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eRevMax publishes market study on ‘The State of Hotel Online Distribution in Middle East’

Leading hotel technology expert eRevMax has today published a market report on The State of Hotel Online Distribution in Middle East. The findings cover a wide cross-section of topics including technology adoption, distribution mix, channel production, online updates, among others.

With more than 108 respondents from 5 countries, namely, UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia, this is one of the most comprehensive study focused solely on online distribution trends in the region.

According to the survey respondents, close to 48% of their reservations come from Online Travel Agencies, followed by Wholesalers contributing 23%. Online direct booking is around 18%, an indication of hoteliers’ challenge in the region to keep up with the shift towards mobile booking.

“The objective of this study is to identify key trends in the hotel online distribution space in the Middle East and understand how the market is evolving with the constant changes in consumer behaviour,” said Gerard Carrie, COO, eRevMax.

The survey also reveals that the Middle East hotel industry are now increasingly investing on travel technology solutions.

Majority of the respondents now use at least three travel technology applications. In lieu with the growth in online bookings, Channel Manager or OTA connectivity solution has become a must have with 64% hotels using it to manage OTAs.

The report is a must-read for hoteliers who want to better understand the trends in the region and establish a benchmark for their approach against competitors in the industry.

Find out the key challenges that Middle East hoteliers are facing with their online distribution. Download the full study today – The State of Hotel Online Distribution in Middle East  

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eRevMax completes integration with Mexican CRS – PMS provider

Hotel connectivity solution provider eRevMax has completed 2-way integration with Front2Go hotel management system. Mutual hotel customers can now leverage the interface to update rate and availability to third party online booking sites whenever they are updated in the hotel reservation system and receive reservations from OTAs.

Developed by Avance Sistemas, Front2Go is an upcoming property management system currently being used by over 200 hotels in the region. Front2Go dashboard allows property owners to manage front desk operations, rates and promotions, and customer loyalty data, consolidating the status of all hotel properties in one place. eRevMax’s distribution solutions are used by over 9000 hotels to update rate and availability across their booking channels and immediately update inventory whenever a booking is made.

“Front2Go is a new generation CRS-PMS software with presence in Mexico and Latin America. Through our new partnership with eRevMax, our mutual customers will benefit from the integrated connectivity to many booking sites provided by RateTiger channel manager.  The availability and rates remain in sync with all online sales channels, while the reservations are received seamlessly into our CRS. This alliance will allow our customers to increase their online presence without the complexities of having to update data in several platforms,” said Alfredo Malo, CIO, Avance Sistemas.

“Our interface with Front2Go provides our customers in the Americas another option to manage online channels cost-effectively without worrying about maintaining online inventory manually across each booking website. The secure XML connection eliminates the need for any manual intervention, allowing hotel managers to focus on key aspects like strategy and guest engagement,” said Ashis Saha, SVP – Project Management, eRevMax.

eRevMax offers seamless connectivity with around 400 OTAs and 90 technology providers. The company is developing its connectivity solutions to offer sophisticated real-time revenue management functionality to the hospitality industry. This includes solutions across the board from independent boutique properties to hotel groups and chain. eRevMax’s Channel Ecosystem facilitates quality certified connectivity and relationship management services to support complex revenue generation strategies.

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Estonian luxury hotel recommends RateTiger for channel connectivity

The Three Sisters Hotel, a luxury boutique property has recommended RateTiger, powered by LiveOS, for fast and seamless connectivity for effective online distribution. The hotel has been using RTConnect, the SaaS based distribution solution by eRevMax to maintain real-time data transfer between its property management system and online sales channels for the last three years, resulting in an increase in online revenue and occupancy.

Located within the 16th century walls of Tallinn’s fabled Old Town, the Three Sisters, a member of the exclusive Relais & Chateaux, is a 5-star boutique hotel offering 23 rooms. The revenue management team is leveraging RTConnect to update rates and inventory in real-time across all major global channels and metasearch sites and receive reservations directly into its PMS. They also use the advanced analytics available on the LiveOS dashboard to go beyond traditional revenue management, and incorporate customer behavior, dynamic pricing, segmentation, distribution and marketing to optimize revenue potential.

“We are very satisfied with RateTiger. The two-way connection is very important to us. We are very pleased with the personalized support and excellent response time,” said Anna Grigoruk, Hotel Manager, the Three Sisters Hotel.

“As a technology partner, we are committed to developing superior connectivity with a range of online sales channels for our client hotels to make the best use of their distribution mix. RateTiger and LiveOS have been built with a vision to make online sales simpler for hotels, and this recommendation is a testimony to that,” said Alin Lazar, Regional Sales Director – EMEA, eRevMax.

RTConnect, eRevMax’s enterprise connectivity solution delivers real-time connectivity between CRS/PMS and around 400 online sales channels including GDS, OTAs, IDS, Metasearch Engines, Wholesalers, Tour Operators and other travel sales companies processing online hotel bookings. It supports full enterprise integration with 2-way XML connectivity; all delivered in a Software-as a Service (SaaS) model for the large independent and group hotels.

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The Week, That Was – May 2019 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!!

Estonian luxury hotel recommends RateTiger for channel connectivity

The Three Sisters Hotel, a luxury boutique property has recommended RateTiger, powered by LiveOS, for fast and seamless connectivity for effective online distribution. The hotel has been using RTConnect, the SaaS based distribution solution by eRevMax to maintain real-time data transfer between its property management system and online sales channels for the last three years, resulting in an increase in online revenue and occupancy.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/may2019-erevmax-estonian-luxury-hotel-recommends-ratetiger.html

5 Distribution dilemmas that hotels must tackle now

From blurring distribution channels to rising commissions and defensive pricing, it is a challenging environment but hotels are fighting back, finds a recent white paper.

https://www.eyefortravel.com/revenue-and-data-management/5-distribution-dilemmas-hotels-must-tackle-now

Hotels need to learn, remember and predict a guest’s specific preferences to offer them a unique, sellable combination.

In an attributed-based model, the concept of room types is eliminated; instead consumers select from a list of attributes – for example a king bed with a sea view on a high floor – to creating a room that meets their needs. Each attribute adds an incremental price to the base room rate.

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/personalisation-2point0/

Booking.com decoupling attractions bookings from hotel reservations

Booking.com is expected to announce Wednesday at a conference in Europe that it is debuting an offering in 10 European and Middle Eastern cities that enables customers to book tours and attractions on a standalone basis without having first to book a hotel room.

https://skift.com/2019/05/15/booking-drops-hotel-requirement-to-book-tours-and-activities/

Hotels: Navigating the complexity of online travel

Rather than resisting new technology and global players, Expedia has called on the hotel industry to be optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead.

http://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/navigating-the-complexity-of-online-travel/

Google experiments with new hotel search layout

Google continues to iterate on its hotel search interface and experience for destination searches. In a new testing experience, clicking on any property in the local pack directs a user to the hotel search page. The clicked property has its card pinned to the top of the page with property information expanded to the full width of the card section.

https://koddi.com/google-experiments-with-new-hotel-search-layout/

 

Two-way chat, a game changer for guests and revenue

By incorporating chat and messaging features within a native app (versus integrating third-party apps), hotels own the experience, data, and security.

https://medium.com/runtriz/two-way-chat-a-game-changer-for-guestsand-revenue-96092dbb7fc

Winding Tree executes “first” hotel booking transaction on public blockchain

The company’s distribution platform was successfully tested by Hobo Hotel Stockholm, a member of the Nordic Choice Hotels group, completing the first-ever hotel booking on a public blockchain.

https://blocktribune.com/winding-tree-executes-first-hotel-booking-transaction-on-public-blockchain/

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

Thanks and have a good day!

 

 

 

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The Week, That Was – May 2019 Week 2

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!!

eRevMax expands in Indonesia with new demand partner

Indonesia based Hoterip.com, one of the fastest growing online travel agencies in Asia, has completed two-way XML integration with travel technology specialist eRevMax to offer online channel management and reservation delivery solution to its growing base of hotel customers. The seamless interface will allow hotels using RateTiger and RTConnect platforms to update rates and availability and receive reservations generated through the channel in real-time

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/may2019-erevmax-expands-in-indonesia-with-new-demand-partner.html

Online Reviews Still Important But Craze is Slowing Down

Revinate published their 2019 Global Hotel Reputation Benchmark Report, filled with insights to help travel marketers compare and optimize their own online reputation management approach. Google gas overtaken Booking in the #1 position, as both sites are now dominating the field, with TripAdvisor coming in as distant third. While 74% of reviews were posted on four sites in 2017, a greater percentage is now contentrated in only the top 3 – Google, Booking and TripAdvisor.

https://fredericgonzalo.com/en/2019/04/10/online-reviews-still-important-but-craze-is-slowing-down/

Hotel industry has to invest more in technology

For some, the hotel industry requires a fundamentally different notion to how it sells and packages merchandise, physical goods and experiences.

http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/295159/Hotel-tech-execs-call-for-industry-to-invest-partner

Customer loyalty in a hyper-segmented hotel landscape

While many hotel branding companies have recently announced reforms in their rewards structures, their programs are still primarily based on a point redemption system.

https://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/customer-loyalty-in-a-hyper-segmented-hotel-landscape#When:18:20:44Z

Webinar: Drive loyalty through a personalized journey

In this webinar, experts from leading hospitality and hotel tech companies will share their insights and strategies on how to enhance customer loyalty.

https://try.traveltripper.com/celebrate-and-nurture-your-guests-webinar/?utm_source=hotelmarketing&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=nurture-your-guest-webinar&utm_content=landing-page

What impact Airbnb might have on the hotel industry in another recession

In 2008, Airbnb was only just launching and really wasn’t a major player, however things may be a little different the next time around, as consumers booking habits have changed and their accommodation preferences have evolved.

https://www.kalibrilabs.com/demystifying-distribution/2019/5/7/what-impact-might-airbnb-have-on-the-hotel-industry-in-another-recession/?ref=hotelmarketing_com

Corporate travel: Sabre survey reveals trends shaping booking behaviour in Asia Pacific

Sabre reveals the results of a survey that compiles insight from over 70 corporate travel management companies (TMCs) from across Asia Pacific, revealing the latest trends in terms of regional bookings.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sabre-corporate-travel-survey-reveals-trends-shaping-booking-behavior-in-asia-pacific-300843880.html

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

Thanks and have a good day!

 

 

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Top tech trends for driving your hotel revenue

With the constant evolution of technology and new trends coming and going, its important for hotels to keep a track of what is happening around them. Knowing the impact of new technology and how it can affect revenue is key to running any business successfully today. The same applies to the travel and hospitality sector which is one of the most dynamic industries today. Given the huge dependence on guest behavior, hoteliers need to know how to influence key decision makers and be visible at every key touch point. Here are some upcoming trends that we feel will have an impact on the industry and hoteliers should take notice and prepare well in advance.

  • Data explosion with 5G Network

The new 5G, with its superfast download speed and other benefits, is sure to have a massive impact on the expectations and behavior of mobile phone users. One can readily access virtual reality and videos and the 5G network is likely to bring a huge change in how guests research and book travel and hotel.  Users will have the opportunity to visualize themselves in their preferred room instead of only seeing the photos.

‘Mobile-first strategy’ will likely rule the trend. Google, being the early adopter like it is, may reward hotels that pro-actively focus on their mobile strategy and penalize the ones that are not at all mobile friendly. Thus, hotels need to make sure their brand website is mobile friendly and has a good page load speed. It’s important to develop mobile focused marketing strategy to capture this segment of guests that like to book things on mobile.

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  • Virtual and Augmented Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) will get a big boost with 5G network. However, AR proves to be more realistic than VR to hoteliers. Why? Real environment is replaced by a virtual one by VR. To visualize this, one needs wearable technology. On the contrary, AR introduces digital components into real environment that one can easily access with smartphones.

Some hotels have already started using this technology like AR-enabled maps and brochures. It is a great opportunity for hotel industry to enhance in-stay and pre-stay experience of their guests.

  • Dominance of Videos

Conveying information through videos is more effective than words because people today prefer watching than reading, especially in mobile phones. Do you know that YouTube is the second largest search engine globally? Facebook too generates huge traffic from its videos every day. With the emergence of 5G, videos will achieve greater importance.

To future-proof business, hoteliers have to invest in entertaining, informational and relevant video advertising. According to Google, videos are likely to capture 80% of online media in the coming years.

With so many innovative technologies coming up in the market, hotels have to optimize these opportunities to reap the maximum benefit for their business.

 

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eRevMax expands in Indonesia with new demand partner

Indonesia based Hoterip.com, one of the fastest growing online travel agencies in Asia, has completed two-way XML integration with travel technology specialist eRevMax to offer online channel management and reservation delivery solution to its growing base of hotel customers. The seamless interface will allow hotels using RateTiger and RTConnect platforms to update rates and availability and receive reservations generated through the channel in real-time.

Following the integration, Hoterip.com joins the ever-growing list of companies that form the eRevMax Channel Ecosystem, thus getting direct visibility to thousands of hotels worldwide that use eRevMax’s connectivity solutions.

“Our interface with RateTiger will give the benefit to us and to our hotel partners to quickly and efficiently manage their room rates, availability and restrictions to their distribution channels. In addition, connecting with eRevMax will give us the opportunity to explore new hotel partners worldwide and improve our room inventory globally,” said Sukadana, Digital Marketing Manager, Hoterip.com.

“The integration with Hoterip.com allows us to offer hotels with wider selection of leading South East Asian channels to choose from and capitalize on the region’s online travel growth story. It will further add on to the eRevMax Channel Ecosystem portfolio thereby helping hotels optimize their distribution efforts,” said Mohnish Singh, Regional Sales Manager, eRevMax.

Hoterip.com is a part of H.I.S. International Group, a Japan based Travel Agent with a worldwide network. It operates Hoterip.com as Inbound Tour Operator providing travel services in Indonesia for over 15 years and continues to grow its operations.

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The Week, That Was – May 2019 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!!

eRevMax expands in Mexico with Grupo Hotelero Santa Fe

Grupo Hotelero Santa Fe (GHSF), one of the leading Mexican hotel companies, has put its trust in award-winning RateTiger Channel Manager and Price Shopping solutions to grow its online business.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/apr2019-erevmax-expands-mexico-with-grupo-hotelero-santa.html

How to train staff on distribution channel conversion

Front-desk employees have the power to encourage known regular guests to book direct. Here are some tips on how to help train your front-line staff on increasing conversions.

http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/294917/How-to-train-staff-on-distribution-channel-conversion

How OTAs optimize conversion across the customer journey

According to the latest Travelport research, 64% of travelers who have researched a trip with an OTA, but did not go on to book, say they prefer to book with suppliers.

https://www.phocuswire.com/Optimize-conversions-across-customer-journey

 

Facebook bid multipliers for hotels

Bid multipliers enable the use of complex, customized bidding strategies without the need to create several different ad sets with relatively small audiences.

https://koddi.com/facebook-bid-multipliers-for-hotels/

 

Research sheds new light on the impact Airbnb has on the hospitality industry

The findings suggest that in some cases, the presence of Airbnb can help attract more demand in some markets while challenging the traditional hotel pricing strategies.

https://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/airbnb-v.-hotels-new-research-sheds-light-on-how-they-can-compete-and-benef#When:17:22:28Z

 

 

Trivago greatly increases its participation in Google Hotels

Buying Google Hotel Ads, which places an advertiser’s hotel rates in Google Search, Maps, and Google Assistant, gives Trivago higher visibility around the world, Chief Financial Officer Axel Hefer told analysts Wednesday during Trivago’s first quarter earnings call.

https://skift.com/2019/05/01/google-hotels-prompts-trivago-to-increase-advertising-in-50-global-markets/

 

Amadeus: Hotels shift from transactional to experiential paradigm predicted within five years

Replacing legacy technology with cloud-based system will enable the hotel sector to transitioning from a transactional to an experiential relationship with its customers.

https://www.travolution.com/articles/111188/hotels-shift-from-transactional-to-experiential-paradigm-predicted-within-five-years

10 Great Mother’s Day Campaigns to Draw Inspiration From

Mother’s Day marketing paradoxically can be both easy and difficult for brands. To stand out, a campaign either must execute perfectly on the standard approaches or add an original twist. What do these sorts of exceptional takes on Mother’s Day look like? Here are ten campaigns from previous years that every marketer can draw inspiration from.

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4093126.html

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

Thanks and have a good day!

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eRevMax expands in Mexico with Grupo Hotelero Santa Fe

Grupo Hotelero Santa Fe (GHSF), one of the leading Mexican hotel companies, has put its trust in award-winning RateTiger Channel Manager and Price Shopping solutions to grow its online business.

Various brands of the group including Krystal Hotels and Resorts, Krystal Urban Hotels, Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort and Hilton Garden Inn Monterrey Airport, among others, have been managing their online distribution via RateTiger’s intelligent solutions, powered by LiveOS. The group benefit from real-time visibility into property level business performance to monitor and improve key metrics like rate, booking production, pace and compliance in a centralized manner.

Located in Mexico City, Grupo Hotelero Santa Fe is leveraging RateTiger’s Channel Ecosystem with over 450 online sales channels to connect and distribute on better producing OTAs, resulting in an increase in occupancy and profits. The revenue management team relies heavily on the ISO and PCI certified solutions that eRevMax offers. It leverages RateTiger’s on-demand rate shopping reports to monitor competition and price movements to take informed rate decisions.   “RateTiger, powered by LiveOS, is a simple tool that provides ease of connectivity and making quick updates across all channels, saving a lot of time and effort. The support team is very good, and we have had a great experience with eRevMax,” said Iván Tapia, E-Commerce Manager, Grupo Hotelero Santa Fe.

“Mexico is one of our key markets in Latin America and we are happy to see that our clients like to use our products. This recommendation is a testimony to our commitment to making online distribution easy for hoteliers. We have invested in building a stable and secure distribution network. Our solutions simplify operations, improve efficiencies and give hoteliers time to focus on strategy,” said Julian Lindt, Latin America Sales Director, eRevMax

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Upscale hotel in Dubai recommends RateTiger, powered by LiveOS

Dubai based Golden Tulip Media Hotel, has recommended eRevMax distribution solutions for smooth and seamless connectivity with all its online sales channels. The property, which has been using RTConnect – the XML gateway for online distribution, has increased its market penetration resulting in revenue and occupancy growth.

The highly competitive Dubai hotel industry is characterized by oversupply of rooms in the city, smaller booking window and high-volume online bookings. Being popular choice of guests, not having the ability to immediately update its rooms and rates was a potential handicap for its revenue stream and constant hindrance on staff.

Prior to RateTiger, Golden Tulip Media Hotel has tried various channel managers to update rates and allotments on different OTAs but there was still a lot of manual task involved. Finding a viable option to solve this became a priority and the revenue management team opted for RateTiger Connect, powered by LiveOS platform, earlier this year.

“This partnership has been wonderful for Golden Tulip Media Hotel. RateTiger has helped integrate many online channels accurately and interfacing with the property management system. Simplicity of the setup, integrating a new channel or modifying an existing one is programmed in a very efficient way. Customer support is great, I like the speed at which my inquiries are answered. And the user interface for the LiveOS dashboard is very comprehensive,” said Moataz Tawfik, Revenue Ecommerce Manager, Golden Tulip Media Hotel.

RTConnect’s pooled inventory model allows the property to continuously distribute rates and availability to multiple booking channels, and deliver updates back into its property management system (PMS) in real-time, without worrying about overbooking. eRevMax’s stable 2-way XML connection with all leading online sales channels have allowed to them to easily connect with better performing OTAs. They can monitor their booking trends across all channels on a single reporting dashboard to react instantly with a more effective distribution strategy.

“We have invested in building stable connectivity with around 450 OTAs and technology providers. Our solutions simplify the operations, improve efficiencies and give hoteliers time to focus on strategy. Being trusted by a prestigious property like Golden Tulip Media Hotel for streamlining their online distribution shows how well we deliver when it comes to best-in-class technology and premium customer service,” said Ram Mohan Dubey, Regional Sales Director APAC/MEA, eRevMax.