How to maximise your online presence efficiently through OTAs?
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) are now an important part of the travel industry and an indispensable link in your online distribution strategy. However, the OTA landscape has evolved considerably in recent years and the corona pandemic has led to the rise of local tourism and the success of local platforms such as Logeren in Vlaanderen (local OTA Belgium) and Voordeeluitjes.nl (local OTA the Netherlands).
As a hotelier or B&B owner, is it important to be present on various online booking channels? Most certainly! Travellers look at and compare various hotels via major/popular booking sites like Booking.com or Expedia. So the more online you are, the more your accommodation is seen and the more bookings you can generate.
"It is important to advertise your accommodation on the right channel to achieve maximum occupancy."
Manage your online visibility efficiently
In a previous article we already talked about the parameters for choosing the OTA(s) that best suit your type of accommodation and your type of customers. Once you have determined which OTAs you will use to promote your accommodation, the trick is to efficiently manage all these different online channels.
Our Stardekk Channel Manager (Cubilis) is the ideal tool for this and offers many advantages:
- Qualitative integrations possible with more than 200 OTAs
- Central management of prices and availability: flexible adjustable rate plans
- Instant synchronisation of prices & availability on all your connected booking platforms, making overbookings a thing of the past.
- Affordable pricing: you pay according tot the size of your accommodation.
Keep an eye on your direct reservations
Apart from your presence on online booking platforms, it’s also necessary to pay sufficient attention to your own hotel website and your Booking Engine.
OTAs are popular, right! And many travellers do book through these platforms. Did you know that no less than 50%, after discovering a suitable hotel on an OTA, still visit the personal hotel website. The more reservations you can bring in via your own website, the less commission you have to pay.
To optimise the booking process on your own website, Stardekk offers a commission-free online booking module. Use this booking module Cubilis in combination with the accompanying price comparison tool Ratebox, and convince even more website visitors to complete the booking.
We seamlessly integrate the Cubilis online Booking Engine with the look and feel of your website, providing your customers with a familiar feeling. The online payment process is also fast and safe, thanks to the integration with various payment providers.
A good mix is essential
With Cubilis you can effortlessly manage direct bookings through your own website, as well as bookings through online booking platforms. And that combination pays off! Research among our Stardekk customers shows that 20% of the reservations are direct bookings, through the own booking engine. The rest come in through various OTAs. The more OTAs you advertise your hotel or B&B on, the more positive the influence on the occupancy rate will be.
Request your free trial!
Discover now how Cubilis can also maximise your online performance. Request a free demo!
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