24. Make a PowerPoint presentation about the forms of sharing economy.

E-booking

Reading

25. Read and translate the text about e-booking. The Advantages of Online Reservations

E-booking is Internet Booking Engine (IBE) and Central Reservation System (CRS) designed for direct on-line booking and payment, intended for accommodation objects of all types and sizes.

Gone are the days when you have to make trips to the local travel agency to reserve airfares or book a hotel for the night. Today, if you have a credit card handy and access to the Internet, you can finalize your travel plans within minutes. Take advantage of some of the benefits of online reservations to save both time and money, to ensure a stress-free vacation.

Convenience

One advantage of booking a hotel, flight or car rental online is the convenience. Being able to make all your travel plans on the Internet means you can do it any time of the day or night at home, or while you’re on your lunch break at the office. Customers on the go can even make reservations on their smartphones or tablets. There's no need for lengthy phone calls or visits to a travel agency - with just a few minutes and a click of the mouse, you’ll have all your plans finalized.

Prices

You can shop around when making online reservations and choose the best price. Many hotel and airline websites boast of having the lowest prices and even offer Internet-only offers for travelers, which are deeply discounted. You might be caught paying an extra fee to speak with customer service representatives if you make travel arrangements over the phone, so another advantage of booking online is saving money on all those extra hidden fees.

Changes and Cancelations

It’s simple for travelers to change or cancel online reservations. Instead of calling the hotel or airline and waiting for a customer service representative to help you through the process, booking online means you can do it wherever you have Internet access. Hotels such as the Fairmont (fairmont.com) and the Marriott (marriott.com) provide bookings with no cancellation fees, while Virgin America (virginamerica.com) provides free online changes and cancellations within 24-hours of departure.

Customer Reviews

Making a reservation over the phone or at a travel agency doesn't allow you to check out what past customers have thought of hotel chains or certain airlines. Another benefit of making online reservations is being able to see these customer reviews. Skytrax (airlinequality.com) features over 4 million reviews of airlines on everything from seat comfort to airport lounges. TripAdvisor (tripadvisor.com) is another place to read customer reviews, with hotels, flights, attractions and even restaurants among the places reviewed.

Here is the standard algorithm for online hotel booking:

1. The client enters the online booking system website and reads through the booking rules.

2. Next, one locates a suitable hotel and, having made sure there are vacant rooms available and filled in all the relevant information fields, sends the order directly over to the hotel by email.

3. The hotel’s automatic control system automatically processes the order and sends a preliminary confirmation along with the terms and conditions of prepayment, and the name of the potential client is entered into the waiting list.

4. Upon receipt of relevant guarantees from the client (a deposit, a letter of commitment, etc.), the hotel makes a final confirmation of the room or seat having been booked.

5. The booking information is entered into the occupancy schedule with a subsequent automatic change of the status of the hotel’s room supply on the website.