With increasing advancement in technology, even the hospitality industry has witnessed a major revolution. This change has revolutionised the reservation scenario on online booking sites making bookings of rooms very convenient and seamless.
And today, OTA vs hotel direct bookings has become a trending topic. Apart from room bookings on the hotel’s website online booking portals give the travellers an opportunity to view the property and also compare loads of properties on online sites before booking the hotel rooms.
OTAs are one of the key players in the hotel industry. The best OTA for hotels helps you connect your hotel property or chain of hotels to a global audience, thus resulting in increased bookings and revenue. OTAs have made marketing very easy and flawless for hoteliers, help the owners to let their rooms being made available and also sell those to a larger audience.
Moreover, with the help of best OTA for hotels, the travellers get the ease of booking various services at a single place like holiday packages, airlines, trains, hotels, cars, etc. When such bookings are made, online travel sites get a commission as a part of the total amount which is generally in percentage.
The properties and hotels on which the registration of accommodation providers take place get a chance to put forward the availability of rooms and also sell those to travellers throughout the world.
Another major reason for OTAs rising strongly in the hospitality industry is that they act as a strong platform for hotels to sell their excess room inventory during the non-touristy season.
In order to select the best OTA for your hotel, keep in mind the following points and act accordingly:
The Audience Which You Are Targeting
The kind of hotel guests which you cater to has a big role to play in listing your property on the OTAs. This is because these days many OTAs are made in order to aim a particular market segment which thus helps the travellers to get done with the booking swiftly, and also help the hoteliers to reap the greatest benefits in this situation.
No one else but you as a hotel owner is the best adjudicator to decide what type of guests you want to welcome and entertain at your property.
OTA’s Demographic Hold
It is important to note that most of the OTAs are geo-specific. The OTA’s serve spectators from particular geographical regions or locations. This stresses the need to enquire and ascertain the regions and locations from where the majority of your guests are!
To understand this, you have to first ascertain and find out where the tourists are coming from to your city.
The locally-based OTAs can be defined as the top platform for you to apprehend local guests as well as those coming from nearby towns.
Why To Sort OTAs Based On Property Type
There are different OTAs for different properties. Not every OTA will suit every hotel. It totally relies on the category of your hotel along with the amenities which you are offering to your guests which will impact your decision of selecting the best OTA for you.
Example: Airbnb suits solo travellers, whereas sites like Expedia is considered best for luxury properties and 5-star hotels. When you select the perfect OTA that is in sync with the type of your property the process will result in your rooms selling at a faster rate.
Why Hoteliers Should Take Look At OTA Charges Before Registering
A hotelier’s biggest concern when they partner with an OTA is the amount which they have kept under the commission tag as the commission model for every OTA stands different.
If you have finalised a particular OTA, then ensure before registering what are the charges for an OTA hotel booking done via that website. It is advisable that hoteliers should begin with the OTA which charges you a commission amount that is less.
How OTAs Make Your Property Visible Worldwide Across A Larger Audience
Apart from providing hotels with an opportunity to list themselves on OTA’s, they also carry on different programs to advertise the property. Programs like discounts or reward are an attraction for hoteliers to decide whether to list their property on that website or not.
The OTA can run programs like offering a night free with every 2 nights booked or a complimentary meal. Such offers increase the bookings thus increasing the hotel’s revenue.
Outlook
OTA vs direct booking is a prime topic for hoteliers around the world. And when selecting the best OTA doesn’t depend whether you are in the hospitality business for decades or you are newbie, it depends on the fact whether OTA’s have the ability to increase your reach over a wider audience and also advertise and market your property.
Doing this increases your revenue in turn for the amount of commission they charge — undoubtedly a fair deal!
Furthermore, there’s another aspect involved in OTA hotel booking which is OTA Management. However, management of room inventory and rates and keeping them in sync with each other online is a major challenge when done manually. And hotels doing it right would grow significantly.
Hotelogix hotel online distribution management system integrated with Hotelogix PMS helps hotels sell more rooms. Be it updating rates and inventory on multiple Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) or working with leading Global Distribution Systems (GDSs), Hotelogix will help you in all these.
Therefore, you as a hotelier will have to focus on the above-mentioned points and select an OTA which suits best and also ensure that you are doing OTA management right.
Do it and see how the OTAs assists you in reaching the top of the hospitality industry and make your property a loved property by tourists and guests from the world over!
