The Week, That Was – February 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 completes integration with Portugal based Newhotel PMS

Hotel connectivity solution provider eRevMax has completed 2-way integration with Newhotel Software, a global hospitality technology company headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal. Mutual hotel customers can leverage this integration to update rate and availability to third party online booking sites whenever they are updated in the property management system and receive reservations from OTAs.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/jan2019-erevmax-completes-integration-portugal-based-newhotel-pms.html

2019: Time to relook at your Hotel Cancellation Policies

For a long time, hotel industry has been fairly flexible with the cancellation policies. However, with the popularity of meta-search sites, even after booking, consumers now keep track of room rates. Whenever there is a drop in the room rates of the booked hotel or it’s competing properties, guests often cancel their existing reservations and rebook.

This high cancellation rate especially closer to the arrival has a major impact on the hotel’s revenue management decision where often inflated estimation of potential occupancy level leads to sub-optimal rates and lost revenue.

https://erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/01/2019-time-to-relook-at-your-hotel-cancellation-policies/

 Hotel sales and marketing trends to watch in 2019

Sales and marketing is a constantly evolving discipline within the hotel industry, and some experts in the field recently shared their takes on what to expect heading into 2019.

http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/292059/Hotel-sales-and-marketing-trends-to-watch-in-2019

Corporate hotel loyalty programmes may drive adoption

A recent survey of European business travellers reveals that 43 per cent would be motivated to book a hotel with which their company has a corporate loyalty account if it guaranteed better rates. The research by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) in partnership with Accorhotels found 80 per cent of travel buyers said their company is not enrolled in a corporate hotel loyalty scheme. However, 60 per cent would be interested in joining one for lodging purposes, with 85 per cent saying they find the dedicated room rates offered to travellers appealing.

 https://buyingbusinesstravel.com/news/3129841-corporate-hotel-loyalty-programmes-may-drive-adoption

Guests Demand a 21st Century Stay

Guests expect reliability, ease and security when they activate their mobile room key and unlock the door. Behind that satisfying click, however, is a complex integration of separate technologies and software. Mobile access architecture comprises four parts: 1) the property system, 2) the secure mobile credential and delivery management system, 3) the app and 4) the door lock.

https://www.hotelbusiness.com/guests-demand-a-21st-century-stay-2/

Are hotels on the verge of a parity nightmare?

Booking.com appears to have rolled out its Booking.Basic feature to European hotel listings, six months after it was first spotted on listings for hotels in Asia. Booking.Basic is an accommodation tier that periodically appears on Booking.com’s hotel listings when the rate provided to Booking.com is not the cheapest available online. The rates it offers are nonrefundable and made via a third party that is only revealed to guests after they have paid to book a room.

https://www.phocuswire.com/booking-basic-triptease

Will Chinese technology give hoteliers a fat problem this Year of the Pig?

Technology is a major barrier for hoteliers when dealing with the Chinese market. At the core of the problem is the fact that the technology platforms they are used to using are all entirely different from ours. They can´t access Google, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even WhatsApp.

https://www.travolution.com/articles/110128/will-chinese-technology-give-hoteliers-a-fat-problem-this-year-of-the-pig

Hotelbeds adds price and availability insight to its MaxiRoom hotel extranet

Leading global accommodation wholesaler Hotelbeds revealed new features for MaxiRoom, its free hotel extranet designed to maximise hotel occupancy through its distribution channels.

More than 60,000 out of the 170,000 hoteliers who work with Hotelbeds are connected through either technology platforms or direct integrations, the firm said. That figure has doubled in the last three years

https://www.travolution.com/articles/110116/hotelbeds-adds-price-and-availability-insight-to-its-maxiroom-hotel-extranet

 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 completes integration with Portugal based Newhotel PMS

Hotel connectivity solution provider eRevMax has completed 2-way integration with Newhotel Software, a global hospitality technology company headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal. Mutual hotel customers can leverage this integration to update rate and availability to third party online booking sites whenever they are updated in the property management system and receive reservations from OTAs.

Newhotel Cloud Suite PMS incorporates a wide range of features for full-service hotels, and chains, independent of its size or operation. Known for its user-friendly interface and advanced features, the solution is a popular choice in Europe, South America and Africa, and currently caters to over 3000 properties in more than 50 countries. eRevMax’s distribution solutions are used by over 9000 hotels globally to manage online distribution.

“We’re proud to have eRevMax – RateTiger as our partner as they have become an inevitable option of integration for our clients worldwide. eRevMax offers some of the most innovative and intuitive hospitality e-distribution products in the industry, and our hotel customers can now take advantage of this integration to improve their online visibility and revenue,” said Pedro Matoso, CEO, Newhotel Software.

“South America and Africa remain our growth zone, and this strategic partnership with Newhotel, one of the fast growing PMSs in the region, strengthen our offering. A greater number of hotels can now leverage the benefits of our Channel Ecosystem while streamlining their distribution efforts,” said Ashis Saha, SVP – Project Management, eRevMax.

eRevMax offers seamless connectivity with around 400 OTAs & technology providers. The company is developing its connectivity solutions to offer sophisticated real-time revenue management functionality to the hospitality industry. This includes solutions for the independent market and scaling up through the Tier One enterprise hotel groups. eRevMax’s Channel Ecosystem facilitates quality certified connectivity and relationship management services to support complex revenue generation strategies.

For more details, please visit http://www.erevmax.com/ or contact us on marketing@erevmax.com

The Week, That Was – January 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!!

RateTiger joins the Spanish Association of Hotel Directors – AEDH

RateTiger Hotel Channel Manager initiates collaboration with AEDH at FITUR 2019

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/jan2019-erevmax-ratetiger-joins-spanish-association-hotel-aedh.html

 

Hotelbeds launches new features on its hotel extranet

Hotelbeds’ extranet for hoteliers adds functionalities that allow the visualization of fares and availability in real time for any hotel.

https://news.travelling.gr/2019/01/hotelbeds-launches-new-features-on-its-hotel-extranet/

 

The power of personalization and building personal connections

Expedia on how the travel industry is entering an era of both traveler and supplier personalization – leveraging high tech to deliver high touch experiences.

https://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/2019-hotel-trends-the-power-of-personalization-and-building-personal-connec

 

The psychology of online reviews

From the humble beginnings of word-of-mouth to an entire industry, feedback has certainly come a long way and it’s not stopping here.

https://www.trustyou.com/blog/guest-feedback-reviews/psychology-of-online-reviews

 

How consumer driven trends are impacting the world of hospitality

Sabre released a study which reveals the top consumer trends that will shape the hospitality industry in 2019 and beyond.

Download the report – https://www2.sabrehospitality.com/2019-global-trends-report?utm_source=hotelmarketing_com

 

How to resolve negotiated rate audit failures in the GDS

Some corporations test in their online booking environment that utilizes the GDS for connectivity. Requesting a screenshot from the client at the time they report an issue will help you identify the point of sale source of the audit. Unfortunately, during January and February many hotels will learn they have failed a preferred rate audit.

http://www.sabrehospitality.com/resources/hotel-marketing-blogs/best-practices-how-resolve-rate-audit-failures

 

Hotel coworking space: The future of hospitality

Coworking spaces in hotels provide an area for hotel guests and locals to gather to work and meet. With the number of coworking members expected to jump to 3.8 million in 2020, it is only natural for hotels to capitalise on this feature.

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/coworking-space-hotels/

 

Hoteliers use revenue management to boost off-season

The off-season isn’t a hotelier’s favorite time of year. Rooms can sit empty, restaurants are quiet and the cash flow isn’t as robust.

But, this can also be the best time of year for hoteliers to try out creative promotions, boost their properties’ profiles with online travel agencies, partner with local attractions that are weather-appropriate for the time of year and even experiment with new restaurant menu selections.

http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/292401/Hoteliers-use-revenue-management-to-boost-off-season

 

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

Thanks and have a good day!

 

 

RateTiger joins the Spanish Association of Hotel Directors – AEDH

RateTiger, the connectivity division part of the leading hotel technology group eRevMax, provider of online connectivity tools for hotels, has joined the Spanish Association of Hotel Directors (AEDH). As a member of the association, the company will participate in the events organized by the AEDH with the aim of educating hoteliers about trends and technological innovations in the hotel sector. The company will also present its innovative solutions at the AEDH stand 10B08 at FITUR in Madrid from 23 to 27 January 2019.

Recognizing RateTiger for its technological skills, the AEDH has endorsed the efficiency of its tools, thus making RateTiger its preferred partner for the management of online channels in hotels. AEDH hotel members can take advantage of RateTiger special offer at FITUR to reduce their cost of acquiring guests online, saving time and increasing their revenue.

RateTiger is one of the most efficient online distribution and hotel management platform, currently used by more than 9000 hotels around the world. RateTiger offers XML connections with more than 450 leading OTAs and partners worldwide and regionally, achieving optimal connectivity.

“It is an honor to join forces with a company like RateTiger with such prestige in hospitality. Our goal is to be able to generate a positive impact on the hotel members of our association by providing them with state-of-the-art technology that complements their growth strategy and RateTiger is the perfect match. We strongly recommend our members to contact RateTiger to benefit from our exclusive offer for members of the AEDH,” said Manuel Vegas, President, AEDH.

“We believe that the AEDH has been doing a great job and we hope to contribute our bit to the success of the organization as a whole. The hospitality discussion and knowledge exchange sessions organized by the AEDH are very effective in helping hoteliers to better understand how to use technological innovation to maximize the revenue of their properties and improve customer service. We hope to have the opportunity to meet in person each of the members of the association,” said Samantha González, Director of Sales – Spain, eRevMax – RateTiger.

Meet Team eRevMax at FITUR in Madrid at Stand 10B08, Hall 10 from 23- 27 January 2019. Book an appointment today – https://bit.ly/2F6knJ0

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

Thanks and have a good day!

 

 

Are you using Metasearch Channels for your hotel distribution yet?

Metasearch sites help travelers compare hotel rates from various online travel agencies and other booking sites in one place. Metasearch, as a sales channel, is growing in the travel ecosystem. Travelers today want technology that offers information at the click of a button. Metasearch offers just that, by aggregating rates and availability across multiple OTAs and brand websites onto one screen, thus making comparison easy and decision making simpler.

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 –

Metasearch allows for more direct bookings

While OTAs continue to lead the third party sales booking, they have one very big disadvantage for hoteliers – bookings are made exclusively through the merchant site, for which the brand will pay a nominal fee.

Metasearch sites allow visitors to book either through OTAs or through the brand website, helping to increase direct sales for hotels if they are listed on the metasearch. Metasearch sites such as TripAdvisor have been criticized for favoring OTAs with which they have a partnership, but direct hotel booking information is available, which is more than can be said for OTAs themselves.

Traditional search is a dying breed

Metasearch might still be kept in the back burner when compared to traditional searching, but reports show that search statistics on these sites are up by 13 percent in recent years and are continuing to grow. In this age of technology, traditional search is a dying breed, as more and more internet users opt to take advantage of the features of metasearch sites, that traditional search simply cannot offer.

In utilizing metasearch channels, hotels can remain modern and relevant, and can widen and diversify their audience.

Rate comparison can work in favor of hotels

The core concept of metasearch channels is that they offer multiple hotel comparison – a feature that OTAs typically do not offer.

Believe it or not, comparison isn’t solely based upon price. For example, it has been found that an estimated 71 percent of users look at basic information, while 67 percent of users compare photographs. Comparison may seem daunting, but it’s actually a good chance to show off.

Upgrading to two-way connectivity can help you improve your channel content, by making it quicker and easier to update multiple channels with up-to-date information regarding the establishment.

With meta search considered to be one of the biggest marketing techniques of the year, there has never been a better time to add these channels to your distribution portfolio. Make sure you choose to work with connectivity advisors that provide relevant channels to get it right the first time.

In essence, metasearch channels save time and money for guests in their travel booking journey, while offering a robust distribution platform for hotels to improve visibility and direct booking revenue.

Connect to metasearch channels like Google, TripAdvisor, Trivago, HotelsCombined, Skyscanner & Escapio. Update them directly from your RateTiger channel manager to improve your direct hotel revenue! Book a demo today – https://bit.ly/2HiEzJp

 

 

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.

Located at the outskirts of Dublin, Carton House is one of Ireland’s most historic Palladian houses, offering 2 world-class 18-hole championship golf courses and a luxury spa. The company has been leveraging eRevMax’s seamless connection with global and regional OTAs to update rates and availability across sales channels and receive reservations in real-time. RateTiger’s integration with leading internet booking engines and PMS’s has ensured inventory is always in sync with bookings, thereby minimizing chances of overbookings.

 “The Account Management Team has been extremely professional and easy to deal with and always available which has been great. We look forward to continuing our working relationship over the coming years,” said Fiona Mullin, Director of Revenue Management, Carton House.

“As a technology partner, we are committed to empower the hotel with efficient rate distribution across their online distribution channels.  The single sign-on dashboard simplifies the operations, improves efficiencies and gives hoteliers time to focus on strategy,” said Alin Lazar, Director of Sales , EMEA, eRevMax.

eRevMax completes integration with Vietnamese PMS ezCloud

Hotel connectivity expert eRevMax has completed 2-way integration with ezCloud, one of the leading PMS providers in South East Asia. Mutual hotel customers can now get the benefit of automatic distribution of availability and rate to third party online booking sites whenever they are updated in the property management system and receive reservations from OTAs seamlessly.

Ho Chi Minh City based ezCloud PMS is a popular property management system catering to 3000 hotels across Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia and recommended by leading hotel chains in the region. eRevMax’s distribution solutions are used by over 9000 hotels to update availabilities and rates across their booking channels and immediately update inventory across those channels when a booking is made.

“Real time OTA channel connection is a key feature of ezCloud PMS. eRevMax Channel Ecosystem offers the largest number of two-way interfaces, and hence will provide our hotel customers the ability to expand their distribution portfolio to reach out to larger audience,” said Nguyen Hoang Duong – CEO, ezCloud Technologies.

“This interface complements our continuous efforts to offer our hotel customers superior connectivity between their technology solutions and OTAs. South East Asia has been one of our growth regions, we are connected with some of the biggest OTAs and PMS providers in the region.  Being a preferred connectivity partner of ezCloud will further improve our portfolio. A greater number of hotels can now leverage the benefits of our Ecosystem while streamlining their distribution efforts,” said Ashis Saha, SVP – Project Management, eRevMax.

Mahalaya Festivities at the Tigers’ Den

Leaders lead by example – whether its work or fun! That’s our motto as we celebrate festivals with equal fervor as that of a new product or feature release.

Last month we celebrated the auspicious festival of Navratra to welcome Goddess Durga to her abode on Earth. And what better way than to decorate the office with innovative themed ‘mini-pandals’ created by multiple departments in the hope that the Goddess might just grace them with her presence virtually, and of course, the hope to win the Best Departmental Decoration prize!

Various judging criteria were put in place with points being meted out for eco-friendliness, minimum work space occupied, minimum investment of productive office time (so work doesn’t get hampered) and innovation (to promote one of our core values).  And guess who took the trophies home!

Winner Account Management Team, their décor theme “Worshipping the Goddess in various forms including natural elements – Plants, Fruits & Animals”

First Runners Up RTS Monitoring and Verification Team, their décor theme being – “10 Weapons of Ma Durga indicating top 10 channels and partners, her 4 children depicting eRevMax teams in accordance with their work flow.”

Second Runners UpLiveOS and Design Team, their theme being – “Four forms of Durga representing our products, compliments from clients, fighting with competitors and wealth.” The team got special mention for “Least investment of time” in preparing their bay décor.

While the office looked nice and colorful, the members too turned up in their ethnic best. Ladies draped in beautiful sarees, dazzled the floor, while men looked dapper in traditional kurta-pyjama sets.

There were fun games and activities like Conch Shell blowing, Dhunuchi Naach and Dhaak beating competitions to complement the celebrations, coupled with delicious lunch which added to the merriment!

Kudos to the HR & Admin teams for organizing such a fun-filled day where everything was so well organized! Overall, a fun day with colleagues that helped create a lot of new memories ?

May the Goddess keep her blessings on eRevMax always and may we shine as bright as ever!

Indonesian luxury villa improves online revenue with RateTiger

Black Penny Villas Ubud recommends Channel Manager and Shopper to optimize distribution

 Black Penny Villas, a boutique luxury property in Bali, has improved its online sales with eRevMax solutions. The property has experienced significant improvement in their operational efficiency leveraging RateTiger’s cloud based channel manager and on-demand shopping tool.

Ubud, in the uplands of Bali, is a popular destination for luxury travelers. Black Penny Villas, with its 10 units, have been leveraging eRevMax’s XML connectivity with global and regional OTAs, and niche channels. Hosted on LiveOS, RateTiger’s pool inventory model allows the revenue management team to continuously distribute its live rates and inventory to multiple booking channels and deliver updates back into its property management system (PMS) in real-time, without worrying about overbooking. The in-built booking trends and business analytics data combined with competitor benchmarking reports give them key market insights to make informed decision.

We have been extensively using the Benchmarking Report to maintain parity rate across all OTAs. This coupled with real-time rate and availability on sales channels have resulted in better room production,” said Dewa Buda, Corporate Ecommerce Manager, Black Penny Villas Ubud.

This recommendation is a testimony to our commitment to make online distribution management easy for hoteliers. We have invested in building stable connectivity with over 400 OTAs and technology providers. Our solutions simplify operations, improve efficiencies and give hoteliers time to focus on strategy,said Mohnish Singh, Regional Sales Manager, eRevMax.

Meet our connectivity expert in your region – contact us today at marketing@erevmax.com to set up a meeting.

For more details, please visit http://www.erevmax.com