March 25, 2025

🏨 Independent hotels can successfully compete with Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) for direct bookings by leveraging technology, marketing, and team alignment. Travelers often start searching for lodging through OTAs like Booking or Expedia, or via Google Maps, and prefer to book directly for better communication and pricing. However, direct booking is hindered by underwhelming hotel websites and complex booking flows. Direct bookings are not "free"; they include costs such as marketing, booking engine fees, and website maintenance. Investing in direct bookings results in a higher lifetime value (LTV) for guests due to the ability to remarket, upsell, and build loyalty. A focus on net profit, rather than revenue, is key, assessing the net revenue per available room (NetRevPAR). Tools like Demand Calendar can help measure Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) across channels, leading to optimized marketing spend and distribution strategies. Practical steps for hoteliers include auditing channels for profitability, improving website user experience and booking processes, leveraging low/no-cost marketing, implementing business intelligence tools, and training staff to focus on profit-oriented goals. Overall, a strategic approach to direct bookings can increase hotel profitability and reduce OTA dependency.

🖨 Amazon introduced Alexa+, an AI assistant partnered with Tripadvisor and Uber, aiming to revolutionize user experience by managing entertainment, organization, and travel services. Over 600 million Alexa devices are enhancing customer lives, according to Amazon SVP Panos Panay. U.S. rollout will occur in the next weeks, free for Prime members. Alexa+ assists with Uber ride bookings and provides travel planning aid in conjunction with Fodors. Skepticism exists regarding AI's emotional connection in travel planning, but experts see potential for Alexa+ in voice-activated trip research. Alexa's previous integrations include hospitality services, flight information, and scheduling rides. Alexa's broader impact on travel commerce remains speculative.

📍 Hotelbeds, part of HBX Group and a global TravelTech leader, collaborates with partners like STAAH, operating in the B2B space and not competing for the end customer. It provides access to various travel products and works with 250,000+ hotels, reaching 60,000+ clients across 190+ countries. The partnership focuses on distribution strategy and APAC market expansion, aiming to drive growth and innovate within the travel industry.

💻 Christopher Sebes leads the Technology Practice at Results Thru Strategy and advises startups like Hellometer, GoTab, Bite Ninja, and TRAY POS. In 2006, Sebes developed the first graphical drive-thru timer and sold it to Hyperactive Technologies. As an advocate for open standards, he serves on the Restaurant Technology Network's Board of Governors, promoting industry-wide standards to enable restaurants to integrate different tech solutions seamlessly.

🔥 Anacove, a developer of AI-enabled energy management solutions, introduced the Anacove Smart Thermostat for hotels to reduce energy costs and maximize guest comfort. The IoT device monitors room conditions, integrates with existing Wi-Fi and HVAC systems, and is maintenance-free with Internet updates. In tests with IHG Hotels, the thermostat proved effective, leading to a 50% reduction in HVAC energy usage. It's part of a suite including Staff Safety Alerts, Toilet Leak Detectors, and Asset Tracking Services. Hotels using Anacove products typically see ROI within 12 months, with the potential for a 6-month payback in high energy cost areas. Anacove aims to help hotels save on average more than $2 billion annually in the US.