🚨 Why the sudden and more aggressive push for “Rate Parity” from the major OTAs?
Short answer: they might be freaking out. Here’s why 👇
Gary Vee said something recently that clicked for me: AI companies like Chat want to own the entire funnel.
Think about a prompt like this:
👉 “Find me a vacation rental with X amenities, in X destination, with X bedrooms, at the cheapest rate.”
In the near future, that last phrase; “at the cheapest rate,” is the killer. AI doesn’t care about loyalty, it will literally find the cheapest booking source. If one OTA is priced higher, it gets cut. And if your direct website is cheaper, well… guests may book direct. Ruh Roh Scooby.
So what logical levers might OTAs pull next?
🚫 Ban on individualized property names – so guests can’t just Google “Bob’s Beachfront Villa”, circumvent fees, and book direct.
🕵️ Manual website audits (let’s hope not).
🔒 API restrictions & “preferred partner” carrots to force tech providers into line… I might throw something if this happens.
All of this points to one thing: property managers need to double down on what can’t be commoditized. Here’s where to focus:
1️⃣ Guest experience. From property condition to support: deliver excellence. A high NPS (Fieldtrip sits at 87) = recurring guests. That’s the foundation of this industry and what made us special to begin with.
2️⃣ Retention. Use smart email marketing to bring past guests back – right guest, right message, right time.
3️⃣ Pricing strategy. Get “creative” is all I’m going to say (cue the Mr. Burns “excellent” emoji). Great revenue managers + creativity + the right software = amplified returns.
4️⃣ Digital marketing. SEO is not dead (been hearing that since 2002 🙄). It’s evolving. Build a brand, build authority, reap the rewards. It’s evolving – can you keep up?
5️⃣ Social media. Fieldtrip is a case study here: ~50k followers + global brand partnerships = a whole new revenue stream.
6️⃣ Diversify OTAs. Don’t just depend on the majors. Explore niche platforms and fast-growing up-and-comers.
The future is going to get interesting fast. The question is: are you preparing for it, or waiting to react?
