Fitrina Krimeta: Review GOeureka Part 2 - The Great GOeureka ICO Bonanza

About the project

GOeureka is a travel tech company utilising blockchain technology to build a hotel booking platform

The hospitality sector is the second largest contributor to the global travel industry and it is currently dominated by online travel agents. OTA's generate around 70% of online hotel bookings and this has impacted hotel's direct bookings, profit margins and loyalty programs. GOeureka, wants to change the scenario by putting hotels and customers first. Using blockchain technology, GO plans to benefit hotels and customers by introducing commission-free bookings, accepting payment through cryptocurrencies that are devoid of merchant fees, and transforming traditional brand loyalty programs.

GOeureka aims to create a new symbiosis where hotels maintain control over their brand while unlocking value for consumers on its platform, the company said. GOeureka’s vision for the future of the travel industry is a supportive online ecosystem where all businesses are allowed the opportunity to thrive and benefit from providing the best goods or services to travelers. As a technology partner to hotels, GOeureka intends to provide a seamless web and app experience to users without the high commission structures imposed by current OTAs. The company said it provides an affordable and efficient platform for hotels and consumers to directly engage and transact with each other, removing the inequitable commissions to OTAs that ultimately decrease hotels’ margins and increase consumer prices. These benefits are then passed on to customers. GOeureka is also introducing a patent-pending Re-Booking function for customers to obtain the best value for rooms. When the hotel rate drops, the Re-Booking feature will automatically detect and re-book an existing booking at the lower rate.

Additonally, GOeureka proposes an interoperable loyalty program that will benefit hotels and customers by promoting the hotel's own loyalty rewards program with the option to convert hotel loyalty points into GO Credits that can be used on the GOeureka platform. For consumers who subscribe to multiple loyalty programs, GOeureka’s solution for an interoperable loyalty program could facilitate instant redemptions and exchange for multiple loyalty point currencies on a single platform. Blockchain acts as an immutable and secure ledger of all transactions related to the issuance of GO credits, creating a transparent, auditable supply of loyalty points without the need for intermediaries, the company noted.

The growth of online travel agencies is a perfect example of how new technology can disrupt an existing industry. These online agencies have a huge advantage over the normal hotels since they are able to offer consumers low prices and more options. However, it is not all rosy for the online travel agency; the traditional hotel sector is slowly adopting the online technology. However, these hotels are still lagging behind. They need to work faster. Otherwise, intermediaries that get them in touch with customers could start making more than them.

GOeureka GO Token ICO Details
As many as 1 billion GO Tokens will be issued with 1 GO token = IDR 10,000. There will be a reduced distribution of the Token GO bonus after meeting the maximum time limit or the predetermined time, whichever comes first. While 30% will be stored in a backup pool for operational initiatives, funding marketing strategies, and other activities relevant to business growth. During personal pre-sale, contributions will be received in US Dollars (USD), Singapore Dollars (SGD) or Ether (ETH). All contributions will be converted to ETH, live, at the applicable rates. Token sales will last about three weeks.

GO will hold a personal presale
first round one month before Token Sales with accredited investors, with a minimum contribution of US $ 50,000 each. Interested parties are welcome to whitelist with GO to join this fundraising round. Contributors to funds collected during this period are entitled to a 30% bonus distribution. The maximum limit during this round is 150,000,000 GO Tokens and will be closed two weeks before the Token Sales. If the maximum cap is not reached during personal pre-sale, it will be opened to the public, with a minimum contribution requirement of US $ 1000 (equivalent ETH value). There will be a 15% bonus distribution during this round. Pre-sales will close earlier if the maximum limit is reached or will expire on the day before the Token Sales.

Token sales will expire sooner after the total maximum limit is met or after Week 3 of Token Sales. All unsold tokens will be burned.

The founders of GO and team tokens
It will be locked and can be withdrawn every three months for a 24-month period, while advisors will receive their tokens after six months after the ICO. Tokens from the Reserve Pool will be used to accelerate the implementation of the GO platform. To market the platform efficiently at a much faster rate, GO aims to raise US $ 60 million, after the first round of successful seed funding.

GO has spent the last 12 months
To work on the beta version of the platform, consult blockchain technology experts on the token model as preparation for the initial coin offer. To effectively match existing OTAs, US $ 60 million is needed to scale the platform and substantially increase our gross orders over the next 3 years.

Figures from Expedia
shows the high potential of the segment for rapid revenue growth. For example, Expedia made gross orders of more than US $ 70 billion in 2016 against its operating costs (ie, marketing, salaries) at nearly US $ 7 billion.