Nilüfer Durukal, Managing Partner of Talya Bilişim, which hosts Elektraweb, shared the company’s 2022 performance and 2023 goals with Turizm Güncel.
Durukal stated that they exceeded their targets in 2022 and aim to add 1,500 new hotels this year. Talya Bilişim, which includes the integrated online reservation system, channel management, and the web-based hotel automation program Elektraweb, has increased its goals for 2023.
We grew by 30% in 2022
Starting 2022 with an aggressive growth target, aiming to increase the number of user hotels by 1,000 (30%), Durukal said, “At the beginning of 2022, Elektra was used in 1,100 hotels, and we had about 3,000 desktop users. We planned to finish the year with 2,100 hotels, and we actually finished with 2,117. Setting good goals is important. It wasn’t an unrealistic or low target. Growing in foreign currency terms in Turkey’s current exchange rate environment is not easy. We have been growing in foreign currency terms for the last two years — 25% the previous year, and 30% in 2022. How did this happen? First, technology helped us a lot. We developed Elektraweb with up-to-date, good technology. It is easy to install and understand, and hotels learn it quickly. We put tutorial videos on YouTube and our website so if someone doesn’t understand something, they can easily learn.”
An additional income source for hotels
Durukal explained that Elektra is used in various hotel departments such as reception and accounting. “Even if staff change mid-season, we can provide repeated training or let staff learn by themselves through videos embedded in each module. This has been very effective for both sides. We also added many new features. During the pandemic, contactless applications gained prominence. Guests can move inside the hotel and place orders by themselves without needing an app, just by scanning a QR code. They can order anything they want at any time, wherever they are, and pay by credit card. Hotels saw this as an extra income source. They sold extra services from airport transfers to golf reservations through this system.”
We started the era of digital ordering
Durukal noted that their main focus for 2022 was expanding credit card payments within the app: “Guests can pay not only by credit card but by other methods too. They can complete payment by scanning QR codes and create their own orders. Usually digital menus were used in restaurants, but with Elektra, digital ordering started. Guests can place and pay for their orders by themselves — a sort of waiterless service. We implemented something similar at the front desk with digital check-in. Guests take their photo and ID, sign digitally, and receive their room card. This is used at Corendon’s hotel in the Netherlands, where kiosks allow guests to check in, get room cards, generate QR codes, or open their doors with a password sent to their phones.”
Airbnb is important for small hotels
Durukal said they increased the number of channels including Airbnb, which is especially vital for small hotels: “With remote work becoming widespread, small homes became popular for those who both travel and work. Some big hotels converted rooms to small houses; others reduced room numbers but improved quality. These businesses started using Airbnb more. In 2022, Airbnb was an active and leading channel that helped us advance.”
We provide channel management as part of the front desk
“We offer channel management as if it is a part of the front desk. Online reservations via the hotel’s own website are crucial because no commissions are paid — at least 15% stays with the hotel. We activated loyalty programs for bookings from the hotel’s own site, which was well received. Guests earn points from stays and expenses that can be used in the same or other hotels in the chain. Our program serves both boutique hotels and those with 600 rooms.”
Our market share has grown
“Our market share has increased. Elektra has about 3,000 desktop users and around 500 web users. The remaining 1,700 are new hotels. So Elektra’s user base has grown significantly. We have twice as many references as other hotel software that came after us. Elektra is used in over 5,000 hotels, while others combined barely reach 2,000.”
Our 2023 target: 1,500 new hotels
“We exceeded our 2022 target, and we believe we will do it again. Our goal is 1,500 new hotels. Why are we confident? Turkey’s domestic market is doing very well, and we are also focusing on international growth. Elektraweb is used in 24 countries, and we want to expand this further. We receive a lot of interest at international fairs and from tourism companies in these regions. They want to adopt the system and bring it to hotels. 2023 will be the year we spread even more abroad.”
We targeted developing markets but also received interest from developed ones
“We initially aimed at Eastern Europe, Balkan countries, and other developing tourism markets, but surprisingly, we also got interest from developed markets such as Spain, Italy, Germany, and the UK. In the UK, we already have two hotel users; in Germany, four; and one in the US. They found us online, requested demos, and decided to proceed after questions were answered. The entire process was online. Some groups signed agreements in Turkey this year, and these will launch in 2023.”
Announcing new partnership at ITB
“We will participate in the ITB Tourism Fair in Germany. We have an agreement with GIATA, which provides all static hotel information to channels, including Google. Thanks to the Elektra-GIATA partnership, hotels using Elektra won’t have to enter this data twice. We will announce this cooperation at ITB. If interest grows in Central Europe as it is now, Elektraweb will become even more widespread.”
Elektra is neither expensive nor cheap
“Elektra is neither the cheapest nor the most expensive — it’s somewhere in the middle. Its advantage is that it includes all management tools a hotel needs in a single package. There’s no alternative in the world like this. Some programs offer front desk and channel management; some only channel management; others include accounting with front desk, but none offer the holistic approach we have. We have 20 different modules that cover all hotel operations — not just accounting or front desk. We manage fixed assets, personnel (including payroll integrated with KEP, which is critical for large hotels), and offer solutions for hotel services such as SPA, golf, and transfers.”
160 employees behind the system
“There is a large software team behind this structure. Currently, we have 160 people. The newest engineer has at least 10 years of experience. We understand the hotel’s needs, how to respond, and quickly implement legal changes. We compete globally with advanced technology, comprehensive scope, and reasonable prices.”
We are taking Elektra public
“We plan to take Elektra public in the mid-term. We want to become better known worldwide. Our main market is Turkey, and we currently look quite local. We want to balance this more. We don’t intend to buy or operate hotels; we define ourselves as a technology company focused on tourism and health technologies.”
Health tourism portal
“We also have a portal for health tourism, MedikalTurizmComTr, which supports companies in that sector with promotion, contracts, and other processes. Patients can add reports and test results, chat online with doctors, and plan combined treatment and tourism arrangements through the portal. Insurance agreements can be tracked, and forms generated via the system. We make health tourism providers easy to find, which benefits both the companies and patients. Patients can find all facilities offering services in Turkey in one place. We update the system according to each country’s regulations — for example, compliance requirements in Germany or fiscal system integration in Macedonia. This is essential for going international. We are a technology company and will never give that up.”
