Trends

Expanded role of online travel intermediaries and portals
Two years ago, we noted in The Hotel Yearbook that the hotel
industry would need to determine how to work with OTAs. That
has become only the tip of the distribution iceberg. The industry
has seen the growth of major intermediary sites such as
Expedia and Travelocity, properties have increased distribution
through opaque sites (such as Hotwire and Priceline), and hotel
brands have built up their own websites. The entry of Google
has added a new dimension to hotel room distribution, since
users can book directly from the search results page, instead of
clicking through to another site. Going forward, hotels may find
themselves being distributed much like package goods. Many
guests will go to a travel purveyor for hotel rooms, just as they
go to a food market for groceries.