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A DOMINICANA CASE STUDY

Streamlined booking platform brings new global capabilities and growth

A CASE STUDY DOMINICANA

Ambition: Viajes Dominicana Tours handles over 115,000 bookings annually through its user-friendly website and responsive call center. It’s one of Spain’s best-known and highest-volume leisure travel agencies, specialising in vacation packages to the Americas and Caribbean. Thanks to the more scalable and seamless online and call centre solutions by Sabre, and better visibility into flights and accommodations, DOMINICANA’S booking volume is up 20 percent and its prepared for even more in the future as they open new markets and offices.


Though it’s only a small coincidence,

offices are also driving a need for new technology

Lilian Núñez and the great Spanish

partners, too.

explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475 – 1519) share more than a surname: they’re both known for enabling exploration of the Americas and Caribbean. While Núñez de Balboa was one of the first

“Our other technology vendors simply couldn’t keep up with our international scalability requirements and

DOMINICANA needed a technology partner that

our pace,” said Núñez. “We needed to find a more

could adapt more quickly to increasing complexity,

flexible development environment so we could make

meet the market demands of an international

changes more quickly, and customize the platform for

selling environment, and provide a seamless

our expansion plans, and more importantly – our

connection between online and offline booking

customers.”

operations.

Europeans to lay eyes on Latin America and the Caribbean, Lilian Núñez and her team at Viajes DOMINICANA Tours helps thousands of Spanish travelers get there each month. As general manager at Viajes DOMINICANA Tours, Núñez leads a group of 30 travel professionals dedicated to finding the best routes, rooms and prices for their expanding customer base. DOMINICANA’S growing for good reason: investment in new international offices and new destinations are paying off, and adding volume fast. In addition to its two offices in Spain, it also has offices in Argentina, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Mexico and the United States. The international

INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES ABROAD

DOMINICANA chose Sabre for its global

Sabre gives us more offerings and better rates which is an ideal combination whether a customer is shopping online or calling us to help with their booking. With Sabre API’s and Sabre Red Workspace, our online and offline booking operations are identical now so the customer wins and so do we. Lilian Núñez, General Manager, Viajes Dominicana Tours

experience and capabilities, especially in North American and Latin American markets. Sabre Red Workspace powers DOMINICANA'S call center and customised Sabre Web Services connect quickly to DOMINICANA'S websites and travel planning tools. DOMINICANA has seen an increase in business since switching to Sabre: Bookings are up 20 percent year over year, and the company is better prepared to add more offices and travel options for its customers in the future.


Lilian Nú ñ General M ez, anager, Viajes Do minicana Tours

Action: Sabre expands horizons and empowers

new markets. DOMINICANA selected Sabre for its ease of use,

DOMINICANA’S personal touch is part of its brand

better fares, and improved booking capabilities. From

appeal. Its website makes online shopping easy with a

airline seating, to room availability, the enhanced visibility

bright, colorful, and inviting user experience that is

gives DOMINICANA customers more options to choose

powered by Sabre Web Services. For customers that

and buy.

want to speak with someone by phone, the Sabre Red Workspace is on all desktops so the same selections

“Like any other business, we can only sell what we

and pricing are in synch when booking through the web

have in inventory, what we have available,” said Núñez.

or a phone call.

“Sabre gives us more offerings and better rates which is an ideal combination whether a customer is shopping online or calling us to help with their booking. With

“We have a saying in Spain that is roughly translated to ‘everyone has the same coffee’ meaning there’s no real difference in some products or services,” said Núñez.

Sabre API’s and Sabre Red Workspace, our online and

“That is absolutely not true with Sabre. Its people,

offline booking operations are identical now so the

products and processes are clearly different and better

customer wins and so do we.”

than others. We’ve seen it and experienced it.”


Outcomes: Rising to the challenge. The new Sabre implementation at DOMINICANA

As for the future, the positive news has spread to

has gone smoothly, said Núñez. Internally,

DOMINICANA’S sister companies in Grupo VDT

DOMINICANA employees have been pleased with

and more business units are starting to rely more

the speed and new automation tools for booking,

on Sabre for airline and hotel bookings. Sabre’s

changes, and refunds. Fewer clicks by customers

meta channel optimization capabilities and better

and employees mean time savings that can now

search engine compatibility should also make a

be directed to more selling and problem-solving.

difference in DOMINICANA’S reach and topline

“With automated exchanges we have saved up

performance in the years to come.

to 20 minutes per transaction,” said Núñez. “That

“The Latin American market is one of the fastest-

equals a savings of over one full business day

growing areas in the world in terms of populations

saved for every 50 tickets exchanged.”

and business growth,” said Núñez. “Demand will

The time savings are being used for better

increase, service levels will need to rise, margins

service but also to prepare for future growth.

will always be under pressure. We’re better prepared

DOMINICANA has also implemented Sabre Web Services, specifically, the Mobile First and SOAP API’s. Sabre Dev Studio even developed a custom solution fully facilitating the entire integration process.

to face all of those challenges with Sabre.”

Upgrading to Sabre has helped us grow our bookings by 20 percent, with the same number of happy and productive team members. And when we do want to add more offices or staff, we know that the Sabre solutions can handle the growth. The Sabre platform is an essential part of our business plan going forward and we know we can count on it. Lilian Núñez, General Manager, Viajes Dominicana Tours

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