The Week, That Was – January 2020 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!!

What are the Best Practices for Creating a Google Hotel Ads Campaign?

Google Hotel Ads has emerged as an important distribution channel for hoteliers to improve online revenue. Manage Google Hotel Ads directly from RateTiger.

https://bit.ly/2TljLp6

Will the definition of a hotel be different by 2025?

The traditional hotel stay might have to make room as other industries enter the hospitality business, sustainable lodging and alternative accommodations become more mainstream and guests continue to chase unique experiences.

http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/299784/Will-the-definition-of-a-hotel-be-different-by-2025

Business travel is set for radical change

In 2020, businesses will need to learn from the seamless processes within consumer travel – like intuitive mobile experiences and AI-backed personalized offerings – to fulfill expectations of both traveling employees and enterprise leaders managing travel programs.

https://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2040963&c=setreg&region=2

Travel SEO: Competing in organic search in 2020 & beyond

In order for smaller travel brands with lesser budgets to be competitive, they need to be more strategic with their efforts and resources and start to do SEO in the way right for their business model and offerings.

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/travel-seo-competing-organic-search/340459/

Booking.com’s Travel Review Awards 2020 spotlight the best in travel

39% of global travelers prefer to stay in a holiday home or apartment over a hotel. While hotels came in as the second most-awarded accommodation type yet again,three quarters of all the winning properties are homes, apartments and other unique places to stay, including everything from boats and igloos to homestays and country houses.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/booking-com-spotlights-best-travel-172800590.html

 Experts predict RevPAR growth for Europe hotels in 2020

Hotels in European markets are expected to record RevPAR increases across 2020 due to mega events and a robust transactions-volume market.

http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/299733/Experts-predict-RevPAR-growth-for-Europe-hotels-in-2020

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

Thanks and have a good day!

The Week, That Was – January 2020 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!!

Is your PMS enough for distribution?

With inter-connectivity being one of the key focus for 2020, hoteliers need to get the distribution basics right. Are you getting real-time reservation updates directly into your hotel system? Do you get a bird’s eye view of your inventory status at all times? Are you struggling with overbookings or manual entry errors? It’s time you connect your PMS to your channel manager for seamless updates.

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/12/is-your-pms-enough-for-distribution/

Google now includes taxes and fees in hotel searches

Google launched features intended to make finding, comparing, and booking hotels less stressful. Starting this week, guests will be able to browse personalized search results and narrow down properties by neighborhood, and view hotel receipts that reflect the actual amount you can expect to pay for a given stay (including taxes and fees).

https://venturebeat.com/2020/01/08/google-now-includes-taxes-and-fees-in-hotel-searches/

Four key trends the hotel industry can’t ignore during 2020

Now that we’re all back at work, attention is turning to the year ahead. Dori Stein, CEO, Fornova shares his predictions for the main trends that will influence hotel chains’ success in 2020.

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4096435.html

Hotel Technology Trends 2020

When adopting hotel technology, the hospitality industry is like an elephant. Interestingly it also favoured elephants in its partners as well. Same as the animal, hotels preferred to spend time with those the same as them.

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4096402.html

Could subscription travel be the new way to holiday in 2020?

A new company promises insider knowledge and free hotel stays via its subscription concept.

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/travel/a30440445/subscription-travel-trend/

Is Personalization in Hospitality Dead or Alive?

Personalization of the customer experience – from digital marketing and website experience, revenue management and pricing, CRM and loyalty marketing, and on-property guest experience – has become a buzzword at industry conferences, webinars and in the hospitality media. So… is personalization dead or alive in hotel digital marketing, website experience, revenue management, CRM and on-property guest experience?

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/panel/125000035.html

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

Thanks and have a good day!

 

The Week, That Was – December 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!!

Is your hotel channel manager doing what you expect of it?

Here are 5 questions that you have to ask about channel management software systems for hotels.

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/12/5-questions-to-ask-about-channel-management-for-hotels/

Responsible and purposeful travel: the way forward

Technology and consumer preferences are constantly evolving and the threats to the environment and personal data are becoming ever more prevalent, according to Travel Weekly’s Insight Annual Report 2019-20.

https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/travel-weekly-insight-annual-report.html

Five trends shaping the future of customer experience in 2020

As we enter a new decade, customer experience is firmly positioned as a competitive advantage and something most companies are prioritizing. Instead of worrying about new technology, brands need to consider the psychological foundation. Before they even want to use the technology, customers need to feel acknowledged and understood.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/12/17/5-predictions-for-customer-experience-in-2020/#1314960e2ec7

Where Airbnb goes, hotels will follow

Luxury hotel brands are stepping into the homeshare arena to compete with Airbnb, and are now making strides in one of Airbnb’s most successful arenas: experiences. When Airbnb launched its Experiences program in 2016, it was a gamble, but one that seems to be paying off as it has resulted in seven times more bookings year-over-year since 2018.

https://www.gartner.com/en/marketing/insights/daily-insights/where-airbnb-goes-hotels-will-follow

Google wants to be your holiday tour guide

Getting dropped into a new city is disorienting, and all the more so when you need to ask for help but don’t know how to pronounce the name of the place you’re trying to get to. Google Maps now has a fix for this.

https://www.blog.google/products/maps/let-google-be-your-holiday-travel-tour-guide/

 How can travel brands remain human in a digital-first world

Travel brands are trying to figure out how to strike the right balance between digital touchpoints and in-person interactions.

https://skift.com/2019/12/16/how-can-travel-brands-remain-human-in-a-digital-first-world/

Is this the future of travel bookings?

With online travel agents, we’ve already seen the way the travel industry has changed. While travel purchases are currently made through online booking agents or directly with the hotels or airlines, it won’t be long before we see new and advanced options come into play.

https://www.iol.co.za/travel/sponsored/is-this-the-future-of-travel-bookings-38980837

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

Thanks and have a good day!

 

The Week, That Was – December 2019 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 announces seamless connectivity with leading Chinese B2B platform HaoQiao

eRevMax has completed 2-way XML integration with the largest travel wholesaler in China, Haoqiao. Hotels using RateTiger and RTConnect, powered by LiveOS, can leverage the interface to distribute rates and availability on the booking platform, is used by over 17,000 travel agencies worldwide.

https://bit.ly/2RrceEq

Google’s playbook to become a super app in travel

The giant’s slow but unstoppable rise to travel industry domination can not be explained without the more than one billion daily users of Google Maps.

https://www.phocuswire.com/Google-playbook-travel-super-app

How Airbnb profits from our love of experience

As people begin to value “things” less and “doing stuff” more, Airbnb has simultaneously personalized and commoditized the food-related experience.

https://www.eater.com/2019/12/4/20951866/airbnb-rentals-experiences-travel-food-tours-cooking-classes

Total revenue forecasting: Sunny with a chance of profits

Marketing and revenue management rely on accurate demand forecasts to plan campaigns and optimize revenue.

https://ideas.com/total-revenue-forecasting-profits/

Hotel revenue changes suggest new guest preferences

From the high-tech preferences of Generation Z to the experiential fondness of millennials and the health and wellness realities facing baby boomers, hotels continually adjust the amenities and services they offer to satisfy their guests based on extensive consumer research. From the perspectives of owners and operators, the changes in guest preference manifest themselves on the hotel operating statement.

http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/298888/Hotel-revenue-changes-suggest-new-guest-preferences

As cycle nears end, benchmarking required to be reborn

Hoteliers are in no doubt benchmarking has been one of the major, if not the most major, catalysts of the last decade helping fuel hotel performance, and the data is only getting better and more involved, according to sources. Now hoteliers are considering how benchmarking might change as the industry reaches what many consider the end of a cycle.

http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/299236/As-cycle-nears-end-benchmarking-required-to-be-reborn

Hotel guests want cybersecurity

For hotels, the issue of cybersecurity is – or should be – among the most critical factors in partnering with any third-party. With so many interconnected technologies the risk is greater and greater that you’ll run onto a technology that isn’t wholly secure.

https://blog.apaleo.com/hotels/a-make-or-break-issue-for-hotels-guests-want-cybersecurity

Which? brands most travel comparison sites a ‘waste of time’

New survey ranks sites used to find flight and hotel deals and reveals that many offer a poor user experience – and do not list the best prices. After asking more than 2,200 holidaymakers about their experiences of using comparison sites, the consumer body found that only Skyscanner, Kayak and TripAdvisor scored highly in terms of finding the best deals and being easy to use.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/dec/04/which-survey-brands-most-travel-comparison-sites-waste-of-time?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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

Thanks and have a good day!

 

 

 

The Week, That Was – September 2019 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!!

Hoteliers take a harder look at how they set room rates

Amateurs cut rates to fill hotel rooms. Pros take more sophisticated approaches, such as coordinating to stimulate demand from the most profitable customers. Revenue managers tend to focus on price-setting. Sales and marketing teams typically look at stimulating demand, such as by running email marketing campaigns or advertising on search engines like Google.

https://skift.com/2019/09/03/mgm-resorts-bet-on-rate-setting-tech-catches-notice-of-rivals/

Metasearch: What hotels get wrong

Metasearch is the industry’s fastest-growing distribution channel, yet many hoteliers still struggle to match the success of OTAs on the platform. So what are hotels doing wrong?  In this latest webinar, Dr Jan Sammeck, Director of eCommerce at Deutsche Hospitality, discusses the twelve biggest mistakes hotels are making in their meta strategy.

Listen the recording – http://email.triptease.com/yoLV8mES0O03DJf05D00020

Hotels embrace role as curators of niche products

One of the most interesting opportunities for hospitality brands is to be a new and intimate discovery channel for consumers. This idea is nothing new, of course. Brands have been placing themselves in hotel rooms for ages: Aesop likely owes some of its initial rise to being placed in the rooms at Park Hyatt Tokyo before anyone knew the brand. The taste-making audience who stays there helped with global pollination at an early stage. It was old-school seeding. Right people, right context, new-feeling product. Magic can happen from that.

https://skift.com/2019/09/03/hotels-embrace-role-as-curators-of-niche-products/

Booking.com, Skyscanner, Ctrip and TripAdvisor join travel sustainability pact

Booking.com, Skyscanner, Ctrip, and TripAdvisor, alongside payment giant Visa, have come together to form Travalyst in an effort to “mobilize the travel industry as a catalyst for good, aiming to transform the future of travel for everyone.”

https://www.phocuswire.com/Sustainable-tourism-online-travel-launch-Travalyst

2020 Budget season tips: Mapping your hotel’s digital marketing budget

Should we invest in search marketing, display advertising, and/or metasearch advertising? In truth, there isn’t one standard way to divide your marketing budget up – it really varies from property to property. However, adopting a multi-channel approach is best to expand your reach and target different customers throughout their travel journey.

https://bit.ly/2lzohRY

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

Thanks and have a good day!

Is your hotel using an efficient room rate comparison tool?

Download our complimentary e-book  on how to leverage pricing for profit optimization

Hotel revenue management relies heavily on accurate market intelligence. Being aware of competitor price movements and change in their distribution strategy is important for any hotelier to stay ahead of competition of multiple sales channels.

Given the perishable nature of hotel inventory, it is important to optimize room pricing such that it is in sync with market demand and is attractive enough for potential guests to make a booking. Hotels today offer multiple room rates for different room types – so tracking these different room-rate combinations across your competition manually can be a herculean task and hence arises the need for an efficient and automated rate shopping tool that can fetch you rates in real-time for apple-to-apple comparison.

With the current range of price intelligence solutions available in the market, hoteliers are spoilt for choice. To assist with your decision making easier – we present our complimentary e-book – ‘Shopping Matters – The Power of Real-time Hotel Rate Intelligence’ that will help you to know more about –

  • Importance of real-time rate intelligence
  • Understanding the marketplace to fine-tune your rate strategy
  • Why rate shopping tool is crucial to your profit optimization

Download the ebook today – https://www.erevmax.com/travel-solutions/erevmax-shopper-rateintelligence.html

The Week, That Was – July 2019 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!!

eRevMax makes inroads in Bahrain with Hani Group

Hani Group, an upscale hotel chain in Bahrain has selected eRevMax to improve online sales with efficient rate and availability management. All three properties of the group are using RateTiger hotel channel manager and price intelligence tool, Shopper, for online connectivity and revenue management.

https://bit.ly/2M3ybXk

Checklist for your next hotel channel manager

hotel channel manager is a must have for hoteliers today. If you are planning to add or change your existing channel manager, here is a quick checklist of things you need for assessment.

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/07/checklist-for-your-next-hotel-channel-manager/

TripAdvisor: How reviews impact bookings

TripAdvisor has unveiled the results of new research looking into how significantly reviews influence booking decisions. The study reveals that the wisdom of the crowd remains the reason respondents visit TripAdvisor, with participating users citing the descriptive and helpful reviews (70%), the accuracy of the content (62%) and the broad range of travel content (62%) as their primary reasons for visiting the site.

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/tripadvisor-how-reviews-impact-bookings/

What dynamic pricing leaders can teach the travel industry

Dynamic pricing, the process of using data to more accurately segment consumers and automatically offer them differentiated prices based on various factors, is being deployed from both within and outside the travel industry. Early adopters include many players in the airline industry, Airbnb and Amazon. So, with so many waking up to dynamic pricing, what are some of these early adopters doing and what are the main lessons?

https://www.eyefortravel.com/what-dynamic-pricing-leaders-can-teach-travel-industry

How to drive direct bookings through rooms and special offers copy

Learn how to choose the right words to simplify decision-making, convey the information that your guests really need, and utilize a handful of conversion-focused tactics.

https://bit.ly/2YmNcWt

A modern approach to hotel sales prospecting

Outdated techniques like cold-calling have moved aside to make way for more effective and comprehensive prospecting strategies. When it comes to training hotel sales managers to prospect, many sales leaders are looking backward and not recognizing how to integrate prospecting into the real world of hotel sales in 2020.

http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/297167/A-holistic-approach-to-hotel-prospecting

Asia’s big four fuel worldwide travel spend

Overnight visitors from mainland China, Republic of Korea, Japan and Taiwan now account for 18.5% of global travel expenditure in the world’s top 200 cities, up from just 11% a decade ago.

https://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2019/07/asias-big-four-fuel-travel-spend/

Airbnb introduces new search tools for business travelers

As more companies turn to Airbnb for Work to arrange work trips, the vacation rentals, homes and experiences business is making things easier for business travelers.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/22/airbnb-introduces-new-search-tools-for-business-travelers/

Booking.com relaxes keyword bidding clause with hotels

Booking.com has altered its contract with hotel partners so that owners and chains now have the ability to bid freely on brand terms in Google.

https://www.phocuswire.com/Booking-brand-bidding-rule-change

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 – February 2019 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!!

HospitalityUnited.Club announces its signature Cocktails & Conversation event in Berlin

HospitalityUnited.Club, a consortium of travel technology companies, brings back its classic Cocktails & Conversation event to Berlin in March. The Club will be hosting an exclusive evening for hoteliers on 7th March 2019, in partnership with Cendyn, Fornova, Hotelbeds, LiveOS, RateTiger, Roiback and Sojern.

https://bit.ly/2XdYEEG

Expedia announces Certified Technology Partner Program

Expedia Partner Solutions (EPS) has launched its Certified Technology Partner Program, an elite program for EPS’ top technology partners from around the world.

https://bit.ly/2GVY09e

Experimenting with the future of business travel: three hypotheses

There are three clear hypotheses that the business travel industry should be experimenting with to be truly customer-centric in the future.

https://www.egencia.com/public/us/experimenting-with-the-future-of-business-travel-three-hypotheses

Growing travelling population shaping the future of the hospitality world

Demographics and growing economies are changing the shape of future travelers in the world. What factors is the future of hospitality looking to deal with? Within the next decade, the number of households making at least US$ 100,000 annually will increase by 30 million, with one out of three of these households located in emerging markets.

https://www.hotelmarketing.com/articles/growing-travelling-population-shaping-the-future-of-the-hospitality-world

Distributed ledger technology can bring rate parity to hotel distribution

The last few years have seen a steady rise in the impact of rate parity and onward distribution issues on hotelier’s bottom line.

 https://www.phocuswire.com/Distributed-ledgers-rate-parity-hotel-distribution

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

Thanks and have a good day!

 

eRevMax announces 2-way integration with Nitesoft

Award-winning hotel connectivity expert eRevMax has completed 2-way integration with Swedish cloud-based PMS Nitesoft. The strategic partnership between the two companies will automate the distribution of availability, rates and reservations for hotel clients.


Nitesoft is a leading cloud-based hotel management platform in Scandinavia that incorporates a wide range of features for hotels, chains and serviced apartments, independent of size or operation type.  Following the integration, hotels using RateTiger channel manager and connectivity solutions can now receive all OTA generated reservations directly into their PMS, thereby eliminating manual handling of reservation notifications.

“The connectivity between RateTiger and Nitesoft PMS has proven to be highly reliable and easy-to-use. It means more sales and higher margins for our hotel customers. They can now exploit the full potential of a vast selection of OTAs, GDSs, Metasearch and Wholesalers available via the eRevMax Channel Ecosystem to expand visibility and revenue potential,” said Jan Linders, CEO, Nitesoft.

“Scandinavia is one of our key growth regions, and this interface with Nitesoft PMS will be beneficial for our mutual hotel customers. The secure XML connection ensures live rate and inventory as well as booking data flow, thereby keeping their Nitesoft PMS updated automatically, allowing the hotel manager to focus on other key aspects like guest engagement,” said Ashis Saha, SVP – Project Management, eRevMax. 

 

 

 

Hotel Okura recommends RateTiger as the best Channel Manager

One of the most luxurious 5-star properties in Macau, Hotel Okura has endorsed RateTiger Channel Manager as the best-in-class online distribution solution. The hotel has been using the award-winning solution from eRevMax since 2011, for management of rates and availability across all connected online sales channels with great results.

Located next to Galaxy Macau, Okura Macau is a top-rated five-star accommodation with 488 rooms spreading over 25 floors.  A popular choice for luxury travellers from China and South Asia, the hotel has been leveraging RateTiger’s two-way XML connectivity with all leading regional and global channels thereby helping them expand their online reach – in sync with the hotel’s motto of “World Class, Asian Heart”.

“RateTiger provides us with all the major channels including regional channels and wholesalers to efficiently distribute rates and inventory, which has resulted in improved occupancy and revenue.  The ‘real-time update’ of rates and availability happens in the true sense helping us stay ahead in an extremely competitive market like Macau,” said Phillip Lou, E Business Manager, Hotel Okura Macau.

“It’s a powerful tool for the ease of connectivity and making quick updates across all channels seamlessly. The detailed demand information ensures our selling strategies work more effectively. On top of that, the excellent support and training gives us the opportunity to comfortably use new product features and make the most of their innovative offerings. We consider RateTiger a reliable partner for all our connectivity needs,” concluded Phillip.

Since partnering with eRevMax, the property has improved their online exposure considerably by expanding their distribution mix.