FACT: online travel agencies are growing fast, over 76% of online bookings happen via OTAs.
In the research, made in 2015, it was stated that online channels are growing even faster than the total European travel market. It is not a surprise – OTAs are considered the largest spenders on online advertising. They are moving forward very fast, improving rapidly and their technology implementation is absolutely fantastic. These OTAs efforts to attract more clients directly benefits hotels – it is an easy way to improve occupancy, without putting much effort and resources into advertising.
However, for hotels, the success of online travel agencies represents both an opportunity in terms of increased sales and promotion and at the same time a threat because of the huge commissions they need to pay and the rising competition for customers’ loyalty. That is the reason why small independent hotels have a love-hate relationship with OTAs. It can help you get more bookings, but this obviously comes with a price tag.
So…Do you know what the cons of working with OTAs are? Read more