2Hawaii application can also pass on transaction benefits to their affiliates, entitling them to a commission on any revenue generated.  By using the Get2Hawaii application, travel suppliers and wholesalers have the tools necessary to calculate these commissions, further streamlining the program. Finally, the Get2Hawaii solution also enables Websites with travel content to offer travel booking through their sites at no cost but with the upside of a commission on all transactions that occur as a result of the Get2Hawaii affiliation.