A new firm called Groople as in groups of people is geared toward
online bookings of leisure groups, initially by consumers but later
by agents.
Groople CEO David Loy, formerly a managing director of Trip.com,
noted that the GDSs neglected to develop technology to automate the
booking process for the so-called SMERF (social, military,
education, religious and fraternal) group market, estimated at
between $18 billion and $24 billion.
Groople’s main thrust will be selling to consumers through
online agencies, supplier sites and Groople.com. But the company is
developing a desktop program for traditional agents to earn
commissions on group bookings.
