Maximising hotel revenue through effective sales channel distribution

Collaborating with channels that align with a hotel’s target guest profile ensures a more tailored approach.

Niche channels can be particularly effective in this regard, leveraging lifestyle choices and brand affinities to attract specific guest segments. For instance, a boutique hotel catering to four-legged travellers might find value in partnering with dog-friendly travel platforms such as Pets Pyjamas, while a resort in the UK may want to collaborate with UK travel expert Snaptrip.

Seasonality and diversification

The hospitality industry is inherently seasonal, with demand fluctuating throughout the year. Diversifying distribution channels becomes imperative to mitigate the impact of seasonality and generate demand during quieter periods.

Through the utilisation of Revenue Management Systems (RMS) and Business Intelligence (BI) tools, hotels can spot the trends and patterns in booking behaviour and identify the type of high-value guest to target, constantly adapting their distribution strategy based on live booking performance. By spreading reach across multiple relevant channels, hotels can tap into varied market segments and capture demand that might otherwise be lost during off-peak seasons.

The role of metasearch in driving direct bookings

Metasearch platforms play a pivotal role in the hotel distribution landscape, offering travellers a convenient platform to compare prices across multiple channels. Ensuring visibility on metasearch platforms is essential for hotels, as it fosters fair price comparison and encourages direct bookings.

By maintaining rate clarity (not to be mistaken for rate parity – as you may wish to sell slightly higher on some channels to offset commissions payable) across all channels, hotels instil confidence in guests, and can reinforce the value proposition of booking directly through value-adds such as room upgrade or in-room amenity gift upon arrival.

All metasearch sites, as well as other online tools such as Google Maps and TripAdvisor, should be optimised to build authority in your hotel – and to drive direct traffic to your hotel’s website.

Rate and inventory management: connecting the dots

Effective distribution goes beyond mere visibility; it hinges on precise rate and inventory management. Integrating the hotel’s booking engine with distribution channels ensures accurate pricing and inventory allocation, while safeguarding against anti-competitive practices. As a leading provider of hospitality solutions, we offer comprehensive tools to help hotels streamline rate and inventory distribution, empowering hotels to optimise revenue across all channels seamlessly.

Online visibility leads to occupancy. But filling your hotel needs to be done smartly – through the right balance of channels that target the right guest profile for your business – that, ultimately, will improve revenue.

With the right tools and partnerships found in our hotel technology solutions, hotels like yours can provide the end-to-end digital guest experience, while navigating the complex distribution landscape to emerge as frontrunners in the competitive hospitality industry.

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This post originally appeared on the Guestline blog here and is reproduced with their permission.