The new Direct, complexities and rewards of Social Bookings
Social Bookings are a new hybrid category of hotel bookings that originated on social, super-apps such as WeChat, and others. They are a blend of direct bookings and third-party bookings, where the platform has its own custom-built booking module connected via API to the hotel's central reservation system or booking engine, delivering the bookings directly to the hotel without revenue sharing.
How direct bookings are going to evolve into a hybrid of technology plus channels.
Currently direct bookings are those bookings which happen through a hotel’s website (brand.com) and booking engine, call center or on property at check-in. Brand.com has worked for a few decades with very little change, originally built when websites were static brochure-like channels and hotels needed to add a booking element.
The Hotel Yearbook 2023 - Annual Edition
As we have embarked on 2023, it is evident that the hotel industry has made a robust recovery from the
pandemic.
Occupancy and pricing have returned to their pre-pandemic levels. However, the future of our
industry is contingent
on how nimble the hospitality sector can be in adapting to ongoing innovation, changing market
conditions, evolving
consumer preferences, new staffing challenges, and sustainability realities. These uncertainties are
the new normal
in an unpredictable world.