When analyzing your hotel distribution strategies, you have to look into the mistakes you are making in order to create a more seamless system. From managing the hotel accessories such as having the best towels in USA to advertising any special services you have to offer. Your distribution method needs somebody to keep an eagle’s eye on everything, to avoid mistakes.
Some of the mistakes to avoid in your hotel distribution strategy include:
Not Catching up with the Times Technologically
Being scared of technology while others are speeding up how they get things done is one of the worst mistakes you could make.
When you have your hotel registered on multiple OTAs you don’t always have the time to manually login and check everything, and then stock up on the inventory. This would take a long time and a hotel with an automatic system would be done with the entire process within a short time. This could cause you to lose out on a lot of business. So, it is better to embrace technology and integrate it with your OTAs.
Not Planning Your Inventory in Advance
When talking about planning an inventory, you need a distribution method that helps you plan your inventory at least an entire year in advance.
There are many a times when hoteliers do not have an inventory pushing past the third month. What they forget is the fact that their guests have the rest of the year planned out. Many travelers book at least 3 to 4 months in advance. If your inventory is not pushing out till then, you will have problems in catering to those guests at that point.
Not Flexible Room Rate Hotel Distribution Strategies
All hoteliers want to maximize their profits; but there is an off-season for everyone, it is better to have some guests rather than none at all.
There are times when your hotel is flowing with guests and all your rooms are booked. But you also need to take into account the days when the same is not happening. Here you need to devise a rate distribution method that attracts guests without your hotel incurring a loss. It could either be you offering added services and packages with room bookings. You could also lower prices if a percentage of your rooms have been booked to meet a break even. This could also mean you can inflate the prices if a majority of rooms are booked and you can maximize your profits here.
Not Considering Your Competitors
You always need to know what your competitors are doing to create a distribution method that offer something similar or even better than what they are offering.
Always remember, all information is available online, your potential guests are smart; they will compare the hotels, prices, and services being offered before making their final decision. You need someone to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing and them plan your hotel distribution strategies. It will help you decide the hotel room rates, services being offered, and even devise packages for your guests.
Not Keeping Track of OTA Distribution Method
When listing your hotel on an OTA, you need to analyze whether they are providing to be profitable or not; you don’t want your hotel rooms to be rented on rates that would incur a loss.
Uniform analysis whether they are quarterly; half-yearly, or even yearly; help you create the right plan for a way forward. An OTA has is pros and cons, you need to understand how it is helping you and what needs to be changed. You can also use them for placing yourselves out there in the public eye; and later on, bring the major traffic directly to your own website and take major booking charge yourself. It would help you eliminate the middle channels and deal with your guests directly.
When creating your hotel distribution strategies knowing which mistakes to avoid in your hotel distribution strategy helps you plan a better future for your hotel. Do not be rash about the hotel distribution method you come up with; analyze, strategize, and then implement.
