#7: Zac Chai, Head of Business Development, Mengtu Travel
In the seventh feature of our Impact10 series, we interacted with Zac Chai, Head of Business Development at Mengtu Travels. With hands-on experience driving product and business growth in one of the leading B2B travel platforms, Zac talked about the evolving role of mapping technology in making the travel ecosystem better. 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. This was one of the most insightful discussions we’ve had with a travel leader. Follow the interaction below: Tell us about your experience, your journey in the travel industry. How did you get into it? How has your experience been like and what evolution have you seen? I actually came into the travel industry quite recently. Before joining Mengtu Travel, I was working in a different industry altogether, so this was a completely new experience for me. When I joined, I knew almost nothing about travel tech. But my first encounter with Vervotech at an exhibition changed that- it was like a turning point. I was fascinated by how technology, like a mapping API, can make such a big difference in travel operations. Since then, it’s been a great journey of learning, collaboration, and seeing how technology continues to transform the travel industry every day. Tell us about Mengtu Travel. Mengtu Travel is one of the biggest B2B hotel wholesalers in central China. We connect suppliers and clients across regions and focus on providing reliable and extensive hotel content. Our main goal is to deliver accurate, high-quality data to our partners and improve the overall booking experience through technology. Has there been a measurable impact of integrating Vervotech’s mapping APIs? Yes, absolutely. The impact has been very clear. Since integrating Vervotech’s hotel mapping API, we’ve seen a major reduction in booking fallout and customer service issues that used to occur due to wrong or duplicate mappings. The accuracy of hotel and room data has improved significantly, which has directly improved our operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. It has also allowed us to scale our inventory with more confidence, especially in key destinations like Southeast Asia and Europe. Is there a certain aspect or feature that you really like about it? Yes, Vervotech’s AI-native mapping accuracy really stands out to me. The real-time analysis and the clarity of the dashboards are very impressive; they give us full visibility and confidence in the data. The technology adapts quickly to different situations, and the integration process itself was seamless. Our tech team found it very smooth and straightforward to implement. If you were to summarize the Vervotech impact in one sentence, what would you say? Vervotech has helped us improve data accuracy, reduce booking errors, and scale our inventory with confidence, making it one of the most strategic decisions we’ve made in recent years. Would you like to recommend Vervotech to upcoming online travel businesses? Definitely, yes. I’ve already recommended Vervotech to many of our partners and clients. The quality of their service and the strength of their partner network speak for themselves. For any travel business looking for reliable mapping solutions and seamless integrations, I’d absolutely recommend working with Vervotech. About Mengtu Travel Mengtu is a global provider of hotel and travel vacation booking services. Their services are aimed at B2B clients in the travel and hospitality industry. The company focuses on enhancing the booking experience through innovative technology.
How to Choose the Right Hotel Mapping API for Your Online Travel Business: A Short Guide
Hello there! Since you’re here, chances are that you’re looking for a hotel mapping API for your online travel business, or maybe you’ve already evaluated a few options but still can’t make the final decision. We get it! Choosing the right hotel mapping API is one of the biggest and probably the hardest decisions you’ll make for your online travel business. After all, not all APIs are created the same. But with so many mapping providers promising “the best accuracy” and “AI-powered solutions,” how do you really know which one’s the right fit for your business? In this blog, we’ll walk you through all the factors that matter when choosing a hotel mapping API and help you identify what makes a mapping solution truly reliable for your online travel business. Before we dive into what makes a great mapping API, let’s take a moment to understand why this decision matters so much in the first place and how the right choice can directly impact your business performance. TL; DR A reliable hotel mapping API is the driving force behind any travel platform because it ensures clean, consistent, and accurate hotel data across multiple suppliers. Choosing the wrong hotel mapping API can lead to duplicate listings, incorrect mapping, and poor traveler experiences that directly impact conversions. Key challenges in selecting the right hotel mapping API include scalability issues, low match accuracy, poor support, slow updates, and hidden data inconsistencies. The best hotel mapping APIs offer automation, continuous learning, high precision, and easy integration. Factors like budget, supplier volume, data quality needs, scalability, and social proof should guide your decision. Before you finalize a hotel mapping API, use an evaluation checklist to compare mapping accuracy, integration effort, and vendor credibility. Vervotech’s Hotel Mapping API ensures 99.999% data accuracy and is one of the leading hotel mapping solutions. Why Choosing the Right Mapping API Matters Messy hotel data isn’t just a backend issue; it’s what your end customers interact with when they land on your business platform. It creates confusion, impacts decisions, affects their experience, and even distorts their trust in your platform. That’s why choosing the right hotel mapping api- one that can ensure you the highest quality of hotel data- one that helps you win your customers’ trust & experience, matters. The accuracy of your data shapes how travelers see your brand, how partners work with you, and how confidently your platform grows. But knowing what to look for is one thing, and finding a solution that actually lives up to it is another. Many travel businesses stumble not because they don’t understand the value of mapping, but because they overlook the red flags during evaluation. Let’s look at some of the most common challenges teams face when choosing a Hotel Mapping API. What Are the Most Common Challenges When Choosing the Right Hotel Mapping API? On paper, most hotel mapping APIs look similar- accurate, automated, AI-powered. But once you dig deeper, the differences become clear. Many travel businesses realize too late that their chosen solution can’t scale or deliver consistent quality. Here are a few common challenges to look out for. Overpromised Accuracy, Underwhelming Results Many mapping providers claim near-perfect accuracy, but when tested with real-world data, duplicates, mismatches, and missing fields start showing up. Without transparent accuracy metrics, it’s easy to buy into inflated claims. Limited Data Coverage Across Sources Some APIs work well with a few suppliers but struggle to scale across global bedbanks, wholesalers, or OTAs. Inconsistent coverage leads to fragmented hotel listings and incomplete inventory. Poor Integration Support and Documentation A great API is only as good as how easily your team can integrate and maintain it. Limited documentation, unstable endpoints, or slow support can stall projects for weeks. No Continuous Updates or Data Refresh Hotel data changes constantly- new properties, rebrands, closures. Without frequent updates or real-time sync, your listings quickly become outdated, creating poor customer experiences. Once you know what can go wrong, it’s easier to focus on what matters most, or what you should actually look for in a reliable Hotel Mapping API. Let’s start with features that are absolutely non-negotiable in a good Hotel Mapping API. What Features to Look for in a Hotel Mapping API? Selecting the right accommodation mapping partner is about finding a solution that can scale, maintain the accuracy of your hotel data, and reduce your team’s workflow. Finding such a solution might seem difficult, but it isn’t if you look for the right features that separate an average mapping API from a dependable one. Accuracy That You Can Measure, Not Assume Don’t settle for vague claims of “high accuracy.” Look for clear benchmarks like precision rates, error margins, and validation processes. Browse through providers’ case studies to gauge the real impact on accuracy. The best APIs are transparent about their accuracy metrics and continuously refine their algorithms using real-world data. Global Coverage and Multi-Supplier Compatibility Your mapping solution should unify data from multiple suppliers, bedbanks, and OTAs across regions without losing consistency. Wide coverage ensures your listings stay complete and competitive across markets. Continuous, Automated Data Updates Hotel data changes fast- new openings, rebrands, closures, and amenity updates happen daily. A strong hotel mapping API continuously syncs and refreshes data, keeping your listings always current and trustworthy. Intelligent Enrichment Capabilities Mapping shouldn’t just match hotels; it should enhance them. Look for APIs that enrich each listing with complete attributes: star ratings, amenities, images, geo-coordinates, and brand info to improve your customers’ booking experience. Easy Integration and Developer-Friendly Support A great API doesn’t slow your tech team down. Prioritize a mapping solution with well-documented endpoints, sandbox testing environments, stable performance, and responsive technical support. The ease of integration can make or break your project timelines. Mapping Speed One non-negotiable feature to look for in a hotel mapping API is the mapping speed. The faster the API processes and maps new inventory, the quicker you can display accurate hotel listings on your online travel platform. Slow mapping
