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.
Rental Car Pricing, Tax & Fee Demolition Derby
A fourteen dollar daily rate sounds like a great deal for an mid-size rental car – until the total for a three day rental comes to $83.56. That’s right, 98.95% in taxes and fees. If that seems excessive, one can always get to a lower percentage by renting a Mustang Convertible for $210.64 per day or $842.04 for three days – that’s works out to only 33.25% ($210.12) in taxes and fees. But the most disturbing part is the inaccurate calculations used for taxes and fees. With errors that never seem to work out in favor of the traveler.
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.
A Hotelier’s Take on IATA’s New Distribution Capability
The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) controversial decision to adopt the Airline Tariff Publishing Company (ATPCO) XML standard based on the Farelogix Air Commerce Gateway that was supported by the now defunct Open AXIS group is misguided. Its focus is airline-centric, ensuring the airlines full control over search and booking transactions occurring within their ecosystem. Like so many other things in the world of airlines, it really should be customer focused.