- Written and researched byRobert Cole and Lorraine
Channel Optimization in Hospitality: Secrets of Data-Driven Hoteliers
Consumers have access to an unprecedented number of options to shop and book hotels, with new choices continually emerging. Not only does the popularity of different channels vary due to technology enhancements, but it is increasingly difficult to treat the channels as unified booking sources.
Phocuswright research indicates a recent inverse relationship between OTA and supplier-direct website booking trends. But the environment is more complex, with metasearch impacting OTA share and hotel call volume impacted by mobile device use.
The significant growth in OTA bookings in 2015 that corresponded with a drop in direct supplier website bookings may have been the catalyst that resulted in several major hotel groups launching “book direct” campaigns. While hotel brands and management companies may take a top-down approach to channel optimization, the individual property must always realize that a bottom-up perspective should ensure channels are being optimized for that property.
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Excerpt from the white paper published by Phocuswright:
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