Hi Steve, at first, I thought “why would a travel booking marketplace need blockchain?” But it does make sense, could you shortly summarise the benefits of blockchain for booking and the fee structure?

Here are some of the main advantages of the Concierge.io (now Travala) platform

0% Commission model to the suppliers as opposed to 15% to 45% with other OTAs. Savings will be passed onto the customer in the cheaper prices and increased service. Peer to Peer communication between customer and supplier

automated disputes carried out by the smart contract. Immutable Reviews that can not be manipulated CGE loyalty and Rewards program. Multiple payment options — Fiat, CGE and other top cryptocurrencies

Along with the blockchain allowing us to tackle issues mentioned below;

Safety to booking in case of disputes or discrepancies — we will offer a dispute option within each booking made via Concierge.io platforms. (Evidence of the issue within the booking/service would need to be presented, and both parties must respond in due time to agree about the issue).

Transparent and accurate reviews (blockchain doesn’t allow reviews to be manipulated or edited so there’s always honest feedback from genuine customers).

Peer-To-Peer communication between vendor and consumer (Concierge.io are the first to market within the travel industry utilising the Peer-To-Peer function).

Is it safe to say that with the evolution of blockchain and the options it offers, Concierge.io has the ambition to take over this market with fairer prices for everyone, or is this matter more complicated?

“This matter is slightly more complicated, we have a very disruptive business model, however it will take some time to really make an impact in the sector. This is because the travel market is a trillion-dollar industry, this will take some time to disrupt. The evolution of blockchain allows us to tackle the issues mentioned above. By creating a travel booking platform that accepts both crypto and fiat, allows us to bring a real-world use for blockchain to the masses.”

How will the mentioned revenue streams (sponsored advertising) in the Concierge business model be enough to support the entire team working on the project?

“Our team operates in a lean manor and will continue to do so moving forward, this revenue stream is not our only insurance to sustain. We have held back 20 Million CGE for future development; this would enable us to move forward in the next 5/6 years until the featured advertisements generates enough revenue to sustain the businesses growth.”

“ Concierge.io provides a user-friendly booking and exchange platform utilising the NEO blockchain. The platform will be beneficial for vendors, offering them considerable lower costs to use the platform. Thus, allowing vendors to set a lower price for consumers but retain a higher profit they are entitled to. The platform will provide a transparent, safe and non-influential environment for consumer something which we haven’t yet seen within the industry.”

The platform payments run on the CGE token, but will also take fiat payments via Visa/MasterCard. In my opinion, this offers more options for people who aren’t familiar with cryptocurrencies. I’m assuming that in the end payments still need to be made with CGE, in order to register it on the blockchain. Will there be an internal fiat <-> CGE gateway, which means that the payer’s account will be ‘recharged’ with CGE?

“Yes, this is correct, by incorporating the fiat gateways, it allows us to reach our mass target audience who wouldn’t necessarily know they are utilising blockchain. This is what makes the platform a real-world use case, and enables us to bring blockchain to the masses. We are working on the back-end to function in a similar way in which you have mentioned above. At this moment this process isn’t finalised, but it will be implemented.”

When navigated to www.concierge.io, it must have come to everyone’s attention some places are already bookable. As of right now, only places in Vietnam are available. What can we expect from Concierge in the future, which countries will it expand to first?

“In the next few months we can expect properties all over the world to be added, we have a global partnership that will include all levels of accommodation numbering 10,000 properties coming soon. Due to competitors, we will not release full details until this deal has been completely finalised. This is just the first of many partnerships over the next 6 months.”

“ Concierge.io operates a simple payment system; the user can opt to use the CGE token and fiat currency via Visa/Master cards transactions as payments. Using fiat currency will, however, incur the going rate for that payment system fee on the transaction. This is to enable non-crypto users to be able to use the platform and still see considerable benefits in comparison to using already established platforms.”

Last but not least, is the platform functional already despite being in the Alpha phase. Would someone be able to make a booking if they had access to CGE right now?

“We have already taken 2 bookings on the Concierge.io platform since it is released. Those members of the community have found the prices have worked out considerable cheaper on our platform utilising CGE. If you have purchased CGE you are able to book on the alpha version. As we continue with development well be creating a stronger UE/UI platform and really focusing on making the platform as easy to use for the user as possible, both supplier and consumer side.”

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The Team