Best Western Hotels Italia, a renowned hotel group boasting a presence in 100 destinations across Italy with 170 hotels, has unveiled a groundbreaking initiative in collaboration with Takyon, an innovative Italian startup founded by a group of young graduates. The project, known as Be-Tak (Transferable Accommodation Key), introduces prepaid vouchers for one or two nights, allowing guests to enjoy stays at the group’s Italian hotels with open booking dates. What makes Be-Tak truly distinctive is its integration with blockchain technology, ensuring a certified and secure process for reselling these vouchers.
Takyon, a forward-thinking startup, has already made waves in the market with its introduction of the Resellable Rate, a concept that transforms bookings of tourist services into digital assets. This innovation provides an elegant solution to the age-old refund dilemma. Typically, non-refundable rates penalize customers, while refundable rates fail to provide hotels with the assurance of payment until the guest checks out. However, with the Resellable Rate, consumers gain the flexibility to choose between transactions in euros or through a digital wallet, and in the future, even in cryptocurrencies.
Be-Tak: A Game-Changer in the Hospitality Industry
Antonio Picozzi, the CEO of Takyon, expressed enthusiasm for this pioneering partnership, stating, “With this new solution, Be-Tak, we are creating a new booking standard, and collaborating with a partner of this caliber confirms that our solution based on blockchain technology is ready for increasingly massive adoption. We are continuing at a rapid pace in the challenge of changing the rules of the game, creating a new market in which it is possible to resell reservations, today hotel reservations, tomorrow all reservations: trains, planes, cruises, ferries, and tourist packages.”
Best Western Hotels Italia, known for its commitment to innovation, was quick to seize this opportunity presented by Takyon. Stefano Lombardi, Director of Dev & Digital Ecosystem, emphasized the importance of innovation for the hotel company, stating, “Innovation is in the DNA of Bwh Hotels Italia: for this reason we have seized the opportunity that Takyon offers us in testing a new booking method. We are constantly looking for solutions to serve our guests that are able to enhance their experience also in the digital field.”
Best Western Hotels Italia, part of a global hotel group with a presence in over 100 countries and more than 4,300 properties, entered the Italian market in 1982 and has since expanded to include 170 properties. The group encompasses several well-known brands, including Best Western Hotels & Resorts, WorldHotels Collection, and SureStay Hotel Group. Bwh Hotels Italia operates as a cooperative company with its members being hoteliers, and it maintains a workforce of 80 individuals at its headquarters in Milan and throughout Italy.
Be-Tak, the brainchild of this collaborative effort, promises to revolutionize the hospitality industry by introducing a blockchain-certified system that facilitates the purchase and resale of prepaid vouchers for hotel stays, offering enhanced flexibility and security for both hotels and guests. The partnership between Best Western Hotels Italia and Takyon exemplifies a leap forward in the adoption of blockchain technology within the travel and hospitality sector, setting the stage for potential applications in various reservation systems, from hotels to trains, planes, cruises, ferries, and tourist packages.
