Are you competing with your competitors on the same distrbution channels? Are there any regional or local websites in other countries that have distribution strength for your destination? On which distribution channels should you be present? Understanding distribution is key in revenue management.
Where are your competitors? Benchmarking from time to time your on line competitiveness will give insight in the understanding of your booking pace. Also check their ranking via Google searches and third party websites!
Use Google to identify distribution opportunities;
- Search for ‘hotel + your destination¡ on the different country sites of Google… (Google.com, .co.uk, .fr, .de, .it, .es, .nl, etc)
- Search for competitor hotels on the different country sites of Google
- Make an overview and contact the sites that appear on page one, or advertise on Google, Yahoo and Bing
Your hotel distribution strategy is a vital part of your revenue management plan. Make sure you are on the internet distribution channels that promote your destination online. And remember the power of marketing they have. The put your hotel in front of many consumers you can’t reach directly, and some of them even book directly.
And of course dont forget about the GDS, as the Global Distribution System is still an important source of bookings.