The Qantas Group has launched Hooroo, an accommodation booking site determined to “shake things up” by blending social features with e-commerce.
The Melbourne-based accommodation newcomer launched as a stand-alone company today in Sydney, having handled accommodation bookings on a white-label basis for Jetstar.com and Qantas.com since November 2011 and June 2012 respectively.
Executive manager Simon Chamberlain said the site differed from competitors by harnessing of the influence of social networking and word of mouth on travel decisions.
It will initially “seed” the brand via social channels and its 25 travel ambassadors with the hope that day-to-day travellers will soon start to interact.
“We started out with a vision to shake things up," he said. "Other businesses in this space haven’t evolved now for a number of years."
Chamberlain admitted the brand’s affiliation with Jetstar and Qantas had acted as a “huge advantage”, with Hooroo leveraging those brands to sign up “thousands” of Australian suppliers.
Meanwhile, head of commercial Bruce Fair said the site’s direct relationships with its suppliers enabled it to offer competitive rates with 10% commission, in line with Wotif.
He reported an overwhelmingly positive response from hoteliers to date and was optimistic its number of suppliers would rise rapidly. Tens of thousands of consumers had also signed up to the site in the seven-day “curtain period” prior to the launch.
“It’s important for us to capitalise on the strength of the Qantas brand in the Australian marketplace to get the brand singing and dancing first,” he said.
