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As of Thursday, May 12, the Lola app that aims to revolutionize the travel industry had gone live. As of this writing, however, travel agents remain very much safe from the budding mobile application.
We previously covered the innovation that remained in its infancy back in April. At the time, the outlook was extremely promising. Now a select few will get to finally test out Lola to see if it can be that travel agent solution in app form.
You can now head to get the new iOS innovation. However, your eagerness may have to be met with a bit of patience. As you will discover, Lola is transitioning to its live app slowly, which makes perfect sense. As we wondered back in April, there will be some obvious difficulty meeting demand with live travel agents behind the scenes if thousands were to sign up all at once.
In order to build out the brand and highlight its strengths, you need to move responsibly and cater to a few before the many.
And with that, we see the app is indeed free, as is the membership (for the moment). However, downloading the app will merely get you on the waitlist for its service.
Tnooz has more on the initial throes of the Lola app. According to the report, there are 15 consultants manning the helm for the rollout.
For those who do get in on the ground floor, these will be the people that answer a wealth of the travel queries consumers might normally deliver to their trusted travel agent.
Scouring the Internet for travel information can be exhausting. In the case of Lola, travelers chat with a team of consultants and whittle down requirements until they have that weekend getaway or family vacation solved.
As TravelPulse's editor-in-chief Tim Wood opined, Lola's rollout is more than an opportunity for travelers. It's a moment for reflection for travel agents: "Have you considered a subscription model for your agency? Charging a set monthly price to give your clients constant access and unlimited trip bookings? That's really all Lola is. You'll still make all the same commissions, but you add a new revenue stream simply by giving premium access to your knowledge."
While in its initial stages, Lola has the power to disrupt the industry in a fantastic way. It doesn't have to mean a blow to the likes of travel agencies. However, it might signal an innovative way to conduct business that caters to the market's demands.
Time and the almighty traveler will most certainly tell.
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