Post by ivykhan885 on Mar 9, 2024 22:42:33 GMT -6
Direct sales , whether by phone or website, have gained a large market share during the pandemic. According to an analysis by Phocuswire , this strong increase has led many hoteliers to reevaluate the importance of direct booking, coming to consider it a strategic pillar of their business . Already at the beginning of the year, a SiteMinder report referring to 2020 showed how the direct channel had been the preferred one during the pandemic period in many of the countries taken into consideration. On the contrary, the loss-making players were the traditional tour operators and travel agencies, heavily affected by the crisis. Web channels are therefore responding much better to the needs of tourists in the post-Covid period, creating an unprecedented shift in bookings from offline to online . In particular, the direct channel has gained considerable market shares, with increases of up to 300% , approaching Booking.com and overtaking Expedia .
There are many reasons that have generated this change and every hotel will be able to identify with some of these, if not all. Travelers look for accurate hotel information Given the uncertain situation we find ourselves in, customers are looking for clear and precise information , which they are aware of finding exclusively on the hotel website. In fact, Booking.com may not be updated and reviews left on TripAdvisor may no longer be valid. The hotels that have gained the most from this situation are those that have taken care of communication via the website and the telephone channel Australia Telegram Number Data of the opening dates to Covid safety regulations, as well as the identification of the services available in times of pandemic. Greater number of national and local customers Since many of the moves have occurred locally or nationally , many potential guests have contacted the hotel via the website or by phone for information or to make reservations.
The reduced need for air travel has also reduced the demand for "package" formulas, in many cases eliminating Expedia's intermediation and encouraging direct booking. Lack of group, MICE and corporate segments Not all tourism sectors are distributed in the same way, the business segment continues to be limping and to feel the effects of the pandemic. This situation has led many business hotels to convert into leisure facilities, using online as the main promotional tool. However, the consequence is that they now find themselves involuntarily competing with other leisure hotels in terms of price. Better rates for direct booking and loyalty Even before the pandemic, many structures offered better conditions on their direct channel than the OTAs. Those who have maintained this strategy have benefited from the increase in visits to their websites, achieving great results in terms of direct bookings. Furthermore, hotels that have been able to identify and retain their customers over time have been able to count on them during the recovery period, receiving their first bookings without the intermediation of OTAs .
There are many reasons that have generated this change and every hotel will be able to identify with some of these, if not all. Travelers look for accurate hotel information Given the uncertain situation we find ourselves in, customers are looking for clear and precise information , which they are aware of finding exclusively on the hotel website. In fact, Booking.com may not be updated and reviews left on TripAdvisor may no longer be valid. The hotels that have gained the most from this situation are those that have taken care of communication via the website and the telephone channel Australia Telegram Number Data of the opening dates to Covid safety regulations, as well as the identification of the services available in times of pandemic. Greater number of national and local customers Since many of the moves have occurred locally or nationally , many potential guests have contacted the hotel via the website or by phone for information or to make reservations.
The reduced need for air travel has also reduced the demand for "package" formulas, in many cases eliminating Expedia's intermediation and encouraging direct booking. Lack of group, MICE and corporate segments Not all tourism sectors are distributed in the same way, the business segment continues to be limping and to feel the effects of the pandemic. This situation has led many business hotels to convert into leisure facilities, using online as the main promotional tool. However, the consequence is that they now find themselves involuntarily competing with other leisure hotels in terms of price. Better rates for direct booking and loyalty Even before the pandemic, many structures offered better conditions on their direct channel than the OTAs. Those who have maintained this strategy have benefited from the increase in visits to their websites, achieving great results in terms of direct bookings. Furthermore, hotels that have been able to identify and retain their customers over time have been able to count on them during the recovery period, receiving their first bookings without the intermediation of OTAs .
