In this viewpoint, we asked 5 leading solution providers to share their views and thoughts on how distribution & digital marketing will change in the post-COVID era.

Rod Jimenez
Rod Jimenez
Chief Executive Officer at SHR, Sceptre Hospitality Resources LLC

Throughout the past 20 years, hoteliers learned a great deal about how to distribute their inventory in the most cost-effective manner. Then COVID hit, and it seems like we're starting over from scratch. Hotels are courting whatever demand they can find, however, they can find it, and the temptation to lean on high-margin channels is there again. It's imperative we rely on the best practices we've developed over the past two decades and stay true to the distribution strategies we've spent countless hours building. 

Here's a checklist of best practices we've learned, plus a few new tricks we've found up our sleeves:

  1. Remember the valuable lesson that discounting doesn't spur demand.
  2. Remember how to best execute your direct-business strategy.
  3. Remember to measure and track the performance of each channel.
  4. Ensure your revenue-generating technologies are in sync and sharing data in real-time.
  5. Consider new sets of data to help you target travelers earlier in the booking window.
  6. In the short term, build promotions to focus on local, leisure guests.

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