Hotels taking control of distribution
In an obvious indication that hotels are increasingly taking control of distribution, a new study shows central reservation offices of major hotels grew almost 27% last year.
Bookings through merchant web sites such as Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity grew by 34%, said TravelCLICK. Opaque web sites such as Priceline and Hotwire decreased by 10%.
“While hotels recognize the key role of the GDS and third-party online agencies, they will continue to look for ways to drive business through their proprietary channels,” said Robert Post, president and CEO of TravelCLICK.
Because of highly effective target marketing, he said, he expects GDS to maintain its 30% share of bookings over the next two years. Voice reservations should continue to decline, he added.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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