독립호텔/OTA - New platforms offer benefits beyond bookings - HNN May 15, 2015

New platforms offer benefits beyond bookings

HNN

May 15, 2015

호텔의 주요한 예약 채널인 Third Party Distribution Platform

메타서치 엔진 (카약, 트립어드바이저, 구글)이나 새로운 형태의 플랫폼 (아마존, 구글)이 시장으로 진입 중임. 

이들을 채택할 때 cost and return을 따지는 수익성 분석이 선행되어야 함.

독립 호텔이 채용할 수 있는 Distribution Channel 은 크게 증가하는 추세임.

non branded 독립 호텔에겐 잠재소비자에게의 브랜드 노출 (brand visibility, awareness) 전략이 아주 중요함.

아울러, 역량이 분산되지 않도록 채널에 대한 집중 관리가 필요.

모든 독립 호텔에게 이런 전술이 필요한 것은 아님,,,, 

Mix에 따른 상이한 전략이 필요하며 이에 대한 분석이 선행되어야 함

OTA와 메타서치 등 채널간 경쟁이 격화되면서 cost를 낮추고 적합한 채널을 고를 수 있는 우호적인 환경 조성되고 있음.

유의점:

과연 독립호텔들이 채용하는 이들 third party distribution platform의 코스트와 브랜드의 그것 (로열티프로그램 + 프랜차이즈 코스트) 사이의 격차는 더 줄어들 것인가?

몸집을 키우며 OTA와의 협상력을 계속 강화해 나가고 있는 브랜드,

OTA 간 경쟁 격화, 트립어드바이저/구글 인스턴트 부킹 등의 시장참여로 독립 호텔들이 활용하는 디스트리뷰션 채널의 코스트는 낮아지는 추세

브랜드와 독립 호텔의 획득 비용 차이는 앞으로 줄어들 것인가? 아니면 계속 유지될 것인가?  

이에 관련된 앞으로의 추이는 브랜드의 미래를 추정할 수 있는 꽤 중요한 의미를 담고 있음.

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New third-party distribution platforms such as Amazon and Google can offer independent hotels benefits beyond reservations, hoteliers say.

REPORT FROM THE U.S.—Bookings are the primary value of aligning with third-party distribution platforms in the hotel space, and hoteliers can talk long and hard about the costs and returns associated with them. But as metasearch matures and new nontraditional distribution players enter the fray (think Google and Amazon), independent hoteliers are seeing some secondary benefits of participating on these platforms that can make a big difference, particularly on the sales-and-marketing front.

Visibility

While getting the booking is first priority, sometimes the visibility associated with being on a particular distribution channel can be a close second when it comes to value.

Bashar Wali, president of Provenance Hotels, which has 11 independent hotels in its portfolio, said that being early adopters of new distribution technology keeps Provenance front and center in the minds of customers.

Provenance was an early adopter of Amazon Destinations and TripAdvisor Instant Booking, and Wali said Kayak, Google and TripAdvisor right now are the top three metasearch engines he pays most attention to—and money on.

Visibility can be tough to quantify, though, Wali said. It requires balancing just how much a hotelier spends on something as ephemeral as brand awareness.

So Wali does what he can to put solid return-on-investment data behind brand awareness. “If you don’t focus, you can spend your whole day messing around on these sites,” he said. “Whether it’s on pay-per-click or on rankings, we’re spending money so we have to be ROI-driven.”

He cited TripAdvisor as an example of a site where hotel visibility has led to increased bookings.

“We have a hotel in Seattle, the Hotel 1000, that is No. 1 on TripAdvisor. By being No. 1 and spending some money on Instant Booking, we’re seeing amazing ROI.”

Not all independent hotels need the visibility that comes with spending money on metasearch. The key is knowing your mix, said Tom Varley, VP of Ocean Properties Hotels & Resorts.

Level playing field

Independent hoteliers say that another benefit to more players entering the distribution market is a continuously leveling playing field.

As OTAs consolidate, more metasearch players are jumping in, and independents say that helps everyone—even if you don’t participate actively in a given channel.

Michael Barnello, CEO and President of LaSalle Hotel Properties, said the addition of new players like Amazon is a good thing.

“The more the merrier in terms of what we think we can get in pricing competition for the commission,” he said during LaSalle’s first-quarter earnings call with analysts. “That’s the most important thing for us.” LaSalle has more than 35 independent hotels in its portfolio.

Wali agreed. He called Amazon’s entrée into booking “a huge move.”

Reaching the next spenders

Visibility isn’t just about attracting consumers who want to book a hotel today, Wali said. Part of why Provenance likes to be an early adopter of new hotel technologies is to keep a finger on the pulse of the next generation of guests.

“It’s education on the future,” he said.

Aligning with brands known for their expansive data reach doesn’t hurt either, he said. Thinking about the possibilities that might come down the road with brands like Amazon can be fun to speculate about, Wali said, like the possibilities of direct-marketing a ski resort, for example, to Amazon customers who just purchased skis.

“Keeping our finger on the pulse is just exceedingly important,” he said.