SALES & MARKETING
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ACHIEVING CHANNEL SANITY
IN THE COVID-19 ERA , IT ’ S LESS ABOUT FOCUS AND MORE ABOUT ‘ ANY SOURCE OF DEMAND THAT ’ S OUT THERE .’
Contributed BY MEGAN ROWE
Eager to avoid the same traps they fell into during the global financial collapse and other crises of the past two decades , hotels today are managing inventory with a sharper eye to filling rooms without sacrificing rate and control . But as the travel economy slowly sputters back to life , they also aren ’ t taking any chances .
Caroline MacDonald , group vice president of global sales , marketing , distribution and business performance at Hong Kongbased Rosewood Hotel Group , voices a common attitude : “ It ’ s important to leverage all partners and channels to accelerate [ our ] recovery ,” she says . She adds that Rosewood is engaging with corporate and group travel planners in preparation for the fourth quarter and beyond .
“ All segments are being disrupted , so we really have an omnichannel approach ,” agrees Adam Hayashi , vice president of revenue management and analytics at Paris-based Accor . “ We ’ re making sure we ’ re available and visible to any source of demand that ’ s out there . We ’ re not sitting back and saying we need to focus on direct or OTA business .”
Hayashi thinks the book-direct mantra had lost momentum even before COVID-19 . “ The new normal is reall understanding what business we ’ re protecting for ,” he says . With group inventory now up for grabs , making it visible across channels is a priority .
LEVERAGING OTAS Simone Puorto , CEO at Paris-based consultancy Singularity , says hoteliers should get over the “ us versus them ” mentality toward OTAs . In Europe , he points out , the majority of hotels are independents , and a brand . com approach isn ’ t within their grasp . They live and die by OTAs , and they can benefit from resources like Expedia TravelAds .
“ Let ’ s face it , in challenging times it ’ s safer to outsource distribution rather than betting on less expensive , yet less effective channels ,” Puorto observes . “ We should accept all the help we can get , and not be too picky about the origin .”
With tight budgets and hopes for a recovery boost hanging on leisure travel , many hotels are laser focused on drive-to business and social events . “ It ’ s important to understand who and where the customer base is and when they can travel ,” says Jenna Villalobos , vice president of revenue
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