STAAH, a leading technology company helping hoteliers unlock their full revenue potential, has unveiled its list of distribution channels that brought the highest booking revenue to hotels across the Oceania region, including New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands.
STAAH’s list of top distribution channels is based on hotel reservations that have passed through its channel manager network of 500+ integrations across the world.
Direct bookings via STAAH SwiftBook connected to hotel websites has cemented its spot on number two in New Zealand and number three in Australia, reflecting the growth in investments seen among hotels in their websites, including their booking engines and payment options, and the specialist conversion tools they connect with.
The data also reveals OTA dominance and influence at every stage of trip planning and booking thanks to their unmatched reach and budgets. However, a diversified distribution strategy is apparent looking at the mix of types of OTAs as well as global distribution systems, websites and wholesalers being relied on for online bookings.
Booking.com held the top spot in New Zealand. Airbnb saw a softening in preference, down six spots to number ten while STAAH GDS was the biggest gainer in the country, up four spots to number five. Tourplan, a software solution catering to tour operators and destination management companies, and Trip.com made their appearance on New Zealand top channel list for the first time.
Australia had a similar flavour to its top hotel distribution channel list with Booking.com at the top spot. Expedia and Agoda made gains, coming in at number two and number four. Hotelbeds and Trip.com were the new entrants to the list while the biggest gainer was STAAH GDS.
We’re living in a new era of hotel guest – travellers who are more evolved when it comes to booking behaviours and preferences,” says John Clune, Director of Sales – Australia from STAAH. “Our data highlights the willingness of hoteliers to adopt both new and established methods to attract these customers, as they pursue a more holistic hotel commerce strategy to sell, market, manage and grow their business.”
“Accommodation providers that continue to adopt a more holistic online commerce strategy, consisting of both new and established methods, can expect to reap the benefits of India’s projected hospitality and tourism growth,” John continues.