Interestingly, my last hotel ecommerce articles provoked a number of calls from small hoteliers who thought that their website was just a necessary evil and not worth any real investment. That being said, this weeks article contains an overview of my thoughts and comments on their concerns.
First, look at the Web sites of major hotels which now contain vital sales collateral and real-time online reservation systems. Web site visitors are now recognized as potential guests. Even visitors who are not booking are now perceived as often being in the important "research" phase of the shopping process. One only has to view the changes and upheaval due to e-commerce in the retail industry to understand and recognize how extensively the Internet has and will affect the hotel industry.
The number of reservations flowing to hotels through the electronic distribution channels, the global distribution systems (GDS) and the Internet is growing steadily. Once a minor contributor of bookings, they are now primary business sources and grow more important with every passing month.
This growth has heightened emphasis throughout the hotel industry on using the electronic distribution channels effectively and maximizing their potential. Every hotelier now faces the challenge of understanding, prioritizing and managing these electronic outlets on behalf of his or her property.
Ask yourself how many of your friends or relatives refer to the Internet while planning a trip? How many are influenced by what they see on the hotel and travel websites? How many buy online? And how many of those who buy online today did not a year ago? This informal survey by yourself of online growth will readily support the many published professional surveys conducted by the hotel industry.