Dubai, UAE – Online hotel bookings are expected to continue to thrive and hoteliers need to support its relationship with online travel agencies (OTA) for mutual growth.
“They are an important part of our business. We lean on OTAs when it comes to their knowledge because they hold key data and have tremendous worldwide reach and visibility that can get us into new markets that we may not otherwise be able to reach,” said Glenn Nobbs, General Manager of Copthorne Hotel Dubai.
Nobbs shared his opinion in a panel discussion at The Hospitality Leadership Forum, a central feature of The Hotel Show held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 16 to 18 September 2018.
He and other industry speakers debated on the topic “OTA’s & Hotelier: The Hotelier’s Perspective”. All of them acknowledged that OTAs are an important source of business for the hotels because they can reach new guests and access new markets, particularly due to their multi-billion dollar advertising spend across the globe. In fact, it would be very difficult for hotels to compete effectively against OTAs.
“However, we have direct control on the guest experience once they bring the customer to us so it’s our responsibility to manage that relationship and make sure the guest comes back directly to us through our brand’s website next time,” explained Nobbs.
When questioned about the reliance on OTAs as a key source of business, the panel was quick to point out that only about 30 to 35% of total hotel bookings come from OTAs, and that they represent only one segment of a Hotel’s business. Therefore the emphasis remains on the Hotel sales team and executive management to ensure they correctly price and sell the remaining 65% across other segments to achieve their revenue targets.
“With dynamic rates now across Wholesalers and Travel Agents, it is also very important that we ensure we price correctly at the right time and maintain price parity with all of our partners,” he noted.
It was also shared that exposure on OTAs can help increase direct bookings due to the customer moving from an OTA to Hotel brand site to complete the booking process once they have identified the Hotel. “We just need to strategize continuously, learn from the available booking pattern information in the OTA’s extranet, and keep improving our guest review ranking to maximize our revenue potential on a daily basis,” added Nobbs.
The Hospitality Leadership Forum is a series of spontaneous and forthright panel discussions and interviews on the key strategic opportunities and challenges shaping the regional sector.
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About Copthorne Hotel Dubai
Copthorne Hotel Dubai, a 4-star property located at the heart of the beautiful Port Saeed, offers 210 contemporary rooms and suites, with views of Dubai Creek and the evening sunsets. The alcohol-free property features three restaurants, a swimming pool, health and fitness centre, business centre, beauty salon, spa and meeting rooms.
Copthorne Hotel Dubai is within 4kms of Dubai International Airport, and a short walk from Deira City Centre shopping mall and Metro Station. Within easy access to Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall, and a number of Dubai’s key attractions.
About Millennium Hotels & Resorts
Millennium Hotels & Resorts plc is a dynamic, global hotel company, which owns, asset manages and/or operates over 120 hotels worldwide. With almost 40,000 rooms worldwide, the company is present on all continents with a portfolio of brands which serve different market segments, representing quality and value in every class.
From a single property in Abu Dhabi, Millennium Hotels & Resorts, Middle East & Africa has expanded into various neighbouring destinations and is now recognised as one of the fastest growing regional hotel management companies in the Middle East & Africa. Along the way, the company has cultivated partnerships with reputable and respected owners. Millennium Hotels & Resorts currently operates 35 hotels, has 11 hotels due to open within the next year and 40 hotels in the pipeline across the region.
For more information, please visit www.millenniumhotels.com
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