18 - The War Between OTAs and Hotels is Reaching Boiling Point

In the inaugural episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discussed the OTAs vs. Direct bookings and gave some ideas on how you can reclaim some of your guests. In this episode, we discuss the fact that the war is heating up. All the players are circling their wagons and preparing for a battle royal - potentially to the death. Who will win? Love them or hate them, OTAs are an important part of the travel ecosystem. When used correctly. They are immensely useful and can drive occupancy and revenue. When used incorrectly, they are an unnecessary expense that can handcuff a property and prevent it from being profitable. In this episode, we discuss how this war started and who’s firing the biggest shots. We also look at the impact that this fallout is having on the consumer and offer our words of wisdom to the industry. ======================== ARTICLES THAT WE DISCUSSED THIS WEEK More hotels offer discounts for booking directly http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2016/07/10/hotels-booking-loyalty-program-discounts/86826042/ Are online travel sites providing biased information? (follows on from the dimming article last week) http://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-expedia-priceline-online-travel-sites-providing-biased-hotel-travel-information/ Priceline CEO to Hotels: We Can Offer Discounted Rates, Too https://skift.com/2016/08/05/priceline-ceo-to-hotels-we-can-offer-discounted-rates-too/ The state of online travel agency bookings in charts https://www.tnooz.com/article/state-of-online-travel-agency-bookings-charts/ (Reasons people book with OTAs) In search of hotels, more travelers turn to OTAs than hotel websites http://www.phocuswright.com/Free-Travel-Research/Channel-Surfing-Where-Consumers-Shop-for-Travel-Online Independent hotels increasingly dependent on OTAs http://www.hotrec.eu/newsroom/press-releases-1714/dominant-online-platforms-gaining-market-share-in-travel-trade-no-signs-of-increased-competition-between-online-travel-agents-unveils-european-hotel-distribution-study.aspx ======================== Related Links: Convert OTA Guests to In-House Bookings: 5 Ways to Succeed - http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/convert-ota-guests-to-in-house-bookings-5-ways-to-succeed/?ref=blog Get Your Hotel Bookings Back: 7 Ways to Reduce OTA Reliance - http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/get-your-hotel-bookings-back-7-ways-to-reduce-ota-reliance/?ref=blog Download the Fuel Leisure Trravel Study at www.fueltravel.com/study Check out www.triptease.com for great rate parity software and register for their Direct Booking Summit at http://www.directbookingsummit.com/ ======================== Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @marketingmeisha