The co-founder of online travel booking website Reservations.com is someone who cares a great deal about making sure his customers get real value from his service. This is what has made him such a loud voice in the industry, raising standards that people expect from this kind of website.
Yatin took some time from his busy schedule to answer a few questions on his approach to his business.
What was the main reason to create the website?
The main reason that we endeavored to create Reservations.com was that we were shocked and disappointed by how inadequate most other online booking sites were. They had little to no way to gauge if you were getting a good deal and had next to nothing in the way of effective customer service.
My co-founder and I knew we could create something better, and thus Reservations.com was born. We know that the customer experience is one of the most important elements of a website like ours because some people can find booking hotels for their holiday confusing/difficult.
What goals or milestones have you achieved that gives you the most pride?
Certainly, for me, the fact that we have managed to help with over 2.5 million bookings via our website is a clear sign we have made a positive impact, which is what we set out to do. I’m also proud of the fact that we were able to succeed despite having a lot of pressure on us in the early months and years.
In what ways does the website influence the online travel booking industry?
I believe that Reservations.com sets a clear positive example of how this kind of service should be operated and maintained. Providers need to start with a sincere vision for how they are actually going to assist people and what kind of value they provide.
Your competition differs from you in what major ways?
Most importantly, I feel as though we differ from our competitors in that we have a sincere mission to provide value to our customers. This is evident in how much work we have put into creating an approachable and effective customer service team.
Are there any early challenges you can tell us about?
Certainly. The biggest early challenge was not having any big investor bankrolling the site as it meant we did not have the resources to do a big initial push but had to build our site from scratch and slowly generate traction.
Lastly, do you have any tips for travelers?
Holidays are expensive so saving money is important, just make sure you don’t cut too many corners that you come home feeling unsatisfied from the experience!