Category: Hotel Online Distribution

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HSMA Pricing & Distribution Day 2014

Marriot Frankfurt witnessed an interesting event last month when the HSMA Pricing & Distribution Day 2014 took place. The forum aimed to inform members about the latest developments, trends and innovations in hotel pricing and distribution.


I was happy with the structure of this full day event as it allowed members to attend sessions that were relevant for them. The day started off with the welcome address by HSMA Germany chief, which was followed by key note session on “The hotel industry explained in five games” by Dr. Christian Rieck, professor of game theory, University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt. The session went really well as it was quite interactive and engaged the audience effectively.
The rest of the event was neatly segregated into three parallel sessions – Metasearch, Revenue Management and Distribution. Each session had different sub-topics with expert speakers. The highlight of this year’s Pricing & Distribution Day was the panel discussion on the hot topic Meta Search – new opportunity or new threat to the hotel industry. Industry experts from Trivago, KAYAK, TripAdvisor and Google took part in the discussion and shared their insights.
The event provided a great networking platform to meet hotel owners and managers. We received some good reviews about our products and also got the opportunity to showcase some of our new solutions. I look forward to attending more sessions organized by HSMA – many congratulations to HSMA for the successful event.
Alina Wysokowsky is Sales Manager for Germany at eRevMax and is responsible for business development in the region. She can be reached at alinaw@erevmax.com
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WTM LATIN AMERICA 2014

The travel industry was at centre stage at WTM Latin Americaheld at São Paulo. With the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2014, the host country – Brazil is all geared up to welcome the world. This event itself attracted a whooping 1000 participant companies from around the world.
Greg Berman, COO, eRevMax and Alex Moura, Sales Manager for Brazil attended the event and met regional industry players. WTM Latin America provided a great platform to network with customers, new hotel prospects as well as discuss distribution opportunities with key LATAM channels.


The event focused on a large diversity of travel related products and services aimed to facilitate meaningful business between buyers and suppliers and to encourage revenue generation. With exhibitors from over 50 countries, this year offered a series of novelties including meetings of public and private institutions and important international agreements.
We intend to attend WTM LATAM in the coming years as we expect online travel to grow at the good pace in the region.
Alex Moura is the Sales Manager for Brazil at eRevMax. He can be reached at alexm@erevmax.com
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Host Hotel Systems integrates with eRevMax for seamless online booking connectivity

Host Hotel Systems have recently completed a two-way interface between HostPMS and eRevMax, allowing HostPMS users to fully utilise the advantages of both systems at once. Through this interface the accommodation providers will be able to manage automated online inventory updates, and standardised rate changes across the multiple channels.
Marketing Manager Joao Rodrigues of Host Hotel Systems anticipates that this integration will improve overall customer satisfaction and will give them the ability to expand their distribution portfolio to reach out to vast audience. He also thanks to eRevMax for this integration which removes the need for manual input.
Commenting on the integration Chief Operating Officer of eRevMax, Greg Berman said this integration will help Host customers to get automatic updates in real time across all connected channels.

Using Connect, a SaaS based enterprise connectivity solution from eRevMax; HostPMS users will be able to increase their web presence through greater access to marketing channels.

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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.

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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.

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Channel management is fundamental to hoteliers

Recent drops in currency value, increasing flight prices and recession-related job uncertainties have had a significant effect on the travel industry. Not only are fewer people travelling, but those who travel are becoming more budget conscious. Effective channel management can assist hoteliers with both issues – by increasing visibility and allowing for variable rate changes between seasons. Surveys suggest that the average hotel chain manages four separate third party channels, yet a failure to standardise data across the board can have negative effects. For effective channel management, an automated system is the preferred choice over manual upkeep, especially when increasing channel usage.

Today consumers compare rates in multiple price comparison websites and booking channels and selects lowest available rates of all. With channel manager revenue managers can more accurately forecast consumer behaviour and take effective pricing decisions for more online revenue. The challenge for many hoteliers in managing multiple channels to ensure accurate rates and inventory allocation to optimise each channel is very difficult. But with channel manager like RateTiger it becomes easier for hoteliers to take more effective pricing decisions.

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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.
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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.
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Absolute Hotel Services implements RateTiger solutions for its hotels and resorts

Following dramatic changes in numbers of traveller and recession, as well as increased competition due to the consolidation of some major OTAs, more hotel chains around the world are focusing upon customer research in detail. Absolute Hotel Services Group, who operate properties throughout Southeast Asia and the Middle East, are one such chain seeking to understand the wants and needs of their guests on a more personal level. Absolute Hotel has choosen to partner with eRevMax, making use of RateTiger Corp solution to keep tabs on the competition and deeply analyse room rate trends. Absolute CEO Jonathan Wigley reports that RateTiger Corp is the best way of ‘understanding our customers and the challenges they face’.

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IHTF 2014

The eleventh edition of the International Hotel Technology Forum (IHTF), took place in Barcelona, Spain in early April this year. The two-day event saw over 600 business meetings with 50 speakers delivering cutting-edge insights into latest trends in the hospitality industry.
John Seaton, VP Sales APAC & EMEA, and Cristina Blaj, Sales Director UK, Ireland & Scandinavia at eRevMax attended the event to network with industry veterans. Cristina participated in a panel discussion on “Engaging with the Digital Traveller – The Move to Mobile”. The panel consisted of Monika Nerger from Mandarin Hotels; Jeremy Ward from Kempinski Hotels and Nancy from Jumeirah Hotels. The discussion focused on evaluating the advent of mobile bookings and its trends to capitalise on modern buying patterns. They also emphasised on implementing guest-led trends in hospitality industry as more happy customers equal to more revenue.

 
John Seaton was invited to participate in a panel on “Over-coming the Challenges in Diverse Distribution Channels”. He had  Jon Siberry from Sarova Hotels and Lennert de Jong from CitizenM; among others as co-panelists. The speakers examined the current challenges faced by hoteliers in the diverse distribution space and the strategies for better channel performance. They also focused on how to analyze channel performance and how to capture guest data to determine best communication channel for each guests.

Overall the event concluded on a positive note and there was constructive exchange of ideas and experiences.