Booker is Bringing in Bookings for Dimensions Retreats

The Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization’s (OHTO) new online booking platform, Booker, is bringing in bookings for businesses and supporting tourism growth in the region. Launched in 2023, Booker has been integrated into the ComeWander.ca website and multiple businesses have already taken advantage of the opportunity to partner with OHTO and increase their referrals and bookings.

Located in Haliburton Highlands, the new wellness retreat, Dimensions Algonquin Highlands, was the very first Booker to become active on OHTO’s ComeWander.ca website, and so far the results have been highly positive.

“We were the first in our region to adopt Booker, and we understood that this was a new opportunity and we wanted to be first to market with it,” said Melanie Coates, Managing Director, Marketing and Business Development for Dimensions Retreats.  

From the beginning, Melanie was keen to sign on to Booker, to amplify their online presence and increase bookings. For Melanie, it wasn’t solely the possibility of accessing a new market through OHTO’s content marketing platform that made the Booker platform so attractive, it was the opportunity to partner with Ontario’s Highlands and build a relationship.

“When we saw that our tourism organization was supporting this, we knew that by working together our efforts could be more integrated into the whole,” said Melanie. “It is important to use that we aren’t operating in a silo, that we are operating as part of a group because the share of voice is very important to us.”

In December 2023, Booker was launched for Dimensions Algonquin Highlands and within only a few short weeks the results were already being seen. A new story highlighting post-holiday wellness experiences was launched on OHTO’s platforms in early January 2024, and as a result, multiple bookings have come in through the Booker interface on the ComeWander.ca website and story.

“We have already had bookings for all three of our wellness programs,” said Melanie. “Every winter wellness series program has received bookings from Booker.”

While Dimensions Retreats already had a booking tool in use on their website, they saw the benefit to incorporating this new marketing tool into their operations. The Booker platform ticked all the right boxes for Dimensions, with a high level of security and privacy for customers, and the integration with the Stripe payment system, with which Dimensions was already familiar. 

In addition, Melanie felt the booking platform presentation was elegant and matched their focus on luxury, showcasing the inclusions for a Dimensions Retreats experience easily, to build a positive expectation before the visitor even arrived. 

The ease of booking is of particular interest to Dimensions Retreats due to their niche market as a wellness destination. When customers decide they need to rest and recharge, that decision making is often spontaneous and last minute, and as a result booking windows are very short prior to securing their experience.

Melanie explained that from the bookings they’ve had so far, the Booker platform seems to convert interest into a booking a little bit quicker than usual. 

“Guests are reading the story and reacting to it, and it’s just what they need, it’s a seamless path to purchase from inspiration to commitment…that path is very direct with Booker,” said Melanie.

Interested in Booker?

OHTO members who are interested in learning more about the Booker platform can schedule a Discovery Call with the TTC team and OHTO team or visit the website for more details.