An overview of the impact that Big Data, the demise of rate parity and the personalization of hospitality through the sharing economy have on traditional hotel industry distribution. Presentation by Robert Cole of RockCheetah for the Distribution Super Session at the Hospitality Finance and Technology Professionals 2014 HITEC Conference held Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California.
Getting Rev’ved Up About Hotel Rate Parity
WIth the United Kingdom Office of Fair Trading deciding that hotel rate parity (resale price maintenance) policies must be abolished, the global travel industry must now prepare for a seismic shift in the balance of power between online travel agencies (OTAs), hotel brands and individual hotel properties. It’s a shame that British regulators got it completely wrong.
VFM Leonardo Webinar – Benefits of Marketing on Online Travel Agencies
Robert Cole was invited by VFM Leonardo to participate in a webinar covering the benefits of marketing to OTAs and specifically how to The session was held online on September 25, 2013. It was stressed that the focus should be on business and marketing objectives and not solely the technologies.
Valuable Lessons from Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlours
Bob Farrell and his eponymous Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlours created a legendary brand that was known for its birthday party and special occasion celebrations enjoyed by children, their parents and grandparents alike. Farrell’s secret? He ran the operation like a bar for kids. A concept that was lost after the business was acquired.
How Big Data, Deep Web & Semantic Technologies Change Travel Marketing
Big Data, The Deep Web and the Semantic Web are all buzzwords that are bandied about, but they represent very real technologies that will dramatically alter the foundations of travel marketing. Robert Cole’s Keynote presentation to the 2013 Association of Travel Marketing Executives addresses the main benefits of deploying the technologies. Incredible opportunities exist for those who smartly plan to adopt the technologies to effectively engage with travelers.
Hotel Pricing Chaos
It’s traveler versus hotel revenue manager when it comes to finding the lowest hotel rate. Comparison shopping is unfortunately still essential as the chaos of managing multiple distribution channels sometimes get the best of the hotels. Deals my pop up in unlikely spots, disappear completely from the most obvious places and create deals that may not be as attractive as presented. This example is for The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on Hawaii’s Big Island. At least they don’t charge resort fees…