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The Week, That Was – May 2021 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

Reef Boutique Hotel drives its travel recovery strategies with RateTiger

One of the most sought-after properties in Bahrain, Reef Boutique Hotel, has recommended RateTiger for helping implement its recovery strategies for online sales growth. The 5-star address is seeing a surge in direct bookings since its implementation of RateTiger booking engine.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/may2021-erevmax-reef-boutique-hotel-drives-travel-recovery-strategies-ratetiger.html

Booking.com’s narrative for post-pandemic travel

The company’s new narrative is all about deeper value, better choice, increased flexibility and transparency as well as more thoughtful experiences.

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/05/20/bookingcom-s-cmo-arjan-dijk-the-emerging-post-pandemic-traveller

Top OTAs in China back on track

Trip.com Group, China’s largest online travel agency, reported higher-than-expected financial performance for Q1, indicating resilient recovery of China’s domestic tourism market. Both domestic hotel and air ticketing reservations have fully recovered.

http://epaper.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202105/20/WS60a59b7ea31099a2343563e3.html

Survey finds caution being replaced by eagerness to travel

According to GetYourGuide’s Reopening Research report, more than half – 56% – of respondents say they plan to travel within the next six months, which the report classifies as “eager.

https://www.phocuswire.com/getyourguide-survey-finds-caution-being-replaced-by-eagerness-to-travel

E.U. Reopening Borders To Vaccinated Travelers, Those From “Safe” Countries

European Union announced its decision to reopen its borders to visitors who have been fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine or those who are coming from a list of “safe” countries from a COVID-19 perspective.

https://www.travelagentcentral.com/europe/e-u-reopening-borders-to-vaccinated-travelers-those-from-safe-countries

 Airbnb sees a new kind of business travel emerging

That new kind of business travel would include more employees working remotely and returning to headquarters occasionally, and they may prefer to rent an Airbnb accommodation over a hotel.

https://www.businesstravelnews.com/Lodging/Airbnb-Remote-Workers-Could-Spur-New-Kind-of-Business-Travel

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!

 

 

 

 

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The Week, That Was – May 2021 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

Are you attending ATM Dubai 2021?

Dubai is preparing to ride high on international tourist arrivals. Meet Teba Mezher from 16th to 19th May at the show to discuss changing guest behavior and new booking trends – find out how RateTiger can help your hotel achieve revenue targets. Book a meeting today –https://www.erevmax.com/eshots/invites/erevmax-invite-atm2021-register.html

Mining the new signals in travel marketing

Consumer behaviors and attitudes toward travel purchases have shifted in the past 12 months. Brands need to grasp their prospects’ current mindsets, and look at more signals than ever before in order to segment your audiences to find the best prospects and drive ROI.

https://www.phocuswire.com/Marketing-tactics-to-think-about-as-travel-attempts-to-recover

STR: UK to lead hospitality recovery in Europe

April saw the first increase in occupancy across major cities in Europe, but the increase ranged only from 5% to 15%.

https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/accommodation/uk-to-lead-hospitality-recovery-in-europe-says-str

Mirai: Google free booking links impact; time for the numbers

The share of free booking links averages 17% in clicks and 11% in sales, according to Mirai data.

https://www.mirai.com/blog/google-free-booking-links-impact-time-for-the-numbers/

Airbnb’s brand vs. Booking.com’s performance marketing – is there a playbook for recovery?

2020 was certainly not “another-day-in-the-office” type of year for the travel industry. But Airbnb deserves a section on its own in the annals of that cataclysmic year.

https://www.phocuswire.com/Airbnb-brand-vs-Booking-com-performance-marketing

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!

 

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The Week, That Was – April 2021 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!!

Expedia launches virtual agent for advisors and travelers

Travel advisors who are members of the Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP) now have access to new virtual agent technology within the TAAP platform. Virtual agent can cancel bookings or check the status of a client’s refunds.

https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Expedia-Travel-Agent-Affiliate-Program-virtual-agent

Europe’s hotels see values fall but longer-term outlook strong

All hotel have been affected but mainly upscale and luxury properties with more exposure to group and convention demand as well as international visitors.

https://hvi.hvs.com/DocumentDownload/3876.pdf

Chinese travelers: Back on the road?

The Chinese luxury consumer’s enthusiasm for global travel stuttered to a halt during the pandemic. Signs are it could pick up again soon, starting with the Asia-Pacific region.

https://www.voguebusiness.com/consumers/chinese-travellers-back-on-the-road

STR: February US hotel performance shows promising signs

Occupancy reached 45.3%, its highest level since October 2020, and that’s not the only good news on the horizon.

https://www.costar.com/article/653606065/february-us-hotel-performance-shows-promising-signs

BCD Travel introduces new hotel rate benchmark capabilities

The new solution will provide BCD Travel’s clients increasingly accurate standard market rate benchmarks.

https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/bcd-travel-and-gimmonix-announce-strategic-partnership-to-enhance-standard-rate-benchmark-capabilities-for-business-travel-clients-301255797.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!

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The Week, That Was – March 2021 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!!

The tallest hotel in the world leverages RateTiger for online revenue growth

One of the finest hospitality addresses in Dubai, Gevora Hotel, has recommended RateTiger for efficient online distribution and channel management. The four-star luxury property has been using the RateTiger product suite, including RTConnect for 2-way ARI and reservation transfers between OTAs and hotel PMS, GDS distribution and Review Management, all powered by the LiveOS platform.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/mar2021-erevmax-tallest-hotel-world-leverages-ratetiger-online-revenue-growth.html

Google makes hotel listings free – are you ready to grab the opportunity?

The recent news of Google making Hotel Listings free has created a lot of stir in the travel segment. Is your hotel taking advantage of this opportunity? If you are looking for a #distribution partner to help you update ARI across your connected online sales channels, have a look at RateTiger today. Through seamless integration with hundreds of OTAs and metasearch channels including Google Hotel Ads, RateTiger is your go-to channel manager. Read more about Google’s free listing and contact us on marketing@erevmax.com to find out how we can help your property attract more guests –https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2021/03/google-makes-hotel-listings-free-are-you-ready-to-grab-the-opportunity/

Return to business travel quicker in Asia Pacific than worldwide

A study by business news channel CNBC found the Asia-Pacific region is the only among those surveyed where a majority of corporate chief financial officers expect a rebound to pre-pandemic levels of business travel within three years.

https://www.traveller.com.au/business-travel-and-covid19-travelling-for-work-likely-to-decline-after-pandemic-h1ujkq

Travel Leaders: One-third of clients have booked their next trip

Beyond the third that have already booked their next vacation, 24 percent are currently planning their next vacation.

https://www.luxurytraveladvisor.com/your-business/travel-leaders-one-third-client-have-booked-their-next-trip

How OTAs add value to independent hotels

More than 95% of small and medium accommodations in Europe have expanded their global customer base through OTAs, a new research suggests.

https://www.consultancy.eu/news/5857/how-online-travel-agencies-add-value-to-sme-accommodations

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!

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Google makes hotel listings free – are you ready to grab the opportunity?

Hotels can now display rate and availability without taking part in Google PPC

For long, Google has remained the Elephant in the Room for the hotel industry. In the last five years, the search -engine giant has consolidated its place as the leader in the meta search, now accounting for over 57% all metasearch bookings.

It is the first place to go for many people when they start their search. Google has now made it free for hotel owners and travel agencies to list their properties on Google Search.

When a potential booker selects a hotel from the search option, in the booking module, the overview section is now showing four paid listings under the Featured options and two organic search results. Clicking on the Prices Tab, the user would be able to see all four paid listings along with all search results.

This section is now showing booking links from unpaid listings as shown in the organic search by hotels and travel companies.

This is a major opportunity for hotels. Hotel booking links have always been offered via Google Hotel Ads, which acts like a metasearch channel displaying real-time pricing and availability for hotels for specific dates of travel. With this new development, this barrier is removed and gives hotels a chance to display their direct rates and booking links without worrying about metasearch budget.

This opportunity is available for all the hotels through their Hotel Center account. Hotels which are already taking part in Google’s Hotel Prices API and Hotel Ads do not need to take any action and will be shown in All Options based on the organic search ranking.

The ranking of the organic search results will be based on an algorithm that looks at non-commercial factors, and pricing accuracy will be ensured through new tools and processes as well as using reliable data sources.

Google has a list of integrated partners including RateTiger through which hotels can feed data sources for booking links. If you are interested in displaying your rates on Google Hotel Ads, contact us today on marketing@erevmax.com

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5 tips to optimize your hotel’s profile on Booking.com – Part 3

Through this series, we are highlighting some of the deals and promotions that you can leverage to attract more business to your property through Booking.com.

In the third part of this series, let’s look at Flexi Rate and how and when to activate it.

Be more flexible with your rate policy

Thanks to the uncertain times we are living in, traveler behaviour has gone for a radical shift in the past one year. With flights being rebooked and travel plans being bumped, many guests are now wary of sudden change in plans.

According to a survey done in April 2020 by Booking.com, 73% of customers cited free cancellation as their main reason for booking a property. A fully flexible rate plan allows hotels to offer potential bookers more freedom in case their travel plans or general circumstances change.

However, because of its flexible nature, this rate plan is also the most expensive one making it the most profitable for hotels.

Flexible – 1 day policy

Due to the ongoing pandemic, most hotels across the world have taken a flexible approach to their pricing policy. Booking.com has recently created the Flexible – 1 day policy which allows hotels to quickly extend all your free cancellation periods to one day before check-in. This basically means a guest can cancel for free until 24 hours before the check-in. After that point, they will be charged the cost of the first night if they decide to cancel.

Benefits of the Flexible – 1 day policy

  • Drive more bookings by potential guests looking for flexibility.
  • Improve visibility in search ranking.
  • Decide which rates you want to convert to ‘Flexible – 1 Day’ policy and have full control on all rates.

Adding Flexible Rate Plans

Hotels can create and manage the Flexible Rate Plan either from their RateTiger Channel Manager platform or from the Booking.com extranet. For any queries or to see how to set up this Rate, contact us today –marketing@erevmax.com

 

 

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5 tips to optimize your hotel’s profile on Booking.com

We are glad to bring you a short series of posts, where we will cover 5 specific tips on how you can optimize your hotel’s profile on Booking.com and attract more reservations.

Through our 5-tips series, we will share 1 recommendation on each post and explain how you can utilize it to your hotel’s advantage. Starting with the first of this series, lets talk about the Genius Program.

Join Booking.com’s Genius Program

Genius is an exclusive loyalty program which brings partner hotels and frequent bookers closer.

According to Booking.com data, on average, hotels taking part in the Genius program have experienced increase in their bookings by 18% and revenue by 17% – even including the cost of discount.

Hotels taking part in the Genius program gets a special Genius tag, ranking boost and better visibility in search results on Booking.com which helps in getting more bookings faster.

The property is displayed to a select group of customers who travel more often, book further in advance, and spend more when booking.

Hotels can always check their eligibility on the booking.com extranet:

https://admin.booking.com/hotel/hoteladmin/extranet_ng/manage/genius.html?lang=en&ref=menu&ses=9a4c805441d3dabfc9d218c48e008cf2&hotel_id=522903.

If the eligibility criteria are met, they can sign up to Genius via the “Opportunities” tab in their Booking.com Extranet.

The participating partners automatically enable the mandatory 10% Genius discount on their least expensive or most popular room and start attracting high-value Genius guests.

To know more about the perks of becoming a Genius Hotel Partner, click here.

If you are looking for assistance with managing your online channels, contact us today.

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The Week, That Was – March 2021 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!!

Travel Tech Announces First 2021 Virtual Conference for USA & Canada, from March 8-12, 2021 

Join us to explore new business frontiers and discover innovative technologies. Hear from experts on how they are adapting to the new normal and generating revenue opportunities for their business. 

The event will provide North American hotels with technology-based educational resources & actionable strategic updates, designed to support their financial recovery. 

Register Now for all five days of the Travel Tech USA & Canada conference - https://event.webinarjam.com/register/1/x463mfm 

 Business travel in the age of Covid-19 

 Business travelers rely more on their corporate travel booking partner to ensure travel accommodations are safe, and making last-minute changes as government policies shift. 

 https://www.travelerstoday.com/articles/49160/20210303/business-travel-in-the-age-of-covid-19.htm 

 Italy has a new way to combat overtourism 

 Before travel opens up again, Florence wants to make sure things will not return to the way they were before. One way to make sure of that? Diverting visitors away from Florence itself. 

 https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/uffizi-diffusi-tuscany-galleries-overtourism/index.html 

 TripAdvisor’s new subscription model wins fans on Wall Street 

 With TripAdvisor Plus, the fees that hotels normally pay the company will instead go to the consumer. 

 https://www.barrons.com/articles/tripadvisor-stock-new-wins-a-fan-on-wall-street-51614709413 

 When can we go on vacation again? This is what experts say 

 While travel experts are optimistic that things will slowly begin to open up again this year, how quickly that happens will depend on where you are, where you want to travel to. 

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/when-can-we-go-on-vacation-again/index.html 

The changing face of travel payments 

Travel players are putting together preliminary itineraries for consumers looking to book trips but holding off on taking payments. 

https://www.pymnts.com/travel-payments/2021/the-changing-face-of-the-travel-payments-supply-chain/ 

 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!

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Hoteliers to stay cautious as per eRevMax’s Hotel Sentiment Outlook 2021

eRevMax has published an in-depth Hotel Sentiment Outlook for 2021 based on hotel survey conducted in December. The report highlights varying levels of business confidence among hoteliers with Middle East showing strong travel rebound while most Western markets are far from normalcy.

The travel sector is unpredictable and with the spread of the new Covid 19 strain, the situation continues to look grim. The survey shows that hotels are cautious and looking for ways to generate new business.

As far as expectations regarding the time required for the market to recover and reach pre-Covid levels, the industry is largely divided. Around 40% of participating hoteliers felt that the travel industry will take up to 2 to 3 years to reach pre-Covid levels of business. While short term recovery has been witnessed in some regions, by and large, hoteliers feel that recovery will take longer, possibly by 2024. Almost 75% respondents believe that there will be a spike in domestic tourism while all other segments of tourism – MICE, corporate and foreign travel will continue to underperform over the next few months.

The survey findings show that hotels are prioritizing online sales to drive demand with channel management and booking engine solutions, even as there is a definite shift to automated touchless solutions.

To know more such key insights, please download the full report – https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/jan2021-erevmax-hotel-survey-highlights-varying-levels-business-confidence.html

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The Week, That Was – January 2021 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!!

Hoteliers expect group business to return in late 2021

Group business was nearly nonexistent in 2020, but hoteliers are preparing for its likely return in the latter part of 2021 and continued growth in 2022.

https://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/306365/Hoteliers-expect-group-business-to-return-in-late-2021

The future of business travel

There is hope across society that what returns after the pandemic is a better version of what came before. Whether it’s cleaner planes, easier transfers, greater connectivity, or environmental friendliness, there is just the same hope for the future of business travel.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/adigaskell/2021/12/29/the-future-of-business-travel/?sh=4858827b2e09

Will a vaccine bring back leisure travel?

More than 20% of people said they would start planning a trip in January, and 45% saying they would be planning in the first quarter of 2021.

https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-covid-19-consumer-sentiment-study-volume-11/

Travel trends 2021: Many are seeking more international and luxury destinations.

With 2020 vacation budgets mostly untouched, some people now have extra money to spend.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/travel-trends-for-2021-many-are-seeking-more-international-and-luxury-destinations-11609344430

TUI optimistic for 2021, expects “a largely normal summer.

Travel group TUI is hopeful about the summer season of 2021, as most European countries have started rolling out vaccines against the coronavirus.

https://nltimes.nl/2021/01/02/ceo-tui-optimistic-2021-expects-largely-normal-summer

Why it’s still the Roaring ‘20s for hotel revenue management

Today’s economic environment requires revenue managers to become broader leaders by demonstrating that revenue optimization is so much more than forecasting.

https://www.phocuswire.com/why-its-still-the-roaring-20s-for-hotel-revenue-management

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!