Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd has reported a successful opening day for its brand new “intuitive” Espresso reservations system, which went live for travel agents across Australia yesterday.
Despite a few minor teething problems which were quickly resolved, the company told Cruise Weekly it has received glowing feedback from agents.
Espresso was introduced earlier this year (CW 22 Jan), heralded as faster, more powerful, optimised for mobile and tablet devices as well as reducing the number of steps required to make a booking.
“Espresso puts the industry’s best reservation system at travel agents’ fingertips and provides them the freedom to engage their clients wherever they are,” Royal Caribbean commercial director Sean Treacy said.
“We created this reservation system based on what our travel partners have told us they need.”
Agents are able to compare four stateroom categories at once and select a specific cabin from the centralised inventory using a real-time deck plan which highlights the best available cabin including accessible staterooms.
Stateroom photos and layouts can also be easily accessed, with itineraries and available specials displayed in search results.
Royal Caribbean says the system can be customised to suit the working patterns of agents, with popular criteria remembered to speed up future searches.
Espresso also allows agents to see which promotions have been sent to guests as well as clients’ booking history and preferences.
RCI sales teams are now on the road visiting agents to answer questions and provide specialised assistance for the transition.
Agents can also access training details at www.espressocbt.com.
