The Week, That Was – November 2019 Week 3

eRevMax offers connectivity with Viajes El Corte Inglés

RateTiger, the hotel connectivity solution expert, has completed a two-way integration with one of the leading Spanish travel agencies, Viajes El Corte Inglés. The interface is the latest addition to the eRevMax Channel Ecosystem that connects hotels to over 400 online distribution channels worldwide.

https://bit.ly/2O9d06N

TripAdvisor launches its first self-serve advertising platform

The launch of TripAdvisor Media Manager follows the introduction of a suite of new-to-market advertising services and solutions that enable advertisers to reach more relevant, high intent audiences.

http://ir.tripadvisor.com/news-releases/news-release-details/tripadvisor-launches-its-first-self-serve-advertising-platform

Booking.com to open Genius rates to other OTAs

Starting December 2, your Genius rates will be offered to frequent travelers across all companies within the Booking Holdings family – not just Booking.com.

https://medium.com/@puortosimone/booking-com-extends-genius-rates-to-other-otas-59a7fa242ffe

Google: Travelers search habits are ever-evolving

Today, travelers are not just searching for places, but instead are increasingly searching for experiences that can inspire, excite and provide the new sense of perspective.

https://www.travolution.com/articles/113303/guest-post-consumer-search-habits-are-ever-evolving

Why Millennials increasingly choose travel agents over OTAs

Reports from the field and research studies now suggest that Millennials, more than any other generation, are relying on travel agents when booking their getaways.

https://www.travelpulse.com/news/travel-agents/why-millennials-increasingly-choose-travel-agents-over-booking-engines.html

Airbnb seals $500m Olympics sponsorship deal

Airbnb has signed a $500m deal to sponsor the Olympic Games until 2028, as the accommodation-booking platform targets the world’s biggest sporting event.

https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-and-airbnb-announce-major-global-olympic-partnership

apaleo hits new milestone with 250 properties contracted

Its innovative, API-first approach drastically reduces set-up times, eliminates integration and interface fees, and allows new properties to go live in minutes. With multi-property functionalities, apaleo is ideal for hotel chains that want a simple switch away from inflexible legacy systems.

https://blog.apaleo.com/hotels/apaleo-hits-new-milestone-with-250-properties-contracted

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

Thanks and have a good day!

What is a Hotel PMS?

PMS or Property Management System is a software solution which can be installable or cloud-based for managing hotel operations like handling guest profiles, check-in and check-out, occupancy management, checking room availability and bookings.

The Week, That Was – November 2019 Week 2

Russian upscale hotel recommends RateTiger for optimizing online revenue

Russian upscale property Petro Palace Hotel has recommended RateTiger, powered by LiveOS, for stable connectivity with online sales channels and competitor rate intelligence. The hotel has been a long-standing customer of RateTiger, using Channel Manager and Shopper for its online distribution.

https://bit.ly/2XkNf6A

Wholesalers impact on corporate hotel bookings

A study from American Express Global Business Travel and GfK finds that as many as 40% of US business travelers book outside of policy. This is not good news for hotels that still agree to static net rates, because as wholesale rates start to appear on the CBTs, these hotels will find their negotiated direct corporate rates undercut yet again.

http://www.eyefortravel.com/distribution-strategies/hospitality-staying-open-race-bottom

TripAdvisor: Trip.com deal ‘exciting opportunity’ in China

The strategic partnership between Trip.com Group, the company formerly known as Ctrip.com International, and TripAdvisor includes content agreements, a joint venture and a seat on TripAdvisor’s board for Trip.com Group.

https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Technology/TripAdvisor-Kaufer-Trip-dot-com-deal-exciting-opportunity-in-China

Google pushes travel websites down in free search results

Google dominates the online search market, with at least three quarters of the market. People use the search engine to research trips, so for at least a decade online travel agents have refined their websites with trustworthy content and easy booking tools to show up high in Google results.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-08/google-s-search-ad-embrace-crushes-online-travel-agents

Booking Holdings sees brand collaborations as key to restoring growth on steroids

Are online travel agencies’ glory days, when revenue was growing 25 or 30 percent and room nights booked were jumping at similar clips, long-gone history? Is today’s competition in online travel, with Airbnb breaking through and Google asserting itself ever-more intensely, too rigorous to replicate the robust growth of a few years ago?

https://skift.com/2019/11/07/booking-holdings-sees-brand-collaborations-as-key-to-restoring-growth-on-steroids/

Business Travelers Sentiment Remains Strong With Most Frequent Travelers Wanting Even More Travel

Business travelers remain optimistic and sentiment remains strong despite economic headwinds in some parts of the world. Senior-level business travelers including senior/executive management (74 percent) and directors (77 percent) agree the health of the economy is excellent, according to the second wave of research out today from the GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™ in partnership with RoomIt by CWT™, the hotel distribution division of CWT.

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4095846.html

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

Thanks and have a good day!

The Week, That Was – November 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 upgrades its integration with Miki Travel

Hotels using RateTiger Channel Manager and RTConnect for online distribution and connectivity now can use the seamless interface to publish their contracted rate and availabilities to travel agents affiliated with the wholesaler and receive reservations generated in the channel in real-time.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/nov2019-erevmax-completes-2-way-integration-with-miki-travel.html

6 Great Types of Content for Hotel Website for Increase in Bookings

A good hotel website that is rich in content can help you to attract potential customers and influence them enough to book a room in your hotel. Good content can also improve your hotel website’s search engine ranking. Here are 6 types of great content for your hotel website that can increase bookings.

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/11/6-great-types-of-content-for-hotel-website-for-increase-in-bookings/

Brands see ROI in direct bookings, member discounts

A slowing growth environment in the hotel industry prompts hotel companies to assess the strength and success of their efforts to grow loyalty for their brands. The world’s largest hotel companies are pushing hard for more loyalty members to book directly with them to ensure they get a bigger piece of the pie before the pie starts to shrink.

http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/298891/Brands-see-ROI-in-direct-bookings-member-discounts

Japan: Rakuten eliminates all parity requirements

Japan’s largest domestic online travel platform has officially committed to remove all rate and availability parity obligations in its contracts with the nearly 33,000 hotels listed on its site.

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=2abc6aab-b710-41c2-af7a-be0285ea3ba1

Airbnb to verify all of its listings

Airbnb properties will soon be verified for accuracy of photos, addresses, listing details, cleanliness, safety and basic home amenities. All rentals that meet the company’s new standards will be “clearly labeled” by December 15, 2020.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/06/airbnb-to-verify-all-of-its-listings/

 Kayak launches Kayak Guides

The new feature allows users to create and share personalized travel itineraries with friends, family and fellow travelers. In the near future, travelers will be able to search within Guides for specific locations, themes and more.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-kayak-guides-help-you-find-your-one-in-a-billion-trip-300952032.html

 Booking.com launches third Booking Heroes competition

The competition invites Booking.com customers to tell the world their story of an accommodation provider that made their trip unforgettable. The Booking Heroes competition champions the outstanding hospitality of accommodation providers that offer their guests far more than a place to rest their head. By sharing their stories, customers can earn a chance to win €25,000 of Booking.com travel credit – both for them, and their Booking Hero.

https://globalnews.booking.com/bookingcom-highlights-hospitality-heroism-and-outstanding-travel-experiences-with-its-third-booking-heroes-competition/

Google Promoted Hotels available on mobile

Promoted Hotels placements have been introduced to mobile, expanding their presence on Google Hotel Search. As is the case in desktop search, Promoted Hotels will appear in one to two placements on the first page of the search query and will update based on the filters provided.

https://koddi.com/google-promoted-hotels-available-on-mobile/

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

Thanks and have a good day!

 

 

 

 

 

The Week, That Was – October 2019 Week 5

Pontresina, Main Road, Engadin, Switzerland, Rhätikon

Things to Consider Before Choosing a Hotel Channel Manager in 2019

It is necessary to have a seamless hotel channel manager to manage distribution. It will let you sell rooms efficiently, maximise revenue and reduce the amount of time that you waste on manually managing OTAs resulting in empty rooms or overbookings. Before picking a hotel channel manager, here are a few things that you need to consider.

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/10/things-to-consider-before-choosing-a-hotel-channel-manager-in-2019/

The real value of the bedbank distribution model

Reach, Growth, and Occupancy: the real value of the bedbank distribution model has been commissioned by Hotebeds and explores the unique role that bedbanks play in the hotel industry.

https://www.phocuswire.com/Hotelbeds-value-of-bedbanks-report

Ctrip is now Trip.com

The recently concluded 2019 annual general meeting of shareholders adopted the resolution to change the name of the company from Ctrip.com International to Trip.com Group.

https://www.hotelmarketing.com/articles/ctrip-is-now-trip-com

U.S. travel industry intensifies efforts to draw Chinese tourists

Across the country, the U.S. tourism industry is trying to counter one of the casualties of the trade war with China that is still raging despite a temporary truce this month: a drop in the flow of affluent Chinese visitors to the U.S.

https://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/US-intensifies-efforts-to-draw-Chinese-tourists

 The top 5 things you need to know now in hotel digital marketing: October Edition

This month, the latest digital innovations include Google testing search results without URLs, the benefits of being GDPR-compliant, and the colors that will be making a splash in 2020 design.

https://www.hotelmarketing.com/articles/the-top-5-things-you-need-to-know-now-in-hotel-digital-marketing-october-edition

Meet Team eRevMax at WTM London, Stand TT211 from 4 – 6 November 2019 – contact marketing@erevmax.com to set up a meeting.

Thanks and have a good day!

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 – October 2019 Week 4

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!!

Argentina based Europlaza Hotel & Suites recommends eRevMax for channel connectivity

Europlaza Hotel & Suites, a midscale hotel in the heart of Buenos Aires has recommended eRevMax solutions for managing online distribution. The property has been using RateTiger Channel Manager since 2014 to maintain real-time rate and availability across multiple online sales channels and receive reservations.

https://bit.ly/2BFN2ki

How to Promote Your Hotel to Business Travelers?

Business travelers form one of the major groups of travelers, and this group is increasing with time. Expenses on global business travel are expected to rise by 7% by the year 2020, which means hoteliers have to go that extra mile to attract business travelers to their properties.

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/10/how-to-promote-your-hotel-to-business-travelers/

TripAdvisor jumps on the hotel direct booking bandwagon

TripAdvisor is introducing a direct-booking feature to its Sponsored Placements product for accommodation providers designed to help them boost revenue. With the new feature, sponsored listings will now include a prominent link directly to a hotel’s website to facilitate a booking. Previously, listings linked through to an OTA.

https://www.phocuswire.com/tripadvisor-sponsored-placements-direct-bookings

Google vacation rentals: Booking Holdings is gone, Airbnb is in

Airbnb listings have begun appearing for the first time in Google’s vacation rentals feature in several European cities, including Paris, Amsterdam, and Madrid. Airbnb’s appearance in Google vacation rentals could be a cameo — a small test to see if participation is worthwhile.

https://skift.com/2019/10/22/airbnb-makes-debut-in-google-vacation-rentals-for-now/

Independent hotels disappearing as chains grow

More independent hotels are either joining the big chains or shutting their doors. One of the biggest reasons independent hotels are disappearing is that they’re getting acquired by the large hotel companies or joining them as affiliates to tap into their marketing power.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/21/business/independent-hotels-airbnb-boutique-chains.html

Phocuswright: Capturing the Chinese travel consumer

1.4 billion people strong, the Chinese make up a large percentage of APAC travelers. Capturing Chinese travelers is like netting a big fish. They travel in throngs and have money to spend. This is proven by the travel bookings from the region amounting to USD 420 billion in 2018 and is expected to increase to USD 480bn in 2020.

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/capturing-the-chinese-consumer/

Agoda on moving beyond accommodation

In the past, Agoda was all about hotels. That has changed. Today the company sells flights, tours as well as alternative accommodation which has become a strong pillar of the business. Thailand-based travel platform Agoda says it is focusing on finding the “best inventory” for its customers, operating with the “best tech” and fending off the intense competition in Asia armed with the “best weapons.”

https://www.phocuswire.com/Agoda-John-Broughton-Brown-interview

Meet Team eRevMax at WTM London, Stand TT211 from 4 – 6 November 2019 – contact marketing@erevmax.com to set up a meeting.

Thanks and have a good day!

How to Promote Your Hotel to Business Travelers?

Business travelers form one of the major groups of travelers, and this group is increasing with time. Expenses on global business travel are expected to rise by 7% by the year 2020, which means hoteliers have to go that extra mile to attract business travelers to their properties. Most of the business trippers like to stay in hotels for face-to-face and corporate meetings. The opportunities for business expansion are very high, which has led to a rise in more room reservations, choosing from amazing foods and more. Here are some tips on how to promote your hotel property to business travelers.

How to Promote Your Hotel to Business Travelers

Use social media platforms

The internet is being used too much these days, and there is high demand for social media channels among vacationers as well as among business travelers. They make use of social media platforms to interact with business experts, update themselves on the latest trends in business and find out what their competitors are doing. You can post ads on Face book, YouTube and other websites to offer multi-media experiences to business trippers. LinkedIn is another robust platform that you can use to reach out to business travelers.

Offer them a wide variety of dishes

Business travelers tend to work for more time while traveling, and do not get the time to choose from the available food options in hotels. They like to choose whatever is offered to them. If you offer them the best foods, they will be impressed. It is a good idea to offer them healthy menu items, and provide them with a variety of healthy snacks such as fruits, yogurt, cereal, self-serve toast etc. Offer them vegan meals and gluten-free foods. Ask them whether they suffer from any food allergy, and offer them meals accordingly, so that they can stay fit and healthy.

Offer real-time services

For business trippers, time is something precious. They often spend much time in moving from place to place – such as shuttles, taxis, airport, home etc – before they arrive for rest or check in or to run for their following appointment. You can keep them satisfied with a fast process, like mobile / online check-in, and gathering all the important data and payment processing before guests arrive. You should also ensure a flexible policy for business travelers’ check-out and check-in times, to let them avoid delays in schedule, making life more convenient and ensuring brand loyalty.

Running loyalty programs

Hotels operate loyalty programs that can encourage guests to come back often. These types of programs can let you boost your brand reputation and value in the market. A flexible loyalty program can help hotel groups as well as independent properties to draw in business trippers, and retain repeat business by providing business travelers with the things that they appreciate – such as discounted stays and free nights.

Try to offer amenities that can make trips less tiring for business guests – such as discounted spa services, complimentary beverages and free transportation services. Loyalty programs can drawn in corporate guests very well, and also collect guest information that can be used further to provide them with more personalized services.

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Online travel trends in USA

It’s been a decade since the travel industry has turned around from the global recession. The past 10 years marks the story of remarkable resilience shown by the hoteliers. From accommodation sharing to rate comparison to social selling to travel demand surge – this has been a period of challenges, disruptions and growth.

Fueled by digital innovation, the shift to online travel booking has emerged as a global trend. In 2009, Expedia and Booking – two of world’s biggest OTAs processed around $15 billion in gross bookings. In 2018, they reported gross global bookings of $99 billion and $92 billion, respectively. From $15 billion to $191 billion – this astonishing 1200% increase reflects the change in traveler’s booking behavior and preference.

According to a survey by Wex on US travelers’ booking behavior and preferences ranging in age from 18 to 70, typically 67% of respondents book their travel online with 73% of Gen Z and 76% of Millennial travelers doing so. The online travel market in US, although near saturation, has been outpacing the overall market and now amounts to US$103 billion. While OTAs are expected to control 41% market share in 2020, Expedia and Booking Holdings continue to dominate in the U.S., with the two collectively representing 92% of the OTA market. In this post we take a deep dive into OTAs in the region who are playing vital role in shaping the digital travel.

Expedia

In 2018, 350 million room-nights were booked through Expedia, making hotel reservations its biggest source of revenue. Following the merchant revenue model, the company buys up a large number of hotel rooms at a lower rate and receives booking payments from the customer. Through a network of branded travel booking sites, including Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, Wotif, Egencia, Vrbo along with the metasearch platform Trivago, the group has been able to drive a loyal user base. The Expedia platform had over 1 million properties (including 370,000 of HomeAway vacation rentals) with its site receiving 675 million monthly site visits and its mobile app being one of the most popular one across platforms.

For listed hotels, the company provides an easy-to-use console Expedia Group Partner Central to manage their properties, join promotions and packages to attract travelers, and maximise revenues.

Egencia is the business travel management service offering accommodation, flights, activities, and more to businesses who wish to leverage their services to find the best deals for travelers.

Booking.com

Everyday over 1.5 million room-nights are booked on Booking Holdings platform making it the largest online travel agency in the world, and has a portfolio of popular OTAs, including Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda and Kayak.  Booking.com, its flagship brand largely works on the agency model acting as agents on behalf of accommodation providers. Hotels pay the OTAs once the booking has been paid in full by the guests. Its loyalty reward system called Genius provides members with discounts and rewards which increase as the member books more through the site. Booking.com has been steadily making inroads in the US market which has been historically dominated by Expedia.

Listing on Booking.com is a rather simple process. Accommodation providers need to visit the registration page and complete the instructions. It’s important to select the property type to ensure right category listing. The commission-based service even offers 24/7 multilingual assistance and markets your property on various search engines. Booking.com provides its client properties a Visibility Dashboard with the relevant data to track and improve your visibility in the search results. Hotels can also take advantage of its Genius and Preferred Partner Programme for better visibility.

Airbnb

Over the last couple of years, Airbnb has emerged as a preferred channel for independent and boutique hotels. In fact, properties listed as boutique hotels, bed and breakfasts, and other hospitality venues like hostels and resorts have grown by 152 percent in the last one year. The platform has also emerged as a preferred option for last-minute bookers, which is expected to get further boost following its acquisition of HotelTonight and cross-promotion across these channels. Since last year, Airbnb has been highlighting hotels more prominently on its website and introduced a loyalty program. Earlier this year, the company has eliminated guest fee on new hotel listings making it more competitive with traditional OTAs. To list their properties on Airbnb, hotels need to match guidelines set by the channel like:

  • Vibrant common gathering spaces / events
  • Guest rooms with personal touches that are individually unique and/or local in design
  • High-quality photos on the listing page that showcase the design of the property and what guests can expect
  • Accessibility features that are helpful to guests with limited mobility

Hotels.com

A part of Expedia group, Hotels.com is a strong brand available across 85 local websites in 35 languages. The channel receives over 60 million unique visitors per month.  It’s loyalty program Hotels.com® Rewards has over 15 million members. With a fully responsive mobile site and mobile app with over 50 million downloads to date, customers can book on the go with access to 20,000 last minute deals. To list a property, hoteliers need to apply through Expedia Partner Central (EPC). As part of the Expedia group, the listing gets featured across all Expedia sites including Orbitz.com, Expedia.com, and Travelocity.