Sweden Hotel recommends RateTiger solutions for its affiliated hotels

Sweden Hotels, the personal hotel chain of Sweden has endorsed RateTiger as its preferred Channel Manager for all its affiliated properties across the country. Founded in 1977, the group has over 60 properties with three-and four-star hotels spread across Sweden all starred under European Hotel Stars Union.

RateTiger Channel Manager and Rate Shopper products are amongst the best available in the market for hoteliers who want to retain control of their rates and availability being marketed and sold through various booking channels.  The purpose of this strategic partnership is to make it easier for our member hotels to select the most suitable technology solution to find their best match in channel management solutions,” said Eva Palmgren, CEO, Sweden Hotels.

The leader in  online distribution, channel connectivity, market intelligence and revenue management solutions, eRevMax’s flexible, multi-platform solution to manage online sales and exposure, has been used by over 20,000 hotels across the world. This endorsement from Sweden Hotels will allow all member hotels of the chain to streamline their online distribution through rate shopping, channel management, reservation delivery and guest review management and expand their distribution network.

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OTA Consolidation – preparing ourselves for better sales procedures

In recent years there have been big changes within the travel industry, but perhaps none quite so big as the ongoing consolidation of some of the major players in the OTA sector. In the past few years we’ve seen Go Voyages merged into the AXA brand and Amadeus sold Opodo in 500 million Euros. There are remarkably few mid-sized OTAs left, so how is this affecting OTAs, customers, and other divisions of the travel industry? For hotels themselves, the outlook is good. With consolidation helping the OTA market to grow by an estimated 25 percent each year, there are more and more opportunities for increasing visibility.


In the competitive market ‘Big boys’ in the travel space offer consumers a better choice, but the way our industry has developed this fragmentation is causing consumer confusion without necessarily leading to better value. This is the reason hospitality industry moving to the positive direction that will simplify travel purchases through consolidation.

TBOHolidays joins eRevMax Channel Ecosystem for seamless connectivity

Dubai-based TBO Holidays has recently completed a two-way XML integration with eRevMax to boost online revenue to its fast growing portfolio of hotel partners. Accommodation providers will now be able to make real-time ARI (Availability, Rate & Inventory) updates and receive bookings generated on multiple channels through eRevMax’s online distribution platforms, RateTiger and Connect. This will significantly help TBOHolidays to expand its inventory base by becoming a meaningful demand partner for the eRevMax client base.

The Middle East, particularly Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Oman are becoming the ‘go to’ holiday destination for westerners due to the warm weather, luxury hotels and breathtaking skyscrapers. TBO Holidays had reported an ‘unprecedented triple digital growth’ in the past three years, which sparked the need for a more efficient and effective system. Commenting on the partnership Gaurav Bhatnagar, Managing Director of TBOHolidays said this integration will give them the ability to manage growing base of customers in the Middle East with superior technology provided by eRevMax.

Auris Hotels Partners with eRevMax for Superior Distribution and Visibility

Auris Group, a Dubai-based hotel chain with luxurious properties throughout the Middle East, has recently completed a two-way integration with eRevMax that allows them to update rates and rooms inventory automatically through eRevMax’s Connect distribution system. This integration is done at a time when the Auris Group is implementing a high level digital reputation and marketing strategy that will guarantee rate parity on all channels, market parity, digital visibility and availability.


One of the largest groups in the Middle East Auris preeviously had been managing channels and booking processes independently, but with hoteliers across the Middle East collectively encouraging tourism, particularly to areas such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, this was no longer a suitable option. Auris Managing Director Hatem Gasmi, reports that Connect has made it possible to meet new and improved business objectives that includes increased visibility and marketing for their pipeline projects.

Barteo – 365nights.com completes XML integration with eRevMax

365nights has recently partnered with eRevMax, utilising the RateTigerdistribution system to make real-time ARI (Availability, Rates & Inventory) updates and receive bookings generated on the channel through eRevMax solutions directly into their property management system. The French-based company are confident that the ease of use and immediate results will boost their client portfolio whilst keeping existing users happy. 365nights chose RateTiger as they were looking to focus on “reliable connectivity which will save time and energy”, according to CEO Thomas Hiley and for a system that would simultaneously manage availability, rates, and inventory.

Launched in 2013, the France based price comparison site allows potential guests to negotiate on the price of the room directly with the hotel and in real time, before making an actual booking. Greg Berman, Chief Operations Officer at eRevMax said with this partnership 365nights.com will become certified eRevMax channel ecosystem partner through which both the channel and the hotels will be benefitted.

HMH Partners with eRevMax to Improve Online Sales for its Hotel Portfolio

Hospitality Management Holdings (HMH), a Dubai-based property management group, has announced that it plans to expand its portfolio with five new hotels opening this year alone, which has meant an urgent need for a rate and inventory management system to ensure all properties, both old and new, are digitally standardised. HMH CEO Laurent A. Voivenel was familiar with RateTiger Suite via word of mouth (WOM) marketing, and has recently completed integration with the software that allows for two-way real time ARI updates for all properties which meets the group’s growing demand for efficient and effective management systems. HMH anticipates that RateTiger Suite will boost revenue whilst being simple to execute.


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Rocco Forte Hotels partners with eRevMax for real-time price intelligence

Rocco Forte Hotels, a collection of luxury brand operating throughout Europe, has partnered with eRevMax to maintain their everyday business plan. Using RateTiger Shopper, Rocco Forte Hotels have been able to determine and identify trends in competitor pricing, allowing them to amend their own rates as necessary in order to attract customers and boost sales whilst still maintaining adequate revenue. Group Director of Revenue Management at Rocco Forte, Christopher Cooper, has found that the integration with RateTiger Shopper has encouraged ‘more intuitive rate decisions’ and formed a more solid revenue strategy. Further, they will also get benefit from eRevMax’s new Managed Reports service, a high end accurate data to be delivered directly in their email id.
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The Indian Traveller 2014

The third largest economy in the world India is becoming on the major player in travel space. Despite a slower economy and foreign exchange volatility, over 15 million Indian travellers are planning foreign trip shows an infographic, recently released by eRevMax. The Middle East and Far East have certainly been leaders so far but interestingly, India is catching up.  The infographic reports that 33 percent of travel-related searches within India are now made online, with mobile being the preferred choice. The solutions provider suggests regional online travel agents should focus on connecting the hotesl of Middle East and APAC region to gain more revenue.


To access the full infographic, click Infographic: The Indian Traveller 2014

eRevMax predicts hotel online distribution trends 2014

As technology advances and the world of social media expands, more and more travelers are turning towards smart phones and tablets to book hotel rooms. eRevMax, the leader in hotel online distribution and channel management solution has released an Infographic “Online Hotel Distribution” to provide hoteliers with upcoming trends backed by relevant data.


Travelers who book hotel rooms online are increasingly equipped with smart phones and tablets. The infographic shows 7% of all bookings were generated from mobile and tablet devices in 2013, and this trend will grow by another 20% this year. In 2014, hotel bookings through mobile will contribute over $26 billion.


The eRevMax study sheds light on how metasearch sites realized a 13% increase in 2013. Google Hotel Finder, TripConnect and Trivago are becoming a driving force in hotel online distribution as 60% of travellers shop by comparing rates on these sites. To shift market share from the OTAs to direct bookings, hoteliers should utilize metasearch sites as a part of their overall distrbution strategy as it offers better search experience and allows the traveller to find the lowest prices available online.

Bookings from OTAs surged ahead with a 12% rise in Q3 2013 and now stands at 13% of overall bookings in North America. It also shows that 33% of all bookings take place at the brand’s website, an increase of 5% in Q3 2013. eRevMax suggests hoteliers work with OTAs to increase revenues and implement reputation management solutions for quick responses to their guests.

Another important tip by the hotel solutions provider is to leverage the billboard effect, defined as the increase in offline bookings of a property when it is listed with an Online Travel Agency (OTA). An experiment conducted by Cornell University observed that one of the participant hotels experienced an impressive 14% increase in direct bookings when it contracted with an OTA. Besides, Average Daily Rate (ADR) increased by 1.5% during OTA listing of the same property. 

In this world of social media, SEO and analytics, failure to adopt digital platforms in their marketing strategy is suicidal for hotels. The data shows that 81% of tech-savvy travellers find user reviews important, while 49% travellers book hotel only after reading reviews. Nearly 21% used Facebook to search for hotel information at least once while 14% of travellers use the Facebook platform to book a hotel room. Hence, it is imperative that hotels take social-commerce seriously. 

To access the full infographic, click Infographic: Online Hotel Distribution 2014

Top 5 Trends in Hotel Technology: Infographic

It’s no secret that the travel industry is changing and the majority of these changes are happening because of the evolution of guest preferences. Today, a comfy bed and clean bathroom simply aren’t enough and hotels are now expected to have the most up-to-date technologies if they want to keep ahead of the game. eRevMax recently released an infographic, showing what guests expect in terms of technology when they book a hotel today. A whopping 85 percent of travellers prefer free WiFi, while 38 percent cite WiFi is a priority factor before choosing a hotel.
 

Additionally, 40 percent of travellers travels with three or more electronic devices, so mobile optimised websites are one of the most important factor to the tech-savvy travellers these days. eRevMax suggests hoteliers to provide the service for free to guests who enroll for their select programs, for starters. Such services may be made exclusive for gold and platinum level members or accessible in lobbies of full-service properties.
To access the full infographic, click Top 5 Trends in Hotel Technology