Cruisen is a new cruise booking tool that aims to empower travel advisors with cutting-edge technology.
The app allows guests to book their cruises through an application while still benefiting from the services of travel advisors, he told Cruise Industry News.
According to its developers, Cruisen combines a best-in-class consumer application with the human touch of a real person.
“I think this combination is really explosive, and I’m excited to announce it to the world,” said Reid Williams, founder and creator.
For advisors, the tool streamlines processes and improves efficiency, resulting in a better workflow and enhanced service.
With a background in tech startups and the travel industry, Williams has previously founded and raised capital for TravelBank.
Originally created as a corporate travel and expense measurement tool, the company was sold to U.S. Bank in 2021 for $200 million, he said.
“I start my projects as a technologist first, trying to think about how you can leverage technology to disrupt these different spaces,” Williams said.
“I’m also a cruiser, and I have always felt that booking a cruise is extraordinarily hard and doesn’t need to be,” he continued.
“I started Cruisen with the idea of changing the way people book cruises by making it really easy and accessible,” Williams said.
He then came up with the concept of creating an application that serves as a tool for travel advisors and smaller agencies.
“All the tools that exist for advisors today are centered around the idea of taking this legacy, non-digital process and making it digital,” he said.
According to Williams, the current booking process begins with advisors sending quotes to potential guests after being first contacted about a cruise.
When the passenger finds a quote that is acceptable, the advisors send an invoice along with data collection forms for everyone in the booking.
“The tools that exist today are really geared towards the same way of working, and I don’t think it has to be this way,” he added.
With Cruisen, potential guests download an app to join the Navigator, an interface that connects advisors and consumers in one place.
“You can chat with the advisor, see all the details of a booking, search for cruises and fares, and invite travel companions to join,” Williams explained.
The application allows for a collaborative trip planning process that brings people closer together, he continued.
“When you do it this way, instead of embracing the way it’s done today, it creates a tone of efficiency,” Williams added, noting that advisors have told him that using the platform to eliminate the quoting process can save up to 50 percent of their time on every booking.
Cruisen also helps with the actual reservation process by presenting all the necessary information to book guests’ rooms on a single screen.
“The advisor will receive all profile and payment information, only needing to upload a confirmation to the trip,” Williams said.
Unlike its competitors, Cruisen embraces AI to create a force multiplier that enhances advisors’ productivity and effectiveness.
“I think of AI as something that makes you better. I don’t see it being able to handle things end-to-end for several years at least,” Williams explained.
The app offers a free version that is now available for independent travel advisors and agencies, as well as a paid version for host agencies and larger organizations.
Named Cruisen Enterprise, this version of the tool delivers advanced features designed to support high-volume operations and in-app bookings.
“I have a small product advisory council, with five or six different travel agencies there, and the reaction I from them is pretty compelling, they are very excited about this technology,” Williams said.
“They think it’s going to really help them do their business better. At the end of the day, that’s what we want to do, be good partners for the advisors and small businesses, helping they grow.”
