Marketing

🗺 Thomas Cook resumes Tokyo holidays after nearly a year. Bookings are open until July 2026 via eSky Group. 25 hotels are bookable now, with more to follow. Departures from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newcastle. Prices start at £866 per person for seven nights from Gatwick on December 1 and rise to £1,960 per person for a five-star stay from Heathrow on December 3.

📅 In 2025, hotels face the challenge of balancing exposure and profitability across booking channels. OTAs like Booking.com provide global reach but charge 10-25% commissions. Direct bookings yield higher margins but need robust marketing. A strategic channel mix—combining OTAs, direct bookings, and niche platforms—boosts visibility and profits. Sustainability platforms like EcoBnb attract eco-conscious travelers. Rate parity ensures consistent pricing, while incentives like free parking enhance value. Google Travel and AI are shaping the future of bookings.

💻 Emerging Travel Group (ETG), parent of RateHawk, ZenHotels, and Roundtrip, partners with InnGenius PMS. The integration with InnGenius PMS Channel Manager enhances connectivity for accommodations in Turkey, the U.S., Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia. ETG gains access to InnGenius’ markets, expanding options for property owners to manage inventory and reduce overbookings. Simone Large emphasizes ETG’s goal to grow in high-demand regions by collaborating with more accommodation providers through this enhanced global distribution network.

📊 Hoteliers face rising OTA fees and fragmented guest data. A Customer Data Platform (CDP) unifies data from various systems, creating accurate guest profiles to boost direct bookings and enhance loyalty. According to Twilio Segment’s 2023 report, 60% of consumers are more likely to return after a personalized experience. CDPs offer dynamic segmentation, automate personalized messaging, track campaign ROI, and ensure privacy compliance, transforming data into actionable insights for sustainable business growth.

🏨 Lulu Boutique Hotel in Żebbuġ, Malta, with its seven unique suites, tackled rising OTA management costs by partnering with STAAH. For two years, they have maintained consistent pricing and received outstanding support without extra charges. STAAH’s tools enhance their online presence, offering group booking management, rate comparison, and app accessibility, providing tech advantages akin to larger hotels. The collaboration ensures smoother operations and continued growth without hidden fees.

📰 Danica Smith interviews Hector Hughes, co-founder of Unplugged, about achieving 100% direct bookings and nearly full occupancy year-round without OTAs. Unplugged's success comes from organic growth and strategic marketing using social media. By building a movement, not just a brand, Unplugged has transformed its business model. Hospitality leaders can learn from their approach to boost direct demand and authenticity.

📷 Google now indexes public Instagram content, allowing hotel posts like Reels and captions to appear in search results. This enables exposure to non-followers and supports direct bookings without ads. Hotels should optimize captions with SEO keywords, treat bios as landing pages, and use alt text for images. Creating evergreen content enhances searchability. To capitalize on traffic, ensure DMs are managed and links are provided. This integration marks a trend of converging search and social platforms.

🗺️ May-June 2025 bookings increased by 13%, while September-October saw a 20% rise, indicating a trend toward shoulder season travel. Driven by higher costs, extreme heat, and crowds, tourists seek destinations like Croatia, Cyprus, and Egypt for comfortable weather. Julia Lo Bue-Said of Advantage Travel Partnership suggests revising school holidays to enable off-peak travel. Despite this, July-August 2025 bookings remain strong, up 7% from 2024, with all-inclusive holidays accounting for 40% of sales.

🌍 In May 2025, Expedia Group expanded its Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP) in the UAE, providing GCC travel agents with enhanced trip management tools, including upgraded deferred payment options up to 365 days, a new bank transfer payment option, and a service charge of up to 30%. The updates, influenced by advisor feedback, aim to improve cash flow and booking flexibility. Currently, 45% of travelers relied on advisors for most or all trips last year. Expedia partners with regional tourism organizations to boost exposure.

🌎 Expedia TAAP enhancements: In 2023, Expedia expanded its platform for travel advisers, enhancing efficiency and earnings. Notable updates include deferred payment for trips up to 365 days (previously 280), new bank transfer payments in several European markets, and a service charge feature available in over 20 markets, including the US, UK, and Canada. These changes help advisers manage bookings more effectively, with 45% of travelers using advisers for trip bookings in the past year.