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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

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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

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Is your PMS enough for distribution?

Channel Managers and Hotel Property Management Systems have been around for quite a few years now. Whether you are a real estate agency, a hotel, a B&B manager or the owner of some family properties, there are chances that you are looking for the type of software that can help you out the best. Here are some differences between Channel Management systems and Property Management Systems, which can let you understand such platforms better and take an informed decision.

Is your PMS enough for distribution

Purpose

Property Management Systems are a type of software system that is created to make daily operations management easier for real estate companies, hotels or rental agencies. The aim is to assign, schedule and organize tasks and these are especially helpful for reporting, accounting and staff management. Channel Managers, on the other hand, specialize in distributing short-term rentals to listing websites, whether it comes to wholesalers, GDS, Metasearch, Vacation Rental sites or OTAs.

Capability

PMS systems are created originally in the form of front desk hotel software, and are made to follow trends in the market and can redirect them to vacation rentals or some other expanding sector. With the use of this type of system, you can spend less time in dealing with business and get more time to concentrate on guest experience and guests.

A PMS channel manager can let you deal with time-consuming operations of managing a vacation rental business. A PMS channel manager updates information automatically across every booking channel and can automate payments and online reservations. Dedicated channel managers, however, are online distribution specialists and can frequently offer much more connections across many channels.

Sophistication

When you choose a property management system integrated with a channel manager, it can help you in online property management and can ensure listing distribution for you across many websites. A PMS or company has several advantages. Property management systems offer automated guest communication services, business performance analytics, in-built accounting services and many more.

PMS coming with an in-built channel manager can be very useful for your own business. A dedicated channel manager is useful in all those cases where there is a drop in the functionality of a property management system. There are more sophisticated capabilities of dedicated channel managers, which can let you create a very complex type of pricing model as per your wish. While PMSes and channel managers tend to vary in nature, the former lacks the sophisticated features that are part of dedicated channel managers – such as pushing right property specs and dealing with a complicated pricing model.

Support

A few property management firms have a team comprising of local employees that care for on-site upkeep and maintenance. But you can expect a built-in expert team with dedicated channel managers, which come with the support of a team comprising of expert distribution professionals. The team of experts of the developer company has a direct communication line with booking websites as well as other channels, due to the fact that a high volume of properties is offered by dedicated channel managers to listing websites.

 

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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

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Maldives Travel Trends

Regarded as the epitome of luxury tourism in South Asia, Maldives, with its over 1000 coral islands has emerged as a ‘premier’ brand. Tourism remains the largest economic industry in the country.

To keep up with the tourism demand, which is expected to cross 1.5 million in 2019, the Government has been undergoing renovation of its key airport and actively encouraging new luxury resorts. International brands like Waldorf Astoria, Pullman, Westin and Hard Rock Café have recently opened in the archipelago.

With over 135 resorts and 10 major hotels along with numerous guest houses, the occupancy rate in the country however has remained stagnant for the last few years. While China, Germany, the UK, Italy and India has consistently been the top five source market, in recent times Maldives has seen a surge in tourist arrivals from South Korea.

A long stay destination, where average length of stay is over 6 days, hotels for years have depended on tour operators and travel agents for bookings. However, with the increase in supply of rooms and change in guest booking behavior, hotels have been adapting to online travel.

Global OTAs like Booking.com, Expedia and Agoda  has become quite popular with hotelieres. Booking.com, for instance, has 795 properties listed, Expedia has close to 700 hotels and guest houses in Maldives listed on its channel.

As online distribution evolves, hotels are increasingly adjusting to changes in market dynamics. While GDS remains their most popular channels, they are opening up to OTA and metasearch as well.

Are you connected to right channels and keeping them automatically updated with rates and availability on a regular basis?

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

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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

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The Week, That Was – November 2019 Week 4

Spanish hotel chain boosts productivity and connectivity with eRevMax

Spanish hospitality chain Actahotels has recommended eRevMax solutions for online distribution. Twenty properties of the group, including the newly opened 313 room Acta Voraport, have been using RateTiger Channel Manager and Connectivity solutions, powered by LiveOS, for updating rates and availability across multiple OTAs and accessing high quality rate data and insights.

https://bit.ly/2XSYgMJ

Hotelbeds claims to drive high value visitors to hotels

Hotelbeds works with over 60,000 travel agents, tour operators, airlines, and loyalty point schemes from 140 source markets. More than half of bookings through global bedbank Hotelbeds are for stays of more than four nights, the company has disclosed.

https://www.travolution.com/articles/113360/hotelbeds-claims-to-drive-high-value-visitors-to-its-hotel-partners

Google Eyes: More and more travelers are looking to Google

Online travel agencies (OTAs) have always been dominant on meta search channels such as Google but advertising your direct hotel website on Google Hotel Ads provides an opportunity for hotels to divert this traffic to their brand websites.

https://www.sabrehospitality.com/blog/google-eyes-more-and-more-travelers-are-looking-to-google/

Travel Statistics to Know About in 2020

Is your hotel ready to take on 2020? Check out key travel statistics & trends that can help you maximise your hotel online bookings and revenue in the coming year-

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/11/travel-statistics-to-know-about-in-2020/

Airbnb tests teaming with Google’s vacation rental business in the U.S.

Google waded into its own vacation rental advertising business on its travel pages early in 2019, and in October began giving vacation rentals hotel-like treatment in Google search.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/airbnb-tests-teaming-google-vacation-200037742.html

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

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The Week, That Was – November 2019 Week 2

Russian upscale hotel recommends RateTiger for optimizing online revenue

Russian upscale property Petro Palace Hotel has recommended RateTiger, powered by LiveOS, for stable connectivity with online sales channels and competitor rate intelligence. The hotel has been a long-standing customer of RateTiger, using Channel Manager and Shopper for its online distribution.

https://bit.ly/2XkNf6A

Wholesalers impact on corporate hotel bookings

A study from American Express Global Business Travel and GfK finds that as many as 40% of US business travelers book outside of policy. This is not good news for hotels that still agree to static net rates, because as wholesale rates start to appear on the CBTs, these hotels will find their negotiated direct corporate rates undercut yet again.

http://www.eyefortravel.com/distribution-strategies/hospitality-staying-open-race-bottom

TripAdvisor: Trip.com deal ‘exciting opportunity’ in China

The strategic partnership between Trip.com Group, the company formerly known as Ctrip.com International, and TripAdvisor includes content agreements, a joint venture and a seat on TripAdvisor’s board for Trip.com Group.

https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Technology/TripAdvisor-Kaufer-Trip-dot-com-deal-exciting-opportunity-in-China

Google pushes travel websites down in free search results

Google dominates the online search market, with at least three quarters of the market. People use the search engine to research trips, so for at least a decade online travel agents have refined their websites with trustworthy content and easy booking tools to show up high in Google results.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-08/google-s-search-ad-embrace-crushes-online-travel-agents

Booking Holdings sees brand collaborations as key to restoring growth on steroids

Are online travel agencies’ glory days, when revenue was growing 25 or 30 percent and room nights booked were jumping at similar clips, long-gone history? Is today’s competition in online travel, with Airbnb breaking through and Google asserting itself ever-more intensely, too rigorous to replicate the robust growth of a few years ago?

https://skift.com/2019/11/07/booking-holdings-sees-brand-collaborations-as-key-to-restoring-growth-on-steroids/

Business Travelers Sentiment Remains Strong With Most Frequent Travelers Wanting Even More Travel

Business travelers remain optimistic and sentiment remains strong despite economic headwinds in some parts of the world. Senior-level business travelers including senior/executive management (74 percent) and directors (77 percent) agree the health of the economy is excellent, according to the second wave of research out today from the GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™ in partnership with RoomIt by CWT™, the hotel distribution division of CWT.

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4095846.html

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The Week, That Was – November 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 upgrades its integration with Miki Travel

Hotels using RateTiger Channel Manager and RTConnect for online distribution and connectivity now can use the seamless interface to publish their contracted rate and availabilities to travel agents affiliated with the wholesaler and receive reservations generated in the channel in real-time.

https://www.erevmax.com/ratetiger-news/ratetiger-news-archive/nov2019-erevmax-completes-2-way-integration-with-miki-travel.html

6 Great Types of Content for Hotel Website for Increase in Bookings

A good hotel website that is rich in content can help you to attract potential customers and influence them enough to book a room in your hotel. Good content can also improve your hotel website’s search engine ranking. Here are 6 types of great content for your hotel website that can increase bookings.

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/11/6-great-types-of-content-for-hotel-website-for-increase-in-bookings/

Brands see ROI in direct bookings, member discounts

A slowing growth environment in the hotel industry prompts hotel companies to assess the strength and success of their efforts to grow loyalty for their brands. The world’s largest hotel companies are pushing hard for more loyalty members to book directly with them to ensure they get a bigger piece of the pie before the pie starts to shrink.

http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/298891/Brands-see-ROI-in-direct-bookings-member-discounts

Japan: Rakuten eliminates all parity requirements

Japan’s largest domestic online travel platform has officially committed to remove all rate and availability parity obligations in its contracts with the nearly 33,000 hotels listed on its site.

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=2abc6aab-b710-41c2-af7a-be0285ea3ba1

Airbnb to verify all of its listings

Airbnb properties will soon be verified for accuracy of photos, addresses, listing details, cleanliness, safety and basic home amenities. All rentals that meet the company’s new standards will be “clearly labeled” by December 15, 2020.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/06/airbnb-to-verify-all-of-its-listings/

 Kayak launches Kayak Guides

The new feature allows users to create and share personalized travel itineraries with friends, family and fellow travelers. In the near future, travelers will be able to search within Guides for specific locations, themes and more.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-kayak-guides-help-you-find-your-one-in-a-billion-trip-300952032.html

 Booking.com launches third Booking Heroes competition

The competition invites Booking.com customers to tell the world their story of an accommodation provider that made their trip unforgettable. The Booking Heroes competition champions the outstanding hospitality of accommodation providers that offer their guests far more than a place to rest their head. By sharing their stories, customers can earn a chance to win €25,000 of Booking.com travel credit – both for them, and their Booking Hero.

https://globalnews.booking.com/bookingcom-highlights-hospitality-heroism-and-outstanding-travel-experiences-with-its-third-booking-heroes-competition/

Google Promoted Hotels available on mobile

Promoted Hotels placements have been introduced to mobile, expanding their presence on Google Hotel Search. As is the case in desktop search, Promoted Hotels will appear in one to two placements on the first page of the search query and will update based on the filters provided.

https://koddi.com/google-promoted-hotels-available-on-mobile/

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The Week, That Was – October 2019 Week 5

Pontresina, Main Road, Engadin, Switzerland, Rhätikon

Things to Consider Before Choosing a Hotel Channel Manager in 2019

It is necessary to have a seamless hotel channel manager to manage distribution. It will let you sell rooms efficiently, maximise revenue and reduce the amount of time that you waste on manually managing OTAs resulting in empty rooms or overbookings. Before picking a hotel channel manager, here are a few things that you need to consider.

https://www.erevmax.com/blog/index.php/2019/10/things-to-consider-before-choosing-a-hotel-channel-manager-in-2019/

The real value of the bedbank distribution model

Reach, Growth, and Occupancy: the real value of the bedbank distribution model has been commissioned by Hotebeds and explores the unique role that bedbanks play in the hotel industry.

https://www.phocuswire.com/Hotelbeds-value-of-bedbanks-report

Ctrip is now Trip.com

The recently concluded 2019 annual general meeting of shareholders adopted the resolution to change the name of the company from Ctrip.com International to Trip.com Group.

https://www.hotelmarketing.com/articles/ctrip-is-now-trip-com

U.S. travel industry intensifies efforts to draw Chinese tourists

Across the country, the U.S. tourism industry is trying to counter one of the casualties of the trade war with China that is still raging despite a temporary truce this month: a drop in the flow of affluent Chinese visitors to the U.S.

https://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/US-intensifies-efforts-to-draw-Chinese-tourists

 The top 5 things you need to know now in hotel digital marketing: October Edition

This month, the latest digital innovations include Google testing search results without URLs, the benefits of being GDPR-compliant, and the colors that will be making a splash in 2020 design.

https://www.hotelmarketing.com/articles/the-top-5-things-you-need-to-know-now-in-hotel-digital-marketing-october-edition

Meet Team eRevMax at WTM London, Stand TT211 from 4 – 6 November 2019 – contact marketing@erevmax.com to set up a meeting.

Thanks and have a good day!