Don't Stop Travelling with GOeureka

GOeureka is an online booking platform that leverages blockchain technology to tackle current issues in the travel industry such as high commission structures imposed by online travel agencies (OTAs) and the fragmented loyalty programmes within the hotel industry. The platform is a partially decentralised web and app platform to provide travellers and hotels direct access to communicate with each other.

GOeureka’s technical roadmap presents plans for a fully decentralized platform, as well as a loyalty network blockchain to facilitate interoperable loyalty points across the travel industry and possibly across the retail industry. This technical whitepaper outlines the technology behind the platform and the data that will be processed off-chain and on-chain.

Booking & Inventory Platform

The web application platform will host a booking platform for travellers and a hotel inventory system for hotels. Travellers will be able to search and book hotels. Hotels can update room inventory and prices directly or integrate with channel managers. A majority of hotels manage their inventories using channel managers as a single point of management, therefore GOeureka will provide necessary APIs (Application Programming Interface) for integration. GOeureka will also work directly with major channel managers to automate the integration process for hotels.

Rebooking Feature

Travellers will enjoy automatic post-booking discounts for their stays through GOeureka’s patent-pending rebooking feature. The GOeureka rebooking algorithm detects when a hotel rate drops, and automatically re-books an existing booking (qualified bookings that have not passed and are within valid cancellation policies) at the lower rate. Travellers will be notified of their discounted stay.

When hotels choose to drop their rates on the GOeureka platform, they will receive a summary report on the affected bookings and the total discounts provided by the rate cut. This will allow hotels to make true informed decisions that are beneficial to themselves and their guests.

GO store

The GO store is an in-app exchange for token holders to purchase GO credits using GO tokens. It is a safe and fast liquidation option for token holders to convert tokens into spendable fiat-value credits. Users enjoy discounted products and services on the GOeureka platform when purchasing with GO credits. GO credits are fiat-valued in-app credits that allows for instant transactions and off-chain settlement. Token holders will redeem GO credits according to the prevailing market rate at time of exchange. GOeureka will rely on data sources from various exchanges and number of custom oracles to retrieve the average token price on the market. Users will use the proxy wallet detailed below to exchange GO tokens for GO credits.

The Proxy Wallet

One key issue typically faced when designing a blockchain system for mass adoption is the handling of user wallets. While a hardware wallet like a Ledger Nano or a plug in like Metamask can expect users to use a recovery phrase, general users are unlikely to be happy with such a solution. We intend to use what is called a proxy wallet for all Ether transactions:

1. Users will undergo a proof of identity when signing up for GOeureka

2. Cryptographic Key Pairs are created on user devices and never leave their devices

3. A corresponding smart contract called a “proxy wallet” will be created on the blockchain

4. The user channels all transactions via the proxy wallet which is tied to the user’s identity

5. The proxy wallet allows the user to interact with all parts of the GOeureka system

6. On registration of a lost phone, GOeureka can, via a rigorous process, establish the identity of the account and assign that person’s new address to be the new controller of the proxy wallet.

The proxy wallet is already in use in several organisations.

Payment Processing

GOeureka aims to provide multiple payment methods that appeal to both traditional and crypto consumers. Consumers will have the option to transact using fiat currency, major cryptocurrencies, GO credits or loyalty points. Prices of goods and services will be displayed in fiat and the cryptocurrency of user’s choice. There are multiple available approaches for the development of GOeureka’s payment processing.

For the traditional checkout process where payment is made in fiat, GOeureka will implement a third-party payment gateway. This method sees payment being processed through a payment gateway (e.g. PayPal) that sends transaction details to a payment processing network (typically hosted by a merchant’s bank). Once processed, the processing network sends approved data to the credit card issuer to proceed with the funds transfer.

Loyalty Programmes

Hotel loyalty programmes will be integrated into the GOeureka platform, where travellers may earn loyalty points from the hotels they have booked. Necessary APIs will be provided for hotels to link their loyalty database with GOeureka. This will help facilitate the interoperable loyalty points detailed in GOeureka’s official whitepaper. GOeureka will send and retrieve data from the hotel’s database to provide real-time updates for users to track their points and for hotels to track points that users have redeemed with GOeureka. Research shows that 70% of customers do not sign up for a loyalty programme due to inconvenience and time costs associated with registering for a programme . With GOeureka, 1 registration for a loyalty programme is processed and verified in the backend. Customers will only be required to fill up an online registration form or, if they are already registered loyalty members, they only need to provide their pre-registered details (e.g. member ID) and the platform will link and display their loyalty details.