Hotel Booking Opportunities

A short case study

By: Alexandra Humnicki MBA 2A

1. Why New Booking Opportunities Have Developed- from the consumer point of view?

The consumer of 2012, has evolved from what he was 10 years ago.

The consumer of today is what is called a ‘zapping’ consumer – changing regularly

The needs, wants and desires of the consumer have changed, pushed by the effects of the crisis.

The needs, wants and desires, have decreased proportionally with the decrease of income

2. Why New Booking Opportunities Have Developed- from the hotels point of view?

Increasing competition between hotels – many new, innovative hotels on the market

The on going fight for a high occupancy rate

The consumer having less money to spend/ night

The implementation of new digital technology in some hotels, obliges other hotels to keep up with the race for technology

GOAL

Consumer: pay as little as possible for the highest possible value

Hotels: Maximizing occupancy rate and maximizing the return guest (i.e having

a loyal clientele)

1. The “Classical” Ways of Getting Booking Opportunities

Booking.com- for advance purchase Expedia-for advance purchase Direct hotel websites- for the best

available rate Phone applications Travel Agency – on line and not

Direct Marriott Paris Website- Best Available Rates & Packages

Discount for Advance Purchase and Best Available Rate for Hotel Concorde Montparnasse on Expedia.com

On- line Travel Agency- Promovacances.fr

2. New Hotel Booking Opportunities

SniqueAway- from 2012, sells only 4 *& 5* hotel rooms within a certain timeframe. Requires constant monitoring of their website

Priceline- you bid the rate you wish for a certain room, based on previously chosen criteria. Does not guarantee the cheapest rate, unless no one else bids.

The last room- I-phone app for last minute deals, with a decreasing price

Quickbook- only for boutique hotels, and only available in the US

SNIQUEAway

Step 1: Choose the areaStep 2: Choose the star levelStep 3: Give your own price

Priceline.com

Quickbook.com – from Boutique Hotel Experts

Evaluating the best booking options

Independent hotels include boutique hotels and other hotels wanting to be different and not looked upon as mass selling of

rooms

Based on this, we can evaluate the best booking option for an independent hotel.

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Mobile App – The changing consumer being always on the move, this provides a fast and simple way to find hotels and from the hotel point of view, does not cost too much to advertise with.

Reverse auction sites – when last minute rooms are hoped to still be sold, without spending too much money from the hotel side. Suits both the consumer and the hotel

Facebook fan- a good alternative to digital marketing (e.g like GoBoard) for an independent hotel with less money than a chain

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OTA’s – it can be too expensive for independent hotels, and it rises the price for the consumer, however it does promote an independent hotel.

Hotel Site- an independent hotel may not be as well known as a chain, hence the probability of it showing up first in a search engine, is quite low, making this not a suitable and rentable option for the hotel.