Generate more reach, reservations and sales – that’s the promise made by Booking.com, Expedia, HRS etc. to attract hotel partners. But you are probably aware that there is another side to this coin.
Firstly, there are the commissions. Weakened brand impact on the online portal and rate parity can also pose challenges.
Should hotels rely exclusively on direct bookings or continue to work with OTAs?
Ideally you would fill all of your rooms through your direct booking channels. But as this is not realistic for most hotels, it is still worthwhile have a presence on Online Travel Agents.
And if you consider a few critical points, it will be a success not only for the OTAs, but for your property, too.
Working the right way with OTAs: key expert tips for you
If you want to do more than just activate your OTA profile and hope for the best, look no further than this Hotel Techie video.
Elisha shares easily implementable yet effective tips for establishing a solid foundation and gaining more control over your OTA sales.
For example, he explains:
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How to control which channels your reservations come in through without throttling room availability.
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Important factors to help your hotel to stand out on Booking.com and Expedia and attract your target audience.
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How online travel agents can even help you to generate more direct bookings.
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How to regularly analyze the results of your OTA partners and renegotiate your contract terms.
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The role of an innovative channel manager like Hotel-Spider for optimizing sales.
He also shares important background information about how OTAs work and their structure. This will help you to make more informed choices about your sales partners and confidently represent your business interests.
Watch the video now to optimize your OTA presence today!