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Hoteliers face major challenges in their quest for the optimal distribution strategy – distribution mix, revenue accounting, product complexity, and cost allocation, just to name a few. This article delves into the obstacles within these obstacles and explores possible realistic solutions.
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The second quarter of 2012 was challenging for U.S. public online travel agencies (OTAs) – Expedia, Orbitz and Priceline. While domestic business was resilient for most, relatively weak travel demand in Europe meant that growth from overseas operations was muted across the board.
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The stats for August were fine. Hotel occupancy was up strongly, after posting a nothing-to-brag-about increase of less than 1 percentage point in July. ADRs rose, RevPAR was up and airplanes continued to run more than 85% full. So far, so good. Then Spain's budget came out, rioters hit the streets, and we were all reminded that the macro cloud hanging over businesses of all kind hasn't gone anywhere. Priceline shares, always sensitive to Europe, shed more than 1%. Other travel shares also gave up gains from earlier in the month.
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With uncertainty still lingering over many of the world's economies, consumers have grown increasingly careful about their travel spending. A range of influences and information sources impact how consumers decide where to go, and travel behavior varies considerably across different markets. This report explores how the process of destination selection is evolving, and in particular how this process differs between travelers in the U.S., France, Germany and the U.K.
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European tour operators continue to face financial hardship, thanks to competition from online travel agencies and supplier-direct sales. But efforts to improve their product mix and flexibility, differentiate themselves through customer service, and update their business models may yet keep tour operators in the game.
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Asia Pacific's bustling economies have enjoyed striking growth in travel demand over the past several years. Airlines and hotels are benefiting from growing business and leisure travel demand, and online travel agencies - both local and global - continue to outperform the overall market. PhoCusWright's Asia Pacific Online Travel Overview Fifth Edition provides comprehensive sizing, analysis and forecasting for the region's 13 travel markets, with special emphasis on its five major markets: China, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
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What do hotels really get out of providing inventory to online travel agencies through a merchant program? This article examines the costs, benefits and overall value of this model to hoteliers.
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Does online travel know something other industries don't, or is the category whistling before an economic storm? It's an interesting question as we look at June's data, plus stock prices and some earnings reports coming in during July. Early earnings performance from Expedia was excellent, and the hotels are doing well (though hotel stocks are weakening) and the airlines are benefitting from cheaper fuel, higher load factors and a general, welcome discipline that comes from having been whipsawed by cycles before. And yet ... the question is whether – or how long – this can last in the face of a weakening economy and a looming fiscal cliff.
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Eastern Europe's travel market is a sleeping giant just beginning to wake up. The market experienced healthy growth in 2010 and 2011, and while options and demand for travel are improving, cultural barriers and the European debt crisis still hinder development. PhoCusWright's Eastern Europe Online Travel Overview sizes the total and online leisure and unmanaged business travel markets in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and the Czech Republic. The report also compares trends across product segments, provides analysis of the primary online booking channels, and highlights the key players influencing the market.
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In January 2012, the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) published Distribution Channel Analysis: A Guide for Hotels (DCA). The report presented comprehensive data and analysis on the U.S. hotel distribution landscape. The purpose of this Spotlight is to discuss the report's recommendations and provide additional perspective, including examining the role and impact of other media players (e.g., Google, Facebook and Apple) entering the hotel distribution space.
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