Reset World showcased its new online calculator at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) earlier this year to show hoteliers their property’s projected savings by shifting their channel mix towards direct online bookings.
In the Middle East, the average percentage of direct online bookings to brand.com is 21.6 per cent while this number for independent hotels is just 3.5 per cent. The total average online bookings for the region come to just above 20 per cent, according to a research study conducted by Jeff Strachan from Insights Management Consultancy.
The percentage of online bookings in Europe far exceeds that at 40 per cent with direct online bookings to brand.com at 25 per cent. This data shows the huge potential hotels in the Middle East region have, if the right steps are taken.
Any hotel that currently produces lower numbers of direct bookings than the industry and regional averages, leaves money on the table. By shifting distribution channels from third-party sites to the brand website, hotels can achieve significant savings on OTA commissions.
ResNet World has the tools to help hotels maximise their revenues, which include the optimisation of hotel and brand websites, advanced online booking engine website integration, multi-language booking facilities including a fully fledged Arabic booking engine, channel management solutions and internet marketing.
For many independent hotels in the Middle East, achieving higher numbers of direct web bookings could mean average savings in the range of $60,000 a year on commissions (based on the assumtion of a 150-key property), which represents a direct improvement of a hotel’s bottom line.
Saahil Mehta, founder and managing director of ResNet World said: “When I speak to executive teams at hotels and hotel groups I am often asked ‘what’s next’ in terms of travel technology. In our experience however, many hotels are not yet taking full advantage of what can be achieved with the tools that exist today that can help hotels get more direct bookings and achieve higher profitability.”
The calculator is free and easy to use and is available on the ResNet World website. The company will soon release an app, which will be made available for both IOS & Android, that will feature 12 tips hotels can follow to get more direct bookings.