In the sixth of our Impact10 series, we interacted with Zaid Shaikh, CTO of Rateloc.  

With hands-on experience driving product and business growth in one of the leading B2B travel platforms, Zaid talked about the evolving role of technology in transforming the travel ecosystem.  

He highlighted the importance of scalable architectures, clean data, and seamless integrations to address industry pain points such as fragmented hotel content, inconsistent pricing, and distribution inefficiencies. Zaid also shared his perspective on how innovation, collaboration, and a customer-first mindset can pave the way for sustainable growth in the travel industry. 

Needless to say, this was one of the most insightful discussions we’ve had with a technologist in a while. Get in on all his insights:

Let’s begin by learning a bit about yourself. You are one of the youngest & most promising leaders that we have come across in the travel-tech space. How did your journey begin? How did you enter this industry?   

Firstly, I was not always in the travel industry. I started as a software developer at an MNC-backed Startup back in the day. In 2023, I joined Rateloc, and since then, the vision has been very clear: we didn’t want to create another travel website; we wanted to make a platform that feels effortless for clients.   

And what excites me most about the platform which we have built is the balance which we have managed to achieve. There are a lot of platforms that either have complicated interfaces but good pricing, or they’re easy to use but not very competitive on rates.  

So, with Rateloc, I genuinely feel we have got the best of both- a simple, intuitive platform with the most competitive rates in the industry. And because of that balance, I think it makes us strong enough to, you know, compete with the biggest players while staying true to our goal, which is making travel both effortless and affordable.  

So how did you discover Vervotech? Were there certain challenges that you were looking to solve with our mapping tech?  

Yeah, actually, one of the biggest challenges that we had was the quality of hotel content. Because we work with multiple suppliers, you know that if we must be competitive, we need to get good rates. And due to that, we often used to get duplicates and mismatched data, which made the platform a little bit messy, which went against our vision.   

Like I said, we wanted an easy and simple platform, so to achieve that balance, we found a solution in Vervotech. And why we chose Vervotech? Because it tackled our pain points, which were duplicate content and inconsistent data that came with the supplier.   

Their mapping solution gave us a unified, clean, and accurate database of hotels. And for us, it meant that we could keep the platform simple and user-friendly while also scaling with multiple suppliers to stay competitive on price. After the integration, we no longer needed to take care of duplicates and stuff; we could just scale by onboarding multiple suppliers.  

Has there been a measurable impact of integrating Vervotech’s mapping APIs?  

Um, the biggest difference I feel has been in data accuracy and scalability- our hotel listings are now very clear. Duplicates are gone. The whole platform feels more reliable for users, and it has also freed us from a lot of manual cleanups, which we used to do.   

Now, we can focus more on growth, and most importantly, we are able to add more suppliers without worrying about experience breaking down. Another thing we are very sure about now is that the data our customers see on our platform is very reliable and up to date.   

Is there a certain aspect or feature that you really like about it?  

I like that the APIs are AI-native, because it’s not just removing duplicates, but it’s also making sure all the details from images to amenities are in place. So that kind of consistency really helps our goal, you know, to keep the platform both easy and competitive.  

If you were to summarize the Vervotech Impact in one sentence, what would you say?  

I can say that “Vervotech has empowered Rateloc to scale confidently, and turned our hotel content into something we can fully trust.” It has powered simple booking experiences at competitive rates.  

Would you like to recommend Vervotech to upcoming online travel businesses?  

Definitely! In travel, everything depends on trust and usability, and if your content is not clear, you lose trust, and if your interface isn’t simple, you lose customers. Vervotech helps with both. It lets you focus on building growth and delivering value. I feel Vervotech’s mapping technology is the right option for upcoming online travel businesses, and I will recommend it without any hesitation.  

About Rateloc 

Rateloc is a leading B2B hotel wholesale platform built for travel agents and professionals who want speed, control, and reliability. With access to 500,000+ hotels and 10,000+ direct contracts, we simplify hotel bookings while keeping prices unbeatable. With Rateloc, you’ll benefit from a vast selection of accommodations ranging from boutique stays to luxury resorts, all at the best possible prices. Whether you’re looking for short-stay city escapes or long-haul destinations, our comprehensive inventory ensures you have the perfect option for every client. From flexible markup tools to multi-currency support and a smart wallet system, Rateloc helps agents maximize margins and save time. Empower your travel business with Rateloc’s user-friendly interface, exclusive offers, and 24/7 support, designed to help you thrive in today’s competitive travel market.