The fight against the OTAs starts at check in.

The fight against the OTAs starts at check in.

In any industry, a lack of competition can come with a decline in innovation and an increase in price, without a larger field of competitor there is nothing to incentivize OTAs to keep commission rates low or introduce new products and services to the market. With only two major players left in the OTA space, Expedia and Priceline can make and play by their own rules. Their almost complete dominance...

Why rate should be king

Why rate should be king

It looks like we are heading into the best year we have had for a long time. All projections from the major accounting firms reflected some great information for us in the hotel business.  Reports tell us that travelers’ demand should be up around 4 percent with an increase of room supply of something under 2 percent Of course, we all know that we took a big hit in 2008, and never really got...

What Guests Want Now: Personalization

What Guests Want Now: Personalization

Wouldn’t it be great if your airline and hotel automatically knew you were a window-seat lover who never checks bags, prefers a firm mattress, and Earl Grey over coffee?  According to Skift, personalization in travel is quickly becoming something customers expect, they want unique experiences tailored to their priorities and preferences and control over their itineraries. As travelers use an ever-growing number of sites, social media, and transactional tools to research, book, and review their trips online, they’re creating tons of data. Recently, we’ve heard a lot about how technology companies are starting to use this “Big Data” to help businesses in the travel space create personalized...