What are booking channels?
Booking channels or distribution channels are different platforms, whether that is your own website, OTAs (online travel agents), global distribution systems or metasearch engines like Google. These channels are leveraged to accept and process reservations, and to drive regular revenue streams. They represent a hugely important part of distribution for hotels.
Why are booking channels important in the hospitality industry?
Booking channels are important because they help maximize revenue, reduce cash flow risk, and help ensure visibility in an already competitive and saturated market. Now more than ever, online channels are the main source of business for hotels, meaning that a clear plan for optimizing them is needed to connect with potential guests.
Online booking channels help you to expand your reach outside of your local community, increase your visibility by sharing your availability across various channels, and easily and strategically update rates and inventory across channels. The distribution channels below are some of the main ways that you will receive bookings and drive profitability.
Benefits of booking channels for hotels
As we’ve mentioned, there are many benefits to booking channels for hotels, from expanding your reach to increasing direct bookings, capitalizing on marketing budgets, diversifying your distribution strategy and streamlining operations. Let’s get into the details:
Grow your reach
One of the main outcomes of increased visibility is that you are better able to reach more guests. By publishing your inventory across different booking channels, you can reach a more diverse target audience and boost occupancy rates. You can also increase your visibility for guests that may not have otherwise found you.
Increase direct bookings
Booking engines are a great way to attract first-time guests, but the real opportunity lies in turning those guests into repeat visitors. With something like Mews Booking Engine, you can offer guests an incredible user experience, plus exclusive incentives and loyalty discounts that strengthen your relationships, all while saving on third-party fees.
Piggyback off OTA marketing budgets
It can be difficult to compete with OTAs like Booking.com, and sometimes, if you can’t beat them – join them. By being listed on a booking channel, you can take advantage of these large metasearch engines and OTA marketing budgets, which can help boost your visibility and also attract bookings year-round. Because after all, it’s in the best interest of both parties to be profitable.
Diversify
Diversification in your distribution is key. By not relying solely on your booking site, or on just one OTA, you are less reliant on one channel’s performance, and you can be less vulnerable to shifts in purchasing behavior. Plus, only relying on your direct booking channel may not be enough to stay ahead of the competition in a competitive market.
Streamline operations
With Mews PMS technology, gain direct connections to Booking.com and Expedia, along with access to other OTA integrations, making it simple to manage reservations and inventory in one place. This reduces the workload on your operational staff, keeps your operations running smoothly, and helps prevent overbookings. Less manual work means more time for your team to focus on what matters most – delivering remarkable guest experiences.
Best 7 booking channels for hotels
Nowadays, there are so many booking channels for hotels, it can be hard to know where to start. Below you will find some of the most popular channels that hoteliers choose for their properties.
Your own hotel website
Your own hotel website is crucial for boosting direct bookings. Direct bookings are the most profitable channel you can use, because you don’t have to pay commissions to third parties. While you may need to consider some costs around website maintenance fees like hosting and the domain, plus marketing and advertising, it will likely never be as much as the commissions paid to a third party.
You can enhance your hotel website by focusing on a user-friendly design that encourages conversions, investing in SEO and SEM to boost visibility, and leveraging social media to spark engagement. Listing your property on metasearch platforms like Google and TripAdvisor can also direct more traffic to your site, helping you reach a wider audience and capture more bookings.
Booking.com
When it comes to booking channels, Booking.com is one of the key places to be. The good news with hotel distribution giants like this is that you can benefit from their large marketing and ad budgets to boost your visibility and drive bookings, but for full transparency, you can expect pay up to 20% of your profits in commissions.
Booking.com is operated by Booking Holdings, which also operates Agoda and Priceline, among others. which is why it’s a good idea to leverage all these different brands under Booking Holdings to make the most of your collaboration.
Expedia Group
Expedia Group which operates Expedia, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Trivago and others, is one of the largest online travel agencies (OTAs), and s trusted marketplace for customers. No matter the size of your property, Expedia have a roster of global brands, plus industry-leading technology that can help you maximize occupancy year-round.
HotelsCombined
HotelsCombined is another important booking channel for hotels. It’s a metasearch engine that searches different various sites to show users a range of options, aggregating hotel prices and availability from different OTAs. It also supports direct booking boosts.
Google is a mega metasearch engine. Why? Because nearly every travel booking starts with a Google search. Its metasearch platform boosts your hotel’s visibility, connects guests directly to your website, and helps you capture bookings early in their decision-making process. Plus, it’s a great way to reduce reliance on OTAs and save on commission fees.
Global distribution systems
GDS allow your hotel to update inventory in real time and distribute it to travel agencies and OTAs seamlessly. Think of GDS as the connection hub between your hotel and travel agencies, both online and offline. By making your availability and rates easily accessible to travel agents, GDS can help drive more bookings and generate additional revenue for your property.
Hotelbeds
Hotelbeds is a booking engine that lets guests book based on TripAdvisor score, price, or star rating. It’s an excellent platform for reaching an international audience, providing visibility to travelers worldwide. Hotelbeds also connects with travel agents, tour operators and loyalty programs, enabling them to book accommodations for their customers and drive more bookings to your property.
Conclusion
We’ve explored the ins and outs of channel bookings — their role in hospitality, their benefits, and the top booking platforms for hotels. With the right channels in place, your hotel can attract more guests, boost profitability, and expand its reach. A well-planned distribution strategy isn’t just helpful; it’s key to driving revenue and standing out across multiple platforms.
