Introduction
FROL is an online reservation and payment tool available for all sectors in the tourism industry.  FROL’s booking and payment platform is extremely useful to all hotel owners, tour operators, car rental operators, travel agents and transfer or shuttle service companies.  This powerful online tool is compatible with every service provider in the tourism industry and will help you capture your customers from the start.

Your company’s website can be more than just an information source; it can instantly become a virtual point of sales by integrating FROL.

FROL, which stands for Friendly Reservations On-Line, was designed with the average end-user in mind.  FROL will prove itself a user-friendly tool not only to the customer but to the company’s administrative team as well.

History
In 2007, Oriens Travel and Hotel Management’s (OTHM) developing team in Costa Rica came across the lack of an important reservation tool such as FROL.  The developers found that the majority of Costa Rica’s hotel and service providers in the tourism industry were not using their website to the fullest of its potential.

OTHM then took the task to research the local market and found that similar generic tools were available but at extremely high integration costs, hidden fees and time consuming installation.  In addition, the team found that this tool was only implemented by powerful industry leaders that could afford its high cost.

OTHM sought out to fill the on-line reservation and payment system gap left among the small and medium size companies and started by working closely with a small mountain hotel in Costa Rica and a one-day tour operator.  The success of this initial stage encouraged OTHM to develop FROL as an open tool that could be customized to all activities within the tourism industry and supply this large yet ignored market.

FROL Highlights
When your company implements FROL within its administrative tools, it will get:

• On-Line inventory confirmation and Credit Card Processing
• On-Line Seasonal promotions management tool
• Simple and fast implementation
• No hidden charges or fees
• Only a per successful-transaction percentage fee is charged
• High end security encrypted transactions for full personal information protection

The administrative and management tools for the backend user include:

Unsuccessful reservation requests with its reason.  For example, lack of inventory or credit card failure.

• Successful reservation report
• Statistical reports such as pre-arrival reservation, origin and other services
• Time spent on the website and pages visited before booking
• Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly sales report, average stay, etc.

FAQ
What is FROL?
FROL stands for Friendly Reservations On-Line.  FROL is a safe and secure on-line booking and payment system designed for the small and medium business within the tourism industry.
Customers as well as the company’s administrative staff will find the on-line platform to be very simple to use and to require a minimum amount of time in training.

Why only small or medium businesses?
Very simple, large companies such as international hotel chains and airlines can afford to buy or develop their own payment and booking tool while the small and medium size business owner cannot afford such an investment.
The market does offer alternative options for the small and medium size business owner but at very high affiliation costs as well as installation fees, annual fees, hidden fees and even membership cancellation fees.

Who developed FROL?
FROL was developed by Oriens Travel and Hotel Management (OTHM), a company dedicated in organizing the fragmented mid/lower end hotel accommodation sector in the developing countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, and China as well as the Caribbean countries.

Currently, OTHM has a high-tech specialized developing team working out of Costa Rica that is able to customize FROL to each company’s exclusive needs as well as provide immediate technical support.

How will FROL benefit my company?
FROL will boost your website’s sales capacity by turning your company’s website from a digital brochure to a worldwide virtual sales point.

What are the requirements to install FROL?
To successfully install FROL you will need:
?    A domain name with its active website
?    OTHM will require your website’s access information for installing FROL
?    A signed contract between OTHM and your company
?    An active bank account for wire transfers
?    Cancellation policies and rules clearly stated on your website

Is FROL safe for my customers as well as my company?
Yes.  FROL is an extremely safe tool that works with a 256 byte encryption.  Your customer’s personal information is completely safe guarded in every transaction.  As soon as the transaction is completed and funds are deposited, we will immediately transfer the funds to the designated bank account.

What companies can use FROL?
FROL is compatible with all companies.  Companies must provide at least a legal constitution, valid commercial permits and good standing references.   The company must also have a valid bank account with a commercial bank.

How long will it take to install FROL?
FROL will be fully installed and operational within 2 weeks (as soon as the company’s website is fully operational).

What if I don’t have a website?
OTHM may help you create a customized website in English and Spanish for a competitive rate.

Important Information
Did you know that the more and more travelers research their destination through the internet before making a decision?
Business travelers are turning to the Internet for the best airline ticket price, with almost half of all business air travelers personally purchasing their ticket online at least once in the past year.

The Internet and online services are very popular with travelers. Online leisure travel planners, or E-travel consumers, tend to be heavy travelers who use the Internet about 16 hours per week. A majority (66%) do more than half of all trip-planning online.

While 2005 results show that the number of Americans using the internet (120 million adults) appears to have reached a plateau, those who plan and book trips or vacations online continues to climb rapidly. A majority of these online travelers (78 percent of respondents, translating into 79 million Americans) turned to the internet for travel or destination information in 2005 — much higher than the 65 percent of online travelers in 2004.

What happens when an internet user finds a product he or she likes but can’t book it or purchase it online?

There is a very high possibility that the sale will not happen if there is no on-line reservation system. In other words, if the company does not have an online booking/payment system, there will be NO conversion rate.

According to conversion experts, an e-commerce site that allows 6 to 9 percent of its visitors in making a purchase can be considered a success.

With an industry standard hovering around 1 to 2 percent, most sites are failing to capture all the business they can have. Once a company makes a commitment to boost its conversion rate, there are several key areas it needs to monitor to measure whether its efforts are successful.

What should an On-Line Booking System Have?
In a nutshell, an online booking system should be:

• Within a safe environment (safe website)
• User friendly website for the customer
• Safe, easy and reliable for administrative purposes
• Low commission fee

Example of a reservation page with FROL
Screen shot of page with “Reservation or Booking Icon”

Examples of the steps to make a reservation

• Step by Step Screen shot

Example of the steps to include inventory
Step by Step Screen shot

Reports
•    Screen shot

Contact Information
Canada Office

• Ken Chua

Costa Rica Office

• Melvin Pereira
• José Tomás Batalla