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CaboSpringBreak.com
Background / Context
CaboSpringBreak.com (CSB) had observed a distinct shift in Spring Break purchasing patterns from past years.
This shift was the result of last minute package options and more customizable search criteria from 3rd
Party providers such as Expedia and Orbitz. CaboSpringBreak.com wanted to provide a solution for their
customers that would allow them to bundle together CaboSpringBreak.com's unique value and party plans with
airfare for the FIT traveler who may not be traveling on the pre-selected dates or cities available to the
group traveler. CaboSpringBreak.com contacted iTravel Solutions to provide a solution which could be easily
integrated into their website and at the same time ease the strain placed on their call center staff from
the FIT traveler.
Problem
Spring Break trips traditionally have been limited to a specific week from each school. CSB would package
airfare from pre-selected cities and combine these negotiated airfares with their dedicated room inventory
to create a package with pre-determined dates. As 3rd Party Online Agencies grew in popularity
CaboSpringBreak.com saw their bookings slow in early months which had traditionally been strong, with a
strong late booking period CSB would lose the strong negotiated airfares which they had as the booking would
fall within the rate release period.
iTravel's Solution
iTS worked with CaboSpringBreak.com to provide a solution which would allow the FIT traveler to search for
the dates and departure city he wanted as well as a last minute booking engine which would allow their land
inventory to be combined with published airfare which does not have booking period restrictions. This
solution would allow CSB to compete directly with the last minute booking ability of Expedia and Orbitz
while still offering their unique value to the student. To accomplish this iTravel Solutions created a
custom landing page for the FIT traveler that allowed them to create their own itinerary that met their
personal needs. This landing page was linked to the current CaboSpringBreak.com booking engine by it's own
special option where the traveler would choose to build his or her own package using the Custom Trip
Builder.
iTravel Solutions and CaboSpringBreak.com also created a system which would allow the student to search from
the existing CaboSpringBreak.com booking engine for the preselected dates and packages desired but within
60 days of travel, this is the period for which CSB's negotiated airfare rates are not valid. The seamless
integration of this engine allowed CaboSpringBreak.com to offer a booking solution to their customer using
published airfare and continue to compete with 3rd Party providers.
iTravel Solutions was able to provide CaboSpringBreak.com with a solution to overcome the challenges
presented by an ever-evolving online booking landscape. After adding the last minute booking functionality
CaboSpringBreak.com saw in immediate increase in FIT online bookings over the previous year. The FIT
service further allows CSB' staff to focus on selling more group packages rather than having to dedicate
time to an individual travelers unique request for dates and city pairs. Today CaboSpringBreak.com can
compete more in line with the offering from 3rd Party Online Agencies while concentrating their efforts on
their strengths of providing a 4-star Spring Break experience for their customer.
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