What benefits do hotels offer for direct bookings?

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Hotels Offer Various Benefits to Encourage Direct Bookings

Hotels are implementing a range of incentives to persuade travellers to book directly with them, rather than through online travel agencies (OTAs). These benefits include enhanced digital services like the ability to select specific rooms, complimentary amenities, and robust loyalty program rewards. This strategy aims to reduce commission costs paid to OTAs and foster direct guest relationships, which can lead to better customer profiling and future engagement.
Enhanced Digital Services and Room Selection

A significant benefit offered by hotels is advanced digital check-in and room selection capabilities. Hilton, for instance, has seen over one million monthly users for its digital check-in feature, which allows guests to bypass traditional front desk queues. Furthermore, this system enables guests to choose their exact room from a floor plan, a feature that Hyatt has also found instrumental in driving direct digital bookings.
Loyalty Programs and Elite Benefits

Loyalty programs serve as a powerful incentive for direct bookings, offering points and elite status benefits that are forfeited when booking through third-party sites. These rewards can include access to concierge lounges, complimentary meals, and room upgrades. Some hotel staff are reportedly reminding loyalty members who book via OTAs that their stays will not accrue points, underscoring the value hotels place on direct engagement through these programs.
Partnership Initiatives and Commission Reductions

In addition to improving their own digital platforms, some hotel chains are also exploring partnerships to enhance direct booking channels. Marriott, for example, has collaborated with TripAdvisor to facilitate direct bookings, offering commissions that are approximately half of what Expedia would typically charge. This move indicates a broader industry trend of hotels actively seeking alternative avenues to capture direct reservations.

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What benefits do hotels offer for direct bookings?

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