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Online Travel Agencies Looking Elsewhere for Growth; Why Hotels Need to Embrace Innovation
David Ryan PR | October 30, 2018
Take note hotels and hoteliers – you need to start innovating to drive direct bookings. Online travel agents are active in their search for new revenue streams amid changing consumer trends, slowing levels of growth and the effect of the recent Package Travel Directive in the EU. Expect heightened M&A activity in the short term. Expedia confirmed phase 2 of their move into urban markets. TripAdvisor growth coming from non-hotel business and Booking.com looking into offering not just hotels and flights but "a more holistic travel experience". You have to give credit for their proactive approach to diversification. Innovate or D...
Only One Thing Will Disrupt OTAs (and It Ain’t Blockchain)
Douglas Quinby | January 30, 2018
by Douglas Quinby OTA bashing is about as old as OTAs themselves. It's been bountiful fodder for media hype and conference roundtable hysterics for decades. We've heard it all before, from airlines, hotels and the myriad technology companies, startups and consultants that seek to serve them: OTAs are expensive, innovation-stifling gatekeepers who add far more cost than they deliver in value to travel brands or consumers. So many innovations – from GNEs (anyone remember those?) and NDC to metasearch and loyalty programs – were supposed to spell the death knell for OTAs. Just one thing: it never happened, and all those...
Spotlight on… Wholesalers – A Hoteliers Perspective Report
Lily McIlwain | August 28, 2017
By Lily McIlwain "Continued tolerance is allowing wholesalers to cheat and win a game in which we should set the rules." That's what one hotelier had to say when we asked them about the 'Amoma problem'. We've been delving deep into the world of wholesalers and rogue rates for our latest 'Spotlight on...' report, and we've uncovered some pretty contentious issues. We'll also be hosting a webinar based on the report on September 12th - register now to join us! Go to Report Spotlight on... Wholesalers We spoke to 50 hoteliers about their experiences of being undercut by wholesale rates on OTAs like...
OTAs and Hotels: Friend or Foe?
Ryan Sikorski | July 27, 2017
by Ryan Sikorski The relationship between online travel agencies (OTA) and hotels exists along a spectrum ranging from that of cooperation to one of acrimony. The tenor of interactions has historically shifted over time and has done so in each direction. The relationship between the two recently appears to be shifting away from cooperation toward antagonism and this shift perception is supported by recent hotel initiatives and potential legislation. Hotels losing increased control of their bookings as OTAs gain booking share and rising related transaction costs are primary drivers in the change of this relationship. In terms of historic...
As OTA Giants Rise, Google & Amazon Wait Their Turn
Sarah Harkness | September 9, 2015
By Sarah Harkness In the never ending battle between hotels and online travel agents, the first quarter of 2015 saw OTAs gaining valuable ground. Already, the distribution channel which includes players like Expedia, Hotels.com, et al experienced the largest jump in bookings ever. While Brand.com sites saw 7.1% year-on-year gains, OTAs more than doubled that number with a 15.1% increase according to Eye for Travel. As these monsters continue eating up smaller competitors through mergers and acquisitions, hotel brand.com marketing efforts are struggling to keep up with the spend afforded to the Expedias of the world. As a matter of fact,...
