The Week, That Was – January 2019 Week 3

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

Spanish upscale hotel endorses RateTiger for distribution connectivity

Hotel Guadalmedina, an upscale hotel in Spain has recommended RateTiger for stable and seamless connectivity with world’s leading OTAs. The hotel, which has been using RateTiger Channel Manager for online distribution, has improved its visibility across OTAs resulting in positive revenue and occupancy growth.

https://erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/01/spanish-upscale-hotel-endorses-ratetiger-for-distribution-connectivity/

11 uncomfortable truths about hotel revenue management

Hotel revenue management (RM) is not new and has been around for 30+ years, yet only 3% of hotels globally use revenue management technology today. The main goal of sharing these uncomfortable truths is to elevate the dialog around the importance of RM and why, as an industry, we must strive to do better in driving revenue performance using data driven insights.

https://www.phocuswire.com/Uncomfortable-truths-hotel-revenue-management

 Are you using Metasearch Channels for your hotel distribution yet?

Today, it is important for hotels to be visible on metasearch sites to increase direct bookings and visibility, thereby generating more revenue. You might be thinking – why do I need to add one more channel to my distribution mix? Here’s why –

https://erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/01/are-you-using-metasearch-channels-for-your-hotel-distribution-yet/

Airbnb Sees Increase in Hotels Using the Platform

Last year, Airbnb saw a 1​52​%​ increase in the number of rooms available on Airbnb in properties that hosts categorized as boutique hotels, bed and breakfasts, and other hospitality venues like hostels and resorts.

https://www.hotelbusiness.com/airbnb-sees-increase-in-hotels-using-the-platform/

The megatrends defining travel in 2019, according to Skift

From the rise of undertourism to blurred lines in hospitality to travelers’ demands for control, these are travel’s megatrends in 2019

Click to download the report- https://skift.com/megatrends-2019/

Will Google stay off the OTAs patch?

As Google’s meta-model becomes increasingly monopolistic, Pamela Whitby takes a look at how travel distribution is evolving. Although Expedia’s gross bookings continue to rise – by 11% to $2.5 billion year-over-year, according to third-quarter earnings published last week – Booking Holdings remains the biggest revenue spinner, and has the strongest operating margins (36.7% vs just 5,69% at Expedia). Meanwhile, China’s Ctrip remains the fastest growing, according to a recent report from EyeforTravel.

https://www.eyefortravel.com/distribution-strategies/will-google-stay-otas-patch

Online marketplaces gaining momentum in tours booking race

The tours technology specialist says total bookings made directly via operator websites went from 79% in 2017 to 67% in 2018, while the percentage of total bookings going to online marketplaces increased from 3.2% to 9.1%.

https://www.phocuswire.com/trekksoft-travel-trends-2018

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue- https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

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eRevMax wins STPI Export Awards for promoting gender diversity

eRevMax wins STPI Export Awards for promoting gender diversity
Recognized for ‘Highest Percentage of Women Employees -IT’

 Global travel technology innovator – eRevMax, has been awarded an STPI Export Award under the category ‘Highest Percentage of Women Employees -IT’ (Exports upto Rs 25 crore). This award was presented at ‘STPI Export Awards’ held during INFOCOM 2018 in Kolkata last week.

eRevMax has been proactively working towards breaking down barriers in a male-dominated industry and achieve greater gender representation through a diversity agenda. An equal opportunity company, women represent about 35% of its workforce, with the ratio even higher in the leadership positions. The company’s progressive HR policies have ensured that the overall attrition of female members is substantially lower than the average industry standard.

“At STPI, we believe that diversity strengthens the innovative capacity of a company. eRevMax is one such company that is leading by example, and we are proud to recognise them for having the Highest % of Women Employees in IT at the recent STPI Export Awards 2017-18. The responsibility of increasing gender diversity at workplace doesn’t end at just hiring a woman. It must be conducive enough for them to sustain. We congratulate eRevMax for taking a sustainable approach towards creating an inclusive workplace.” said Sh. Manjit Nayak, Additional Director, STPI Kolkata.

“This award is a validation of eRevMax’s efforts in bringing a holistic transformation by promoting gender equality and diversity. As part of our company culture, we are committed to providing our women employees with an ecosystem that is supportive of personal and career aspirations. With this award, we have restated our position as the preferred ‘Employer of choice’ in West Bengal,” said Reuel Ghosh, CEO, eRevMax.

eRevMax is a global travel technology software company with development centres in Kolkata and Bengaluru and sales offices around the world. The company, with its three core product brands – RateTiger, LiveOS and AgentX101, provides channel management, price intelligence, analytics, connectivity and business management solutions to hotels and travel agents worldwide.

The Week, That Was – December 2018 Week 1

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

Carton House Resort, Ireland recommends eRevMax for online connectivity

Carton House, a historic luxury hotel in Ireland has recommended eRevMax solutions for online distribution. The property has been using RateTiger Channel Manager to maintain real-time rate and inventory updates across online sales channels including booking engine.

https://bit.ly/2SuD7UX

Expedia to Hoteliers: Alternative accommodations won’t steal your business

Expedia wants to create value for hotels by providing them with tools to make them more efficient rather than hurting them with the increased presence of vacation rentals, the company said at its Explore partner conference in Las Vegas this week.

https://skift.com/2018/12/06/expedia-to-hoteliers-vacation-rentals-wont-steal-your-business/

 How Real-Time, Transparent Bidding Can Fix a Broken Travel Search Ecosystem

Today, even before most travelers ever step foot on a plane, they’ve already gone on an epic journey while planning their trip. According to Skift’s The State of Online Travel Media 2018 report, 73 percent of global travel searches begin with no brand or destination listed.

https://skift.com/2018/11/30/how-real-time-transparent-bidding-can-fix-a-broken-travel-search-ecosystem/

Why European Biz Travelers Go Outside Their Companies to Use Online Travel Agencies

Business travelers tend to book their trips through whatever channels they prefer, regardless of whether there is an online booking tool or agency that their company wants them to use. The research found that while travelers consistently use a company’s online booking tool to book air and hotel, they are increasingly turning to online travel agencies and direct channels as well. In fact, online travel agency use has pulled into near parity with a company’s travel agency department in many countries.

https://skift.com/2018/12/03/why-european-biz-travelers-go-outside-their-companies-to-use-online-travel-agencies/

Data pinpoints hotel mismanagement of inventory allocation and availability

The management of room inventory on both a hotel’s brand site and through contracted online travel agency partners is at the core of an effective distribution system. The findings are based on data gathered from brand websites and contracted OTAs for 7,600 properties around the world during a two-month period beginning in September. In its report, Fornova says it calculated demand as a function of room rate – when rates were below the median, it considered it to be a low-demand period and when rates were higher than median it considered it high demand.

https://www.phocuswire.com/Fornova-allocation-availability-report

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The Week, That Was – November 2018 Week 2

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

 

eRevMax completes integration with South American PMS provider Arion Hospitality Solutions

eRevMax has completed integration with  Arion Hospitality Solutions, a leading Property Management System provider in South America. The strategic partnership between the two leading hospitality software specialists will allow hotels to manage their revenue and online distribution with only one application.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/nov2018-erevmax-integration-southamerican-pms-arionhospitality-solutions.html

Indians are the top spenders when it comes to travelling abroad.

India is now the fastest growing outbound travel market in the world, second only to China. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) estimates that India will account for over 50 million outbound tourists by 2022, making India a USD 45 billion outbound spend market.

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/how-indian-travellers-can-rescue-middle-easts-tourism-goals/

Google launching voice bookings for hotels

Google will launch hotel booking capability on its voice-activated Google Assistant product later this month, a move in line with Google’s slow but steady encroachment on OTA territory.

https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Technology/Google-launching-voice-bookings-for-hotels

TrustYou’s insights reveal how hotel review topics vary according to region

TrustYou, the world’s largest guest feedback platform, released a comprehensive analysis of regional and global hotel review topics. Through its continuous effort in studying and leveraging guest feedback, TrustYou created this report of the different impact scores that affect the performance and reputation of global hotels, as well as in the following markets: EMEA, German-speaking countries (DE/AT/CH), US, APAC, Japan.

https://www.trustyou.com/press/trustyou-analysis-impact-scores

Travel and Holidays – What Does the Future Hold in Store?

Every day, new marketing techniques and tools are launched almost every week – which increases the complexity of the marketing sector. Experts have different ideas and opinions about how holidays will be like two or three decades from now. The possibilities are limitless.

https://erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2018/11/travel-and-holidays-what-does-the-future-hold-in-store/

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue. https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ Thanks and have a good day!

The Week, That Was – November 2018 Week 1

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

eRevMax has unveiled unveil AgentX101 at WTM London 2018

eRevMax has unveiled AgentX101 – a revolutionary 360 Degree Platform for Travel Agents & Tour Operators during WTM London.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/oct2018-erevmax-unveil-agentx101-wtm-london.html

 How Social Media Can Increase Hotel’s Direct Bookings

According to experts, 45 percent of travelers encounter hotel social media during the beginning of their booking journey, 45 percent encounter it during the middle and 11 percent at the end.

Recent projections have valued the *B2C e–Commerce business to over 3.2 Trillion dollars by 2020!

https://erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2018/11/how-social-media-can-increase-hotels-direct-bookings-2/

 The Changing Customer Experience: Keynote urges hoteliers to examine their operations

Customer loyalty isn’t dead, it’s just much harder to earn and much harder to keep because it’s so easy to leave today.

http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleID=41922

 Will Google stay off the OTAs patch?

As Google’s meta-model becomes increasingly monopolistic Pamela Whitby begins a series on how travel distribution is evolving. Part 1 takes a look at the Google factor

https://www.eyefortravel.com/distribution-strategies/will-google-stay-otas-patch

Digital trends to watch in 2019

There’s been a massive shift in guest behavior and booking habits due to trends like artificial intelligence and mobile usage. But the question isn’t whether these trends are important. Hereére three core trends that hotels need want to watch in 2019.

http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/291331/Digital-trends-to-watch-in-2019

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue. https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ Thanks and have a good day!

Travel and Holidays – What Does the Future Hold in Store?

Every day, new marketing techniques and tools are launched almost every week – which increases the complexity of the marketing sector. Experts have different ideas and opinions about how holidays will be like two or three decades from now. The possibilities are limitless.

Virtual travel will be ‘in’:

Travel is likely to become virtual In the future. By the year 2050, holidays for most people will be about enjoying the popular as well as not so popular attractions of the world from the comfort of home. Time travel will be in, and it will be possible for travellers to visit New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina ravaged it or seeing the Pyramids right after their completion – all through virtual reality. They will be able to customize their surroundings and the weather, and also get a digital tour guide. They can also make situational or hypothetical travel – such as visiting the Taj Mahal without the tourists. This will help them remove the stress of travel without needing to visit the locations actually.

Travel and Holidays

More personalized travel experience:

Travel brands, in order to get brand recognition and loyalty, need to make use of customer data in such a way that shoppers can get value. The travel marketing techniques are likely to be made more personalized to help customers find the most relevant travel products and ideas for their choices – whether it comes to room, hotel, airline, airport or occupancy duration type.

Smarter Retargeting:

While retargeting has existed for quite a few years, it is expected to see more innovation. Travel companies will use live user session user profiling in real-time, which would allow a smarter retargeting that offers more relevant recommendations and information to users. For travel brands, it can increase the ROI significantly on every interaction.

Use of Chatbot technology:

Travel brands are making increasing use of the chatbot technology from companies such as Amazon, Expedia and Skyscanner, in an attempt to pre-empt the purchase requirements of customers. The use of Cortana or Alexa can be expected sooner rather than later.

Use of PWAs (progressive web apps):

These come with all the good things about mobile websites and mobile-based applications. These are delivered online and act just like native apps. PWAs help sell holidays quickly and form an important part of the overall user experience. The programs also operate in areas with inferior connectivity or in those spots where connectivity drops and comes – as in cars or trains. These will help travellers on the move.

Get Hotel booking channel manager software at https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger/ratetiger.html.

Run Udai Run

eRevMax CTO completes Great Scottish Run in Glasgow

He has done it! Again. On 30 September, Udai Singh Solanki, our CTO and Managing Director – India finished the Great Scottish Run and stunned all of us at eRevMax!

A sports enthusiast, Udai has taken his passion for running and made it an integral part of both his personal and corporate life.

The Great Scottish Run was a major challenge. This was Udai’s first half marathon outside India. With more than 15,000 runners taking part in one of Scotland’s biggest running event, the day began with glorious sunshine. The 13.1-mile journey started in George Square in the heart of Glasgow. The runners had to cross some of the iconic landmarks of the city including using the Kingston Bridge, the Clyde Arc, Nelson’s Monument and Finnieston Crane. And just as the organizers promised, every mile was different.

The bagpipers, live music and drumming bands ensured the runners have a good time all along. “It was fun to finish Great Scottish Run – Half Marathon. The cold weather, wind and some occasional rain shower made for the perfect set up for long run. It was an amazing experience!” said Udai.

Udai has been practicing with a running group in Kolkata to improve his stamina and endurance level.

“Running requires persistence, patience, and hard work, principles vital for successful business as well. It also liberates your mind. These long-distance runs have been meditational for me,” said Udai, who has been encouraging his colleagues to take up fitness and sports seriously.

Just a week before the Scottish run, he completed Damloop by Night 5 English Miles in Amsterdam, where he was attending a business meet.

Team eRevMax says a huge congratulations to Udai. We already can’t wait for next one.

The Week, That Was – September 2018 Week 4

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

Why hotels need metasearch?
Metasearch helps travelers compare hotel rates from various online travel agencies and other booking sites in one place. In metasearch sites, hotels and online travel channels publish their rates and availabilities.

https://erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2018/09/how-meta-search-is-relevant/

Behind TripAdvisor’s renewed push to inspire travelers beyond just making sales
Already 750 content providers have signed up for TripAdvisor’s new feed of personalized recommendations from friends, social media influencers, and publishers, debuted earlier this month.

http://hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/behind_tripadvisors_renewed_push_to_inspire_travelers_beyond_just_making_sa

Special Report: The online travel sector faces challenges
Benati says: “Europe is a mature market, especially in the UK, in Germany, in Scandinavia. Growth in online travel has plateaued, which calls for more targeting of market share. At 5%-6% a year, online growth is still outpacing growth elsewhere, but it is slowing.

Know more about this article: http://www.travolution.com/articles/108868/special-report-the-online-travel-sector-faces-challenges

Drive direct bookings even when you’re being undercut
Fixing disparities takes time – and while all the details you need to replicate a disparity can be found in the Disparity Dungeon, getting in touch with OTAs and getting them resolved doesn’t always happen instantly. On those occasions when you are not in parity, there are four options you can use to continue to drive direct bookings.

https://www.triptease.com/blog/direct-bookings-when-undercut/

New tools gives hoteliers a chance to quantify impact
The U.S. Travel Association has rolled out an interesting new tool that lets those in the travel industry put a number to their economic impact.

http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/290518/New-tools-gives-hoteliers-a-chance-to-quantify-impact

New Google travel tool tells you when to book your holiday travel
Slowly but surely, Google is expanding its portfolio of travel offerings that now range from hotel- and flight-booking services to trip planning tools. Today, it’s launching yet another set of new travel features that focus on travel planning and hotel bookings.

https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/27/google-launches-new-travel-planning-tools/

BridgeStreet Adds Hostels and Vacation Rentals to Biz Travel Platform
When extended stay booking provider BridgeStreet Global Hospitality relaunched its digital platform last year, the company became something of an outlier in the corporate travel space: a mini-online travel agency for business travel that also connected directly with travel managers around the world.

https://skift.com/2018/09/12/bridgestreet-adds-hostels-and-vacation-rentals-to-biz-travel-platform/

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue. https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ Thanks and have a good day!

The Week, That Was – September 2018 Week 3

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!! Luxury serviced apartment in Manila recommends RateTiger for streamlining online distribution Upscale serviced apartments in the Philippines, Makati Diamond Residences, has improved online sales with efficient rate and availability distribution through RateTiger. The property offering 410 apartments has been using RateTiger Channel Manager and Shopper to manage online sales channels in real-time. https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/sep2018-erevmax-luxury-serviced-apartment-manila-ratetiger-onlinedistribution.html Hoteliers see independents as ‘long-standing’ trend Despite major brands adapting and adopting what independent hotels are doing, investors are still looking for true unique and independent properties in the short and long term. http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/290479/Hoteliers-see-independents-as-long-standing-trend TripAdvisor plots social network, goes all-in on personalization At a press event in New York yesterday, TripAdvisor co-founder and CEO Steve Kaufer unveiled “the new TripAdvisor” – a revamp of the platform that allows users to connect with fellow travelers as well as brands, publishers and influencers to share content and receive personalized recommendations. https://www.phocuswire.com/TripAdvisor-plots-social-network Expedia data shows hotel preferences of Chinese travelers Chinese travelers are broadening their accommodation choices, with an impressive 55 percent staying at independent hotels with local flavor, versus 49 percent at international chains. Download the full report: http://www.citmhotels.com/index.html TripAdvisor evolution could benefit travel agents The reviews giant, which has 456 million global users, this week revealed details of the next evolution of its website, which will allow users to follow travel brands and influencers they trust. It will fully launch later this year. The new site is being tested with 500 travel ‘partners’, who will be able to add their expertise to the 661 million traveller reviews. http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/311959/tripadvisor-evolution-could-benefit-agent-experts Why suppliers need distribution mapping Information is the key to success, and in B2B, it can be difficult for suppliers to access the information they need to control and improve inventory sales. With distribution mapping, you can see whether or not your inventory is mapped and made available to the customer by the distributor. If you’re a hotel supplier, your revenue is dependent on your distributors’ sales. If they don’t sell your inventory, you don’t make money. https://medium.com/gimmonix-blog/why-suppliers-need-distribution-mapping-919e222a1707

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue. https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ Thanks and have a good day!

The Week, That Was – September 2018 Week 2

In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!!

Philippine hotel chain solves distribution challenge with RateTiger and LiveOS

Philippine hotel chain the Bellevue Hotels & Resorts has recommended RateTiger for centralizing online distribution. All four properties of the group have begun using RateTiger on LiveOS platform earlier this year and certifies it to be ‘the best friend’ for hotels.

https://bit.ly/2MqPyhi

Key challenges for today’s travel marketers

The marketing magic happens when you can turn a challenge into an opportunity. Stephen Taylor, Sojern’s SVP, shares how travel marketers today can do just that.

https://www.sojern.com/blog/challenges-for-todays-travel-marketers/

The impact of influencer marketing on the booking journey

Up until the digital revolution, traditional marketing and word-of-mouth were the only real ways to grow consumer awareness at a notable scale.

Digital word-of-mouth reaches millions more potential customers around the world more rapidly than ever before. This is where influencer marketing fits in.

https://www.phocuswire.com/influencer-marketing-booking-journey

TripAdvisor heralds landmark moment as fake reviews business is busted

TripAdvisor says that its investigators were tipped off by an Italian hospitality business which had received email promotions from a business called PromoSalento to boost its profile in exchange for a fee. Investigators then identified the people behind the fraudulent review service and confirmed that they had not only advertised fake reviews as a service but also tried to post fake reviews on the TripAdvisor site.

https://www.tnooz.com/article/tripadvisor-fake-reviews-jail/

How hoteliers navigate evolving distribution channels

As hoteliers navigate the different distribution channels available to them, their goal is to guide guests to the one that costs their companies the least.

During the “Distribution: A hotelier’s guide to channel surfing” session at t last month’s Hotel Data Conference, panelists explained their approaches to managing and lowering the cost of customer acquisition.

http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/290368/How-hoteliers-navigate-evolving-distribution-channels

Generating group business with hotel data is easier than you think

A well-executed group strategy, which answers the question, “What amount of group business, along with all other segments, constitutes the optimal mix for your hotel?” Of all the market segments that make up a hotel mix, group segments form the strongest foundation for most hotels’ pricing strategy.

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/hospitality/generating-group-business-with-hotel-data/

Connect with us for your connectivity needs to make the most of online revenue. https://goo.gl/3gKUJZ

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