Competition between Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and hotels and resorts continues to heat up. Not only are direct bookings more profitable for hotels as they can avoid paying steep commissions, but it also allows the property to provide better guest service and communications with the guest.

"For the guests, OTA's provide easy shopping tools – multiple offers from competing properties in one location and the ability to bundle transportation," commented Rich Morehouse, Director CRES & Revenue Management for Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort. "As a property, these are expensive guests when you consider the margins OTA's demand as marketing costs."

OTA's are large organizations that are highly-focused on driving thousands of reservations each day. They can employ a veritable army of Search Engine Optimization experts and a formidable budget to ensure they dominate the top engine results. However, independent resorts can still compete successfully for search engine results. "We spend a significant amount of money with Google in the PPC environment, which drives traffic directly to our website and ultimately to our booking engine," commented Ian Maw, Director of Sales & Marketing for Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa.

Many hotels cite the "billboard" effect of working with the OTA's. By ensuring that their property is represented on the OTA's, they aim to drive traffic to their own website where the guest can complete the booking.

"Property direct bookings often have value-add offers like a Ski Free option or packages that offer more resort amenities like spa, dining, or other activities," commented Morehouse.

Making it easy to book on your own website can be a key driver for direct bookings. "When you make it easy to book on your own site, people don't get discouraged and just go to the OTA to book faster," commented David Cammer, Director of Lodging at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort. "We sell multiple products online that you can't get through the OTA. For example, we sell mountain adventure park passes, ski school, lift tickets and more all online, on our own site."

Other strategies to drive direct bookings include targeting offers to get repeat customers to book directly with the property. "We offer an exclusive 'past guest discount' only available through our call center," commented Ted Yeatts, General Manager of the Plaza Resort and Spa.

Capturing guest information and emails allows properties to market to them directly, even if they originally booked through an OTA. Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa makes great use of their database for marketing purposes. "This drives our current and future guest directly to our booking engine," commented Maw.

"We put a major focus on capturing all guest's emails," commented Yeatts. "We did away with paper folios for express checkout and switched to emailed express checkout folios as a convenience incentive for guests who are hesitant to give us their email address."

There is one area in which hotels and resorts will win over the OTA's every time – providing incredible guest experiences that bring guests back for repeat visits. When hotels deliver on the guest service promise they are most likely to increase repeat guests as well as referral guests.

"We invest heavily in trying to create unique, personal and memorable experiences for our guests," commented Yeatts. "We believe if the guest connect directly with a staff member on a personal level, they will likely book again and book direct. We incentivize our staff for creating these moments."

About Springer-Miller Systems
Springer-Miller Systems provides premier software solutions for the finest hotels, resorts and spas worldwide. Springer-Miller Systems offers the SMS|Host Hospitality Management System, the first guest-centric and fully-integrated property management system, and Spa
Soft®, a dynamic activities management and scheduling software solution for luxury spas. By providing a full suite of hospitality management tools, Springer-Miller Systems enables properties to drive direct reservations as well as deliver incredible guest experiences that keep guests returning time after time.

Visit www.springermiller.com for more information.

About PAR Springer-Miller Systems

PAR Springer-Miller Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of hospitality management solutions that meet the technology needs of all types of hospitality enterprises including city-center hotels, destination spa and golf properties, timeshare properties and casino resorts worldwide. The SMS|Host Hospitality Management System is distinguished from other property management systems with its truly integrated design and unique approach to guest service. The SMS|Host product suite, including more than 20 seamlessly integrated, guest-centric application modules, provides hotel/resort staff with the tools they need to personalize service, exceed guest expectations, and increase revenue. For more information on how PAR Springer-Miller Systems sets the pace in the hospitality industry, visit our website at www.springermiller.com.

About PAR Technology Corporation

PAR Technology Corporation's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PAR. PAR's Hospitality segment has been a leading provider of restaurant and retail technology for more than 30 years. PAR offers technology solutions for the full spectrum of restaurant operations, from large chain and independent table service restaurants to international quick service chains. PAR's Hospitality business markets hotel management systems that provide a complete suite of powerful tools for guest management, recreation management, and timeshare/condo management. In addition, PAR provides the spa industry a leading management application that was specifically designed to support the unique needs of the resort spa and day spa markets, a rapidly growing hospitality segment. Products from PAR also can be found in retailers, cinemas, cruise lines, stadiums and food service companies. PAR's Government segment is a leader in providing computer-based system design, engineering and technical services to the Department of Defense and various federal agencies. Visit www.partech.com for more information.

Michelle Young
VP Sales and Marketing
(773) 294-9483
PAR Springer-Miller

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