Tooltip-Flag
English
 
Tooltip-Flag
Spanish
 
Tooltip-Flag
Italian
 
Tooltip-Flag
French
 
Tooltip-Flag
German
UK : + 44 (0) 20 7265 1588
USA  : + 1   (321)  251   6559
 
Share this page:

Hotel Channel Management


Managing distribution channels efficiently is probably the best way to build your customer base. eRevMax explains how.

There are a huge variety of channels out there in today’s hotel distribution mix, and maximising and taking advantage of all of them is absolutely crucial to success in the tough and competitive hospitality marketplace.

eRevMax has collated data from various travel research studies for your ready reference. A recent study shows travellers who book hotel rooms online are increasingly equipped with smart phones and tablets. Around 7% of all bookings were generated from mobile and tablet devices in 2013, and this trend is expected to grow by another 20% this year. In 2014, hotel bookings through mobile will contribute over $26 billion.

Bookings from online travel sites (OTAs) surged ahead with a 12% rise in Q3 2013 and now stand at 13% of overall bookings in North America. Further, 33% of all bookings take place at the brand’s website, an increase of 5% in Q3 2013.

These figures continue to reinstate that it’s important for hotels to work closely with OTAs while at the same time develop their mobile distribution strategies.

Meanwhile, in the world of social media, SEO and analytics, failure to adopt digital platforms in their marketing strategy is suicidal for hotels. Research data shows that 81% of tech-savvy travellers find user reviews important, while 49% travellers book hotels only after reading reviews.

Nearly 21% used Facebook to search for hotel information at least once while 14% of these users booked a hotel room using Facebook. It is important that hotels take notice of this social-commerce trend and utilize technologies that offer to manage social platforms and guest review sites easily and efficiently.

Finally, another important tip is to leverage the billboard effect - defined as the increase in direct bookings of a property when it is listed with an Online Travel Agency (OTA).

An experiment conducted by Cornell University observed that one of the participant hotels experienced an impressive 14% increase in direct bookings when it contracted with an OTA. Besides, Average Daily Rate (ADR) for the property increased by 1.5% during the same phase.

A keen understanding of the trends in the industry will help hotels in evaluating and adopting relevant technology solutions to leverage these opportunities in a timely manner.

While you may have a brilliant sales strategy for your property, but if it is not executed well, it may not bring the desired results. Let us help you with your distribution needs, to help you reach your revenue goals. Contact us today to know more about our solutions and services.