DIRECT BOOKINGS HOLD FIRM IN RANKINGS

from Hotel & Catering Review Issue 2 2020

LEADER OF THE PACK

Local hotels should think about investing in the B2B market while direct bookings are flourishing across the country. That’s according to new research from SiteMinder

In its annual list of top destination channels that brought the highest booking revenue to Irish hotels in 2019, SiteMinder has revealed that direct booking strategies are working extremely well for businesses around the country. The research also took a look at the growth strategies of the industry’s consolidation-hungry booking channel giants. Within 14 of the 20 tourism destinations, including Ireland, direct bookings either climbed the list from the previous year or maintained their position among the top five spots.

Ireland’s top 12 hotel booking channels in 2019, based on total gross revenue made for SiteMinder’s customers, were:

• Booking.com • Hotel websites (direct bookings) • Expedia Group • Global distribution systems • Hotelbeds • HRS - Hotel Reservation Service • Hostelworld Group • Roomex • Lastminute.com • totalstay by WebBeds • Sunhotels by WebBeds • Agoda

These 12 channels contributed over 89% of the total revenue made by all hotel booking channels for SiteMinder’s Irish customers in 2019, highlighting just how consolidated the Irish market is. The research also found that direct bookings through a hotel’s proprietary website remain strong and steady in Ireland, hanging on to the second spot for the second consecutive year. WebBeds’ brands, totalstay and Sunhotels made their first appearance on the list, proving that local hotels need to invest in the B2B market. Also, with Lastminute.com retaining its position from last year, hotels need to be prepared to accommodate guests with short booking lead times throughout the year. Hotel Reservation Service (HRS) clinched the sixth position for the third consecutive year, confirming that German travellers are one of Ireland’s top international source markets.

It’s important that hoteliers keep on top of the changes going on in the booking landscape. According to Ruairi Conroy, Country Manager - Ireland at SiteMinder, direct bookings have proven popular, not just in its list of top booking channels, but also in recent research that the platform ran alongside eHotelier. That research found that hoteliers around the world perceive direct bookings as the most important channel for them. This trend is accentuated within bigger hotel groups, who see direct bookings as slightly more valuable than their smaller counterparts.

‘USE MULTIPLE BOOKING CHANNELS TO GROW BUT KNOW YOUR GUEST’ Ruairi Conroy at SiteMinder on why hotels are in competition with both the hotel down the road and with booking channels and how diversification is key to distribution

DO SOME HOTELS STILL VIEW BOOKING CHANNELS AS A NECESSARY EVIL RATHER THAN A BENEFICIAL ADD-ON? It’s not quite exclusive. It’s often both. The perception, among hotels, that booking channels are a “necessary evil” has historically been driven by the need to pay a commission to those third parties in exchange for the visibility and sales that they provide. Over the years, however, as consumer behaviour and the digital landscape have changed, what defines “competition” for hotels has also evolved. No longer is competition simply the property down the street. Today, booking channels have proven their eectiveness in reaching and converting consumers online and that eectively makes them direct competition to hotels in the sense that they make direct contact with the guest before a hotel does. So, for hotels, it can feel like a double-edged sword as they are now operating in a world where they’re competing not only with the hotel down the road, but with the booking channels they otherwise consider as partners.

HOW CAN HOTELS UTILISE BOOKING CHANNELS MORE EFFICIENTLY? The best thing a hotel can do is diversify its distribution. That’s always been the goal for us in releasing our annual list of top-performing booking channels. Hotels must consider using multiple booking channels to grow their opportunities to reach guests and reduce their dependence on the one or two channels they probably work with now.

In order to do this, however, hotels must first start by knowing the mix of guests they want coming through their doors. By knowing that, hotels can understand the value of each booking channel they use. For example, a hotel might use a channel like Irish-founded Hostelworld to bring in backpackers, or Irish-owned Roomex to attract corporate travellers. Not every booking channel has the same type of reach or geographical influence and that’s the beauty of being on multiple.

Technology is a key enabler of this strategy. By using technology, hotels can not only access more booking channels, but understand which are driving revenue and occupancy for their business and therefore make smart, informed decisions about their selection.

HOW IS THE INDUSTRY CHANGING AND WHAT EFFECTS WILL THIS HAVE ON BOOKINGS GOING FORWARD? The travel landscape is incredibly complex and as it grows, so too does its complexity for hotels. More people are travelling today than ever before and that’s been driven over many decades by lowered barriers to entry such as low-budget airlines, reduced visa restrictions and the like. That level of accessibility has been matched by the endless accessibility of information through the Internet, which has provided us as consumers with endless choice. For a hotel, managing the wealth of opportunities that the Internet brings can be hard. They’re no longer concerned only with the phone and billboard ads. Now they need to find and communicate with guests through an entire multitude of channels, from online travel agencies, to travel agents, tour operators, email, social media and everything in between. Without technology, marketing and distribution for hotels have become a full-time job and it’s not their expertise; their expertise is in hospitality.

On top of all of this, the profile of guests and the way they consume media are changing at every stage of their journey, from the minute they start planning to when they book, stay, then leave and tell their friends and family, provide a review of their experience and start dreaming about their next holiday. We can expect this behaviour to continue, adding to the complexity of the booking landscape for hotels and that’s the power of technology like SiteMinder’s – that hotels can now be in control in an otherwise consumer-led world.

Books out this month.... Pod Life...

CHECK OUT SOME OF THE BEST FOOD RELATED BOOKS AND PODCASTS ON THE MARKET RIGHT NOW Book Shelf THE MENU

The Menu serves up interviews with the

world’s most creative chefs, chefs, introduces the the makers behind the scenes and the ingredients that will soon be landing on your restaurant table. Listen on Apple podcasts or Spotify COPPER & HEAT An award-winning podcast exploring the unspoken rules and traditions of restaurant kitchens through the stories of people that work in them. The restaurant industry is at a point where a lot of groundwork has been laid for change but in order for that change to happen, more conversations about gender, race and privilege in the kitchen need to take place. Listen on Spotify or Stitcher FOOD NONFICTION Food Non-Fiction tells the incredible true stories behind food. The hosts delve deep into the history of the most famous and interesting foods and bring the listener on a wild food journey, through history and around the world. Listen on Stitcher or Apple podcasts The Irish C kb k Author: JP McMahon Publisher: Phaidon Press RRP: €49 Available: easons.com In The Irish Cookbook, JP McMahon captures the unique culinary origins and varied influences of Irish cuisine, its ingredients and its fascinating history. Irish food is the summation of what the land and sea gives; the book’s 480 home-cooking recipes celebrate the range and quality of Ireland’s bounty, from oysters and seaweed on its west coast and beef and lamb from its lush green pastures, to produce and forage from across the island. Presenting bestloved traditional dishes along with many lesser-known gems, this book vividly evokes the warmth, hospitality and culinary spirit of the Emerald Isle. Wildcrafted Fermentation: Exploring, Transforming, And Preserving The Wild Flavors Of Your Local Te oir Author: Pascal Baudar Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing RRP: €28 Available: amazon.com One of the world’s most influential tastemakers invites you on an extraordinary culinary journey into the lacto-fermentation universe of common wild edibles. Lacto-fermentation is the easiest, safest and most delicious way to preserve food and nature provides all the necessary ingredients – plants, salt and the benefi cial lactic acid bacteria found everywhere. In Wildcrafted Fermentation, Pascal Baudar describes in detail how to create rich, flavourful lacto-ferments at home from the wild and cultivated plants in your local landscape or garden. From sauerkrauts and kimchis to savoury pastes, hot sauces and dehydrated spice blends, Baudar includes more than 100 easy-to-follow, plant-based recipes to inspire even the most jaded palate. Stepby-step photos illustrate foraging, preparation and fermentation techniques for both wild and cultivated plants that will change your relationship with the edible landscape and give you the confi dence to succeed like a pro. Find your next favourite podcast with our pick of the best

Hard Rock Hotel makes its Irish debut

Ireland’s first Hard Rock Hotel has opened on Dublin’s Exchange Street

Operated in collaboration with Tifco Limited, The Hard Rock Hotel Dublin has opened on Exchange Street in Dublin city centre. The new hotel is a reimagining of two existing structures — a listed property, built at the turn of the 20th century originally known as Exchange Buildings and the adjacent Fashion House building.

Fashion House has been entirely rebuilt and transformed into the new hotel entrance and reception with a new glass link bridge connecting guests to the refurbished Exchange building. The original red brick façade of 1912 has been retained and restored while the interiors have been completely reimagined and feature music memorabilia from the likes of David Bowie, Phil Lynott, Beyonce, Hozier and Kurt Cobain.

The hotel’s 120 rooms include ‘The Sound of Your Stay’ music programme, allowing guests to set the mood with complimentary Crosley vinyl turntables and records. Guests can also rock out on a Fender guitar in their completely soundproofed rooms, complete with an amp and head phones.