Impala is launching a contracting product to provide travel companies to connect directly to hotels.
The company says that legacy systems are hampering the industry when it comes to finding, contracting and negotiating hotel inventory.
Impala’s contracting product aims to save time and costs for both hotels and intermediaries via an API and dashboard which allows them to negotiate commissions and offer discounts, special requests and custom room rates.
Intermediaries can also use the dashboard to run campaigns and promotions.
In addition to the integration, Impala manages the contract between hotel and retailer and monitors when and how rates are used for bookings.
It also takes care of the payments to hotels and provides retailers with one invoice for properties they have contracted.
Ben Stephenson, founder and chief executive of Impala, says: “Direct contracting between room sellers and hotels is the future of the industry because it is the best way for room sellers to get the best rates and guarantee a first-class guest experience. But right now the legacy systems involved and lack of digitalisation make it arduous and costly for travel business supply teams to forge direct relationships with hotels.”
The company claims that processes that would have taken months and required large sales teams can be reduced to a few days with the contracting product.
Impala raised $20 million in Series B funding to invest in its hotel booking technology 18 months ago.
The round came on top of its $11 million Series A round announced in October 2019.