Latest News and Top Tech Trends from Hospitality Industry – W2, March 2022

Here is your weekly industry news round-up. Check out the short snippets here and follow below for more details.

RateTiger has earned 2022 Elite status with Expedia Group! Learn more about our high-quality connection and how we can empower your business growth. Check out this in the first news piece below.

Travel is seeing the biggest revolution ever. “This revolution really is about flexibility. Suddenly you can live anywhere, you can work anywhere,” said Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb at Skift Global Forum on Travel.

UNESCO and Expedia Group will support the EU Ecolabel by offering the existing certified Tourist Accommodations the signatories’ status to UNESCO Pledge. This aims to promote sustainable travel, community resilience and heritage conservation globally.

Today’s digitally savvy travellers are doing more research, on more online booking platforms before booking hotel rooms and  hoteliers carefully managing a guest’s stay to enhance its digital reputation.

Tripadvisor released its seasonal Spring Travel Index, using a combination of search and sentiment data to reveal what – and where – is hot this spring. After a slower winter with new variants curbing many vacation plans, travel is in full bloom this spring and the strength of leisure travel demand during warm weather months has driven a rebound in U.S. hotel industry performance the past two years.

Reach out to us for your hotel channel manager, rate shopper, booking engine, or website development requirements. We are happy to have a discussion to see how we can help you achieve your property’s occupancy and revenue goals – contact us today.

Enjoy the read!

RateTiger Recognized as Top Connectivity Provider

RateTiger has earned Elite Connectivity Partner status with Expedia Group, the highest designation available in their Connectivity Partner Program. The Expedia Group Connectivity Partner Program recognizes and rewards top connectivity providers.

https://ratetiger.com/ratetiger-recognized-as-top-connectivity-provider/

Travel seeing biggest revolution in a century

As the world undergoes a revolution in how we live and work, more people are blending everyday life with travel. The ability and desire to live and work from anywhere was once considered a short-lived opportunity at the beginning of the pandemic or something for young backpackers.

https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/X-16972502.php

More hotels sign up to Expedia’s UNESCO sustainable travel pledge

Global initiative additions include Melia Hotels International, THB Hotels, Universal Hotels, and more.

https://hospitalitytech.com/momentum-grows-expedia-group-and-unesco-sustainable-travel-pledge-new-signatories

What is your hotel doing to stand-out?

Today’s digitally savvy travelers are doing more research, on more online booking platforms before booking hotel rooms.

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/todays-hotel-guest-is-online-and-digitally-savvy-what-is-your-hotel-doing-to-stand-out/amp/

Tripadvisor’s Spring Travel Index shows Americans are spending big

Over half of Americans are planning on traveling this spring, with over a third planning on taking two or more trips – and travelers are also planning to splash more cash.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tripadvisors-spring-travel-index-shows-americans-are-spending-big-prioritizing-rr-this-season-301498451.html

Spring forward: US hoteliers hope for another demand boom

Hoteliers believe that demand for leisure travel is setting the stage for another strong spring and summer, but visibility remains short, and questions remain about group and business travel.

https://www.costar.com/article/1494723711/us-hoteliers-hope-for-another-demand-boom-with-mother-of-all-spring-breaks

 

 

 

 

Things to Consider Before Choosing a Hotel Channel Manager in 2019

It is necessary to have a wonderful hotel channel manager in the hotel industry. It will let you sell rooms efficiently, reduce the number of unsatisfied guests and minimize your monetary losses as well as reduce the amount of time that you waste on double bookings, under bookings and overbookings. In the absence of a channel manager, hotels need to manually update availability and inventory on every channel. Before picking a hotel channel manager in 2019, here are a few things that you need to consider.

Things to Consider Before Choosing a Hotel Channel Manager in 2019

Real-time updates

Real-time rate and availability updates are important features of any capable hotel channel manager. The channel manager of your choice must let you adjust hotel rates and room availability with convenience. It should be connectible to many booking sites. Thus, when there is booking of a room, the availability should automatically change across every distribution channel.

Channel performance report

A proper channel manager needs to offer you detailed reports on every channel. It will allow you to view how every channel is performing, what has to be fixed, the amount of money that you are making and more. You should get higher visibility on your channel distribution network, which can boost your performance, and reduce your expenses. The channel managers that are best-in-class heavily invest in cutting edge analytics and reports that are easily understandable and show revenues, reservations and occupancy for a particular time period.

Connectivity to many markets and OTAs

You should also check the way your channel manager forms connections to all your preferred markets and various OTAs. The connection established to many OTAs around the globe will let you enter your chosen markets that you supposed to be out of your reach. The process needs to be fast and easy, similar to ending a connection with an Online Travel Agency that you do not regard as important for your business. The best kind of channel managers let you use your most productive channels to advantage, and also experiment with channels that are less apparent and might help you gain access to markets that are tough to reach otherwise.

Support and training

A hotel channel manager of your choice needs to include support as well as training. In case it does not, you will be at risk of losing money and time. Without any training, you will not be able to get familiarity with a new hotel channel manager. It should help you to grasp all the particular features. The support needs to be great as well. Like any other software program, it can come with quite a few problems. When help is required, you need to be assured that it will be available right on time.

Pooled inventory

Proper channel management also needs a pooled inventory model. Make sure that there is sharing of your room inventory across every channel, instead of being manually allocated channel-by-channel. Pooled inventory makes sure that there is proper availability of rooms, so that the hotel rooms may be simultaneously promoted across every channel with no concern of overbooking.

The Week, That Was – July 2018 Week 3

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

Expedia says packages are better for hotels than room-only

Hotels are achieving higher average daily rates (ADR) from consumers who book packages rather than just rooms, according to data from Expedia Group.

The online travel giant said consumers buying packages paid around 30% more in ADR than those making standalone hotel bookings.

https://www.tnooz.com/article/expedia-says-packages-are-better-for-hotels-than-room-only/

 Indian budget hotel endorses RateTiger Channel Manager for online distribution

Kolkata based IndiSmart Hotel has endorsed RateTiger for simplifying online distribution. The property has been using eRevMax’s cloud-based Channel Manager and Shopper for managing their online sales channels and has improved their business operational efficiency.

https://goo.gl/gyX3Jr

Hotels.com launches hideaway hotels category

Hotels.com has introduced the Hideaway Hotels category in response to a lift in bookings in the last two years, with a 60% spike in guests leaving positive reviews for off-the-grid hotels.

https://goo.gl/N3SCFX

Is hotel luxury dead?

When hotel discount brokers offer “luxury” accommodations at $49 a night, as occurred during the recent Independence Day holiday, does the word “luxury” have any useful meaning?

Read the interesting article: http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/is-hotel-luxury-dead/travel-hospitality-event-management#When:13:51:00Z

 How Booking.com is trying to solve travel’s pain points

The CMO of Booking.com explains how the company is trying to ease some of those unhappy surprises. Learn more about it by watching the video.

https://goo.gl/4AoyiF

Google tests location tab for hotel knowledge panels

Google is testing a new location tab and section within the hotel knowledge panels. The location tab contains information that tells you what is around the hotel, including sections such as highlights, top sights and a getting-around section.

https://goo.gl/v4eKcn

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue.
https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

Thanks and have a good day!

Hotel Beacon NYC recommends RateTiger as the most effective channel manager

 Hotel Beacon, a landmark in New York City has highly recommended RateTiger for managing online channel connectivity. The upscale hotel has been using RTConnect for 2-way XML connectivity between its property management system and online sales channels for the last three years to effectively manage all its demand partners seamlessly.

Located in  Upper Westside, right next to Beacon Theater, the hotel with 284 rooms, caters to tourists and business travelers. Given the intense dynamic nature of New York’s hotel market, it has become imperative for the hotel to maintain rate parity and online availability across all major sales channels and metasearch sites. The revenue management team is leveraging RTConnect to update rates and inventory in real-time and receive reservations directly into the PMS thereby giving a clear picture of actual availability at all times. They are also using the advanced analytics available on the LiveOS dashboard to fine-tune their pricing strategy, monitor their booking pace and performance in real-time.

“We highly recommend RateTiger by eRevMax to anyone looking for an effective, online channel manager. We are very pleased with the personalized support and excellent response time, due to which they seem like an extension of our own team,” stated Milja Perkovic, Director of Revenue Management, Hotel Beacon NYC.

“As a technology partner, we are committed to empowering our customers for all their connectivity needs. Being trusted by a prestigious property like Hotel Beacon NYC for streamlining their online distribution shows how well we deliver when it comes to best-in-class technology and premium customer service,” said Alex Moura, Regional Sales Director for North America at eRevMax.

The Week, That Was – May 2018 Week 1

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!


5 Signs It’s Time To Change Your Hotel Property Management System
Hotel property management system (PMS) is the beating heart of your hotel – responsible for streamlining operations, optimizing guest service and maximizing revenue. However, like most technology, it has a limited lifespan. As technology evolves, so will your property’s (and guest’s) unique needs and goals; resulting in the inevitable necessity to reevaluate your current PMS.

https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article99628.html

Hotel OTTO Berlin recommends RateTiger for channel connectivity
Hotel OTTO, an upscale property in Berlin has recommended RateTiger Channel Manager for stable and seamless connectivity with world’s leading OTAs. The hotel, which has been using eRevMax’s award winning distribution solution, has improved its online exposure resulting in positive revenue and occupancy growth.

https://goo.gl/UJ1mm9

How hoteliers can win the upsell gamble with perfect timing
Through 80 DAYS Benchmark we know that the average conversion rate of a 4/5 star hotel website tends to be in the range of 0.4 – 2.0%, dependent on a variety of factors. We also know that a hotel booking engine typically converts at around 4%. Armed with this knowledge, hoteliers should simply upsell during the booking process – while their potential guest is a captive audience?

https://www.eighty-days.com/2018/how-hoteliers-can-win-the-upsell-gamble-with-perfect-timing/

Rimor by Expedia is a Chrome Extension That Will Inspire You to Travel
With the Rimor Chrome Extension, you can turn your blank new browser tabs into astounding images of destinations around the world. You can add favorite destinations, and later look back on them when it comes time to plan a trip.

https://beebom.com/rimor-by-expedia-chrome-travel-extension/

Hotels Have a Growing Guest Loyalty Problem … and They May Not Even Know It
The ability to inspire guest loyalty is, without a doubt, a valuable predictor of long-term success within the hospitality industry. Loyal guests bring recurring revenue, and positive reviews, feedback, and recommendations, inspiring a virtuous circle of reward.

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4088226.html

How “Google My Business” can increase your hotel’s bookings
According to Search Engine Land, local Google reviews are on the rise, with an astounding 278% exponential increase in reviews for US local based businesses (from 2015 to 2016). In this context, managing your hotel’s reviews on Google becomes an important part of successfully managing your reputation and making your hotel visible in search.

http://www.trustyou.com/blog/hotel-tips/google-business-can-increase-hotels-bookings

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue. https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

Thanks and have a good day!

Hotel OTTO Berlin recommends RateTiger for channel connectivity

Hotel OTTO, an upscale property in Berlin has recommended RateTiger Channel Manager for stable and seamless connectivity with world’s leading OTAs. The hotel, which has been using eRevMax’s award winning distribution solution, has improved its online exposure resulting in positive revenue and occupancy growth.

Centrally located, Hotel OTTO is a modern property with 46 rooms catering largely to business travellers. Since 2010, the revenue management team has been using RateTiger to update rates and availability across online sales channels. Following the suggestion from RateTiger’s Connectivity Advisor, the hotel added top OTAs from China and South East Asia in their distribution mix. This improved the hotel’s exposure in upcoming markets and brought a positive impact to their online business

“We have been using RateTiger for the last 8 years and are very satisfied with the services that totally match our needs. Thanks to the diversity of their distribution portfolio (OTA, Wholesalers etc), we can connect with bigger number of distribution partners and have experienced a steady growth in our online business.  Amongst all the products I have used in the market so far, RateTiger remains one of the most powerful and efficient,” said Mihai Cucu, Revenue & Operations Manager, Hotel OTTO.

“Providing hotels with stable connectivity have remained our priority for the last 17 years. We have developed our channel ecosystem for hotels to improve exposure and tap new markets.  We are committed to adding value to our customers, and this recommendation shows how well we deliver when it comes to best-in-class technology and premium customer service,” said Alin Lazar, VP – Sales, Europe & Americas, eRevMax.

eRevMax offers strong connections with over 350 OTAs and 70 technology providers. The company provides channel management, business intelligence and connectivity solutions to hotels, groups and serviced apartment globally.

eRevMax completes 2-way integration with Brazilian PMS provider Check-in

eRevMax has completed integration with Brazilian hospitality software provider Check-in. Mutual hotel customers can now get the benefit of automatic distribution of availability and rate to third party online booking sites whenever they are updated and get reservations delivered from OTAs to the Check-in property management system.
The Alpha, developed by Check-in, is one the largest property management systems in Latin America and is used by over 1800 hotels. eRevMax’s distribution solutions are used by over 9000 hotels to update rate and inventory across multiple booking channels and deliver reservations into PMS. The tools also update availability across connected channels whenever a new booking is made.
“This interface compliments our continuous efforts to offer our hotel customers seamless connectivity between their technology solutions and OTAs. The Alpha PMS, with its modular, easy to use, installable and cloud modules combined with compatibility to work with different models of hotel management gives hotels scalable options. A greater number of hotels can now leverage the benefits of our Channel Ecosystem while streamlining their distribution efforts,” said Ashis Saha, SVP – Project Management, eRevMax.
“This integration will free hotels from manually capturing booking site reservation information into the property management system, resulting in a more efficient reservation process while reducing cost and effort. With this interface, we now provide a 360-degree option to our hotel customers to expand their distribution leveraging eRevMax Channel Ecosystem’s 2-way XML connectivity with OTAs, GDSs, Meta sites and Wholesalers,”  said Moisés Costa, CEO, Check-in.
eRevMax offers seamless connectivity with over 350 OTAs and 80 technology providers. The company is developing its connectivity solutions to offer sophisticated real-time revenue management functionality to the hospitality industry.
Meet the team at WTM Latin America from 3 – 5 April 2018 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. To set a meeting, contact marketing@erevmax.com

 

eRevMax completes integration with TravelBird

 Hotel connectivity expert eRevMax has completed a two-way integration with one of Europe’s fastest-growing holiday specialists, TravelBird. The interface is the latest addition to the eRevMax Channel Eco-system that connects hotels to over 350 online distribution channels.
TravelBird is an online travel company based in Amsterdam, whose passionate travel experts work directly with local tour operators across the world to offer a curated selection of inspiring holidays and travel experiences at great prices.
Active in 11 markets, TravelBird focuses on attracting travellers in the early stages of their trip planning process. The eRevMax interface will allow TravelBird’s hotel partners who use RateTiger and RTConnect to update their room rates and availability with immediate effect, as well as receiving reservations from their customers in real-time.
Pascal van Dalen, Head of Sales at TravelBird, says,“The RateTiger connection enables care-free collaboration between TravelBird and our hotel partners, making partner relations even more scalable and easy to maintain.”
“It has always been of utmost importance for us to offer our hotel customers a diverse range of distribution options through our eRevMax Channel Eco-system. The integration with TravelBird enables our hotels to fill empty rooms or resell a cancelled reservation, reaching a new category of national and international customers and increasing their revenue.” says Ashis Saha, SVP – Project Management, eRevMax.
eRevMax distribution management solutions – RateTiger and RTConnect powered with sophisticated analytics, distribution capabilities and interactive reporting dashboard, help hotels make informed decision based on key insights and streamline all aspects of their revenue management for driving better results. The company eRevMax offers seamless connectivity with over 350 OTAs and 70 technology providers.
Meet team eRevMax at ITB Berlin, Hall 8.1, Stand 132.

Hospitality Technology leaders announce networking event for hoteliers in Toronto


Hospitality connectivity expert, eRevMax has teamed up with industry leaders including Fornova, HRS, Sojern, TrustYou and Vizergy, to host an exclusive gathering for hoteliers on 27th June 2017 in Toronto, Canada. The event, to be held on a yacht at the harbour front, will bring together peers from the hospitality industry to unwind and network over cocktails.
The event is aimed at providing hoteliers and technology providers an interactive platform to exchange ideas and explore collaboration possibilities. The luxurious Miss Toronto, moored at the Toronto harbour front, is just a short walk from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, providing a perfect venue for an evening of fun. 
There are some cool state-of-the-art hospitality technology products worth thousands up for grabs. Aptly titled ‘An Evening of Fun in Toronto’ – this is an Invitation Only event. For more details about the event, please contact marketing@erevmax.com.

Hotel sáv improves efficiency with real-time channel management


Hotel sáv, an up-and-coming business hotel in Hong Kong has improved its online bookings with eRevMax’s solution. The two-year-old property has been using RateTiger channel manager since its opening to manage their room availabilities and rates across multiple online sales channels and increase revenue.
    
Headquartered in Hong Kong, sáv Hospitality is a new lifestyle hotel brand operating four hotels and serviced apartments in Hong Kong, Taipei and Philippines. Two hotels managed by the group are presently using RateTiger for improving their online visibility and occupancy.
 “I have been using RateTiger Channel Manager for a couple of years now and can confidently say it’s the best solution in the market. While the product makes real-time rate and inventory updates on all my connected channels, the Customer Support team is very professional and respond to queries efficiently. I am very happy to use RateTiger for online distribution and cannot ask for more,” said Terrence Chan, Assistant Director of Revenue & Reservation, Hotel sáv, Hong Kong.
“ Hong Kong’s extremely dynamic hospitality market demands hotels to offer updated rates and availabilities across relevant global, regional and meta search channels.  Hotel sáv has been leveraging our channel ecosystem which offers seamless connectivity with key channels like Booking.com, Expedia, Ctrip, Agoda to improve their online exposure and tap new markets,” said Ram Mohan Dubey, Sales Manager, eRevMax.