Smart technology maximises hotel room selling, says review
Sunday, 02 Feb, 2011
0
A new breed of technology suppliers is emerging that can help hotels sell their rooms more effectively, according to a new review just published.
According to the latest Hotel Reservations and Distribution Technology Review, which is published by consultancy Genesys, outfits offering automated channel management to hotel groups are on the rise.
This solves a long-standing puzzle for hotel groups. In the past, as more and more web sites have sprung up offering room nights, hotels have found it tough to decide which are the most effective for selling their product.
Until recently, they have had to make decisions about how many rooms to give to each distributor, reached by calculating effectiveness.
Now technology suppliers are using smart connectivity methods to allow hotels to control lots and lots of channels via one system.
Explained Genesys senior partner Paul Richer: “Channel management has become a mainstream issue for hotels. As more and more online distribution channels have been coming on stream, such as the growing number of bedbanks and online travel agents, hotels have been faced with the issue of where best to place their limited bedstock.
“If a hotel attempts to distribute its bedstock via poorly performing channels, it runs the risk of being left with empty rooms or having to drastically reduce its room rates. With so many channels now available, it is difficult for a hotel to know which way to turn."
He added: “Selling online via multiple distribution channels need no longer be a fraught exercise. Hotels now have a choice of several channel management services.
“Hotels can see what channels these services connect through and choose the service that will work best for their particular property.
“Hotels no longer need to sub-divide their bedstock across many channels but can simply provide a single set of availability to the channel management service."
Richer says the review also highlights how hotels are getting more involved in dynamic packaging.
He explained: “Previously the province of tour operators, hotels are beginning to realise that there is money to be made in dynamic packaging.
“From the hotels’ perspective, it will allow them to better control their product and own the customer – an aspect that it vitally important in these times when it has become so easy for consumers to shop around.”
by Dinah Hatch
Dinah
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026