This month’s roundup of news from the technology sector includes: GDSes still matter in hotel bookings; Hilton partners with Uber; and more.
GDSes still impactful for bookings
Recent global data released by TravelClick projects 2015 to be a record year for bookings through global distribution systems, the channel commonly used when guests book through traditional travel agents. TravelClick is projecting 62 million bookings through GDSes in 2015, which is up from 61 million in 2014 and 42 million during the depths of the recession in 2009, according to a report from HNN’s Sean McCracken.
According to the data, a total of $12 billion in revenue was booked across all channels in the second quarter in the top 50 global markets, encompassing 69 million roomnights. GDS bookings covered 16.3% of those bookings. The highest portion of bookings came through direct bookings (36.9%), followed by Web bookings (22.5%). Central reservations system bookings (12.8%) and online-travel-agency bookings (10.2%) represent the remaining portion.
Marriott to migrate to .marriott domain
Marriott International will migrate its websites from a .com domain to .marriott in an attempt to fight against a recent scourge of scam hotel booking websites. “Whenever you see .marriott, you’ll have even more assurance that it’s from a trusted Marriott affiliation,” the company said in a statement on its website.
Leaders discuss hotel Wi-Fi
Charging for some wireless Internet access at hotels is becoming easier for hoteliers as the service becomes more reliable and robust, according to a report from HNN’s Jeff Higley.
With many brands adopting a tiered approach that provides complimentary basic Wi-Fi access to guests, consumers are taking note, according to Dana Shefsky, director of digital product innovation for Hilton Worldwide Holdings.
“That’s what we heard from consumers—that Wi-Fi is expected like air nowadays,” Shefsky said. “We tagged that to booking direct, so customers that book direct with us can get that free Wi-Fi, and that really helped us sell it to our owners.”
9 ways to manage technology trends
Many factors are converging now that point to success for independent hoteliers, but this group must continue to stay abreast of the latest trends—technology in particular—to continue to thrive. A group of independent hotel owners and operators shared tips and best practices across several trend categories at the recent 2015 Hotel Data Conference in Nashville. Those tips are:
- Focus on stealing share when it comes to the distribution market.
- Stay visible on channels.
- Take a page from Google and Amazon.
- Spend money on photography.
- Video is a lot simpler than you might think.
- Make sure your website is responsive.
- Consider third-party validation.
- Think hard about apps.
- Think about spending money on something other than apps.
Survey respondents hot on tech
According to results from the inaugural Southern Lodging Summit state of the industry survey, attendees of the conference are united in optimism and eager to talk more about technology. All attendees said they thought 2016 would be either as healthy as it was in 2015 or surpass those levels. On the technology front, 98% of respondents said that faster, free Wi-Fi is the most important amenity for millennial guests. Only 35% said that Wi-Fi broadband capacity would have the most impact over the next 12 months. Attendees were nearly evenly split on their views of Airbnb: 48% reported it as a threat to the industry, 42% said it was not and 10% remain undecided.
Hilton partners with Uber
Hilton Worldwide Holdings’ new partnership with ride-share service Uber has several new twists, according to the company. Hilton guests will be able to sign up for a “ride reminder” that makes it easy for guests to set up an Uber ride to any Hilton hotel. Later this month in 20 cities, the partnership will expand to include destination information in the HHonors rewards app.
Hilton to phase out on-demand adult films
In more Hilton news, the global hotel operator and franchisor will eliminate adult films from its on-demand offerings, according to various media outlets. In a widely publicized statement, the company said:
“We are making immediate changes to our global brand standards to eliminate adult video-on-demand entertainment in all our hotels worldwide. While the vast majority of our properties already do not offer this content today, this content will be phased out of all other hotels subject to the terms of their contracts. We believe in offering our guests a high degree of choice and control during their stays with us, including Wi-Fi on personal devices.”