STAAH completes distribution connection with IRCTC – a website processing more than half a million bookings every day.
In a collaboration that is set to benefit many accommodation providers, the IRCTC has confirmed a two-way connection
with the leading cloud-based hospitality distribution platform, STAAH. The partnership enables STAAH’s huge partner network of more than 100 hospitality chains, including more than 2,500 hotel partners, to expand their reach via the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism (IRCTC) website, which processes more than half a million bookings every day – arguably India’s most booked website.
IRCTC is a Public Sector Unit of Indian Railways and handles catering, tourism, Rail, and Flight online ticketing operations.
“We are absolutely thrilled to complete our connection with Indian Railways IRCTC, the backbone for travel within the
Indian subcontinent,” says Tarun Joukani, Commercial Director for STAAH. “The limitless array of booking options that
are now available to consumers has borne a rising trend of travelers who are looking to their preferred travel
suppliers. For India, the rail-travel is the perfect fit here. By making accommodation available on their booking
platform, it helps consumers complete their itinerary and escaping browser fatigue.”
He added that consumers typically book their railway tickets first, but there is a growing appetite for them to book
their accommodation at the same time, or even before their journey on IRCTC rail and air ticketing websites. “By
offering a broader suite of accommodation to complement their rail and air travel through the IRCTC website, consumers
can be confident they are receiving the best package,” he says.
“Consumers typically book their railway tickets first, but we know there is a growing appetite for them to book their
accommodation at the same time, or even before their journey on IRCTC rail and air ticketing websites.“By offering a
broader suite of accommodation to complement their rail and air travel, consumers can be confident they are receiving
the best package.”
Domestic travel in India is slowly opening up in face of the global pandemic with people looking at getaways, especially
to tourist towns near metros. Already properties in these towns are reporting occupancy rates that are higher than 80%.
“The desire to travel – especially domestic – is strong. This collaboration places IRCTC well placed to continue
servicing the needs of consumers while presenting properties around the country with a unique opportunity to expand
their reach.
The two-way XML connection between the IRCTC website (hotel.irctctourism.com) and STAAH channel manager will now be live with all hotels and accommodations choosing STAAH technology to boost their revenue.
“We use STAAH for all our distribution needs, so we are very thrilled to have the IRCTC connection added to our product
offering,” says Mandeep Singh Gandhi, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Le Roi Hotels and Resorts, who has been
instrumental in taking the STAAH-IRCTC association forward. “Through this partnership, we now have the ability to
distribute our inventory to millions of Indian travelers.”
The option to connect to the IRCTC website is available to all STAAH partners via their channel manager dashboard. The
STAAH partner services team is available to enable this connection where needed.About IRCTC
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC) is a “Mini Ratna (Category-I)” Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India.
IRCTC was incorporated on 27th September, 1999 as an extended arm of the Indian Railways to upgrade, professionalise and
manage the catering and hospitality services at stations, on trains, and other locations and to promote domestic and
international tourism through the development of budget hotels, special tour packages, information and commercial
publicity and global reservation systems.
Its travel portals, irctctourism.com, irctc.co.in and air.irctc.co.in process more than half a million bookings every day, ranging from rail travel, air travel, packages, Tourist trains to
cruise bookingsAbout STAAH India Ltd.
STAAH Ltd is a New Zealand-based technology company that specialises in cloud-based channel management and booking
engine for accommodation providers to maximise online revenue.
Founded by Gavin Jeddo in 2008, a pioneer in the field of distribution technology, STAAH’s industry-leading technology
powers a property’s distribution through online travel agencies (OTA), direct bookings and digital marketing services.
STAAH works with more than 10,000+ partner properties in more than 90+ countries through its operations in New Zealand,
Australia,India, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and UK.