SiteMinder

Hotel bidding sites: The ultimate guide for hotel owners

Dean Elphick — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 06:00:13 +0000

Why should hotels use hotel bidding sites?

Hotel bidding sites allow you to fill slow periods in your operations. These unexpected dips in demand can tie up cash flow and leave staff staring at half-empty corridors. Bidding platforms give you a quiet back door to move those vacant rooms, protecting the rates guests see on OTAs while topping up revenue that would otherwise slip away.

Lift occupancy on slow dates

Mid-week lulls and shoulder seasons often hurt RevPAR. Load a hidden minimum rate on a bidding site and give budget-minded travellers a compelling reason to book, without touching your public BAR.

Reach rate-sensitive guests

Many guests start with a price ceiling. Bidding platforms surface your inventory to this group without forcing broad discounts across every channel, turning sporadic bargain-hunters into potential repeat visitors at standard rates.

Keep rooms selling year-round

When a conference cancels or a storm rolls in, you need a fast outlet for distressed inventory. Bidding sites run around the clock, acting as a safety net that converts last-minute supply into revenue instead of empty space.

Key hotel bidding site benefits:

Hidden-rate flexibility – Protect your public BAR from discount fatigue
Off-peak room sales – Shift distressed inventory without blanket promotions
Wider market reach – Capture price-sensitive travellers hunting deals
Rate parity protection – Keep discounts invisible to other channels
Automation ready – push bids and availability through your channel manager

One dashboard for all inventory with SiteMinder

Sync inventory across all properties and your chosen channels to maximise occupancy and revenue.

Learn more

How do hotel bidding sites work?

Hotel bidding sites work by following a straightforward process: loading rates, submitting traveller bids, matching travellers with hotels, confirmation (and reveal!), then payment and reporting. Curious to learn more about loading a hidden rate and seeing a confirmed reservation in your PMS? Here’s the typical flow in five simple steps.

1. Load hidden rates and inventory

You set a minimum price per room night and the number of rooms you’re willing to sell on each date. A channel manager turns this into a two-minute task across several properties.

2. Travellers submit their bids

Bargain-minded guests choose a destination, travel dates and star category, then enter the amount they’re prepared to pay.

3. The platform runs a match

Each bid is compared with your hidden floor. If it meets or exceeds the threshold, the booking is accepted instantly. If it falls short, the guest is prompted to raise their bid or try a different hotel.

4. Confirmation and reveal

Once accepted, the platform reveals your hotel’s name to the guest, sends a confirmation email and pushes the booking into your PMS. Availability updates across all connected channels in real time.

5. Payment and reporting

The guest’s card is charged by the platform, minus its commission. You receive the net amount according to the payment terms. Key metrics, such as bid success rates and average achieved price, appear in your dashboard for easy review.

Key takeaways:

Set dynamic floor rates for maximum control
Allow guests to submit offers and streamline the guest bidding flow
Sync confirmed bookings and availability across all channels through automatic PMS updates

Connect with the world’s leading OTAs

SiteMinder gives you unprecedented reach to global and regional markets with real-time online distribution to online travel agencies (OTAs).

Learn More

What are the best hotel bidding sites to get started on?

Quick facts about bidding sites:

Nearly 60% of hotel stays are booked online, so bidding sites place your rooms where high-intent guests already shop.
Properties that fine-tune their bidding tactics earn up to 60% more revenue per booking, proving that smart discount fences pay off.
Priceline and Hotwire hold about 70% of the opaque-rate market, making them the quickest channels to master for fast, incremental demand.

These five platforms dominate opaque‐rate bookings and give you a quick path to extra revenue.

Priceline Express Deals

The original bidding option in the US, where you upload minimum rates by star level and neighbourhood. Guests only discover your hotel name after paying, and the platform plugs easily into most channel managers.

Hotwire Hot Rate

Similar to Priceline but with stronger mobile traffic. Travellers pick a star category and zone, see the price, then learn the hotel name once payment clears, making it ideal for mid-week city stays.

Bidroom

Runs on a membership model, charging you a modest yearly fee instead of commission. Members always see at least five per cent lower prices than public OTAs, which helps you drive margin on lean dates.

HotelTonight

Best for last-minute stays within seven days of arrival. Its “daily drop” feature pushes unsold rooms to impulse travellers who value location over brand—perfect for urban properties chasing day-of pick-up.

Hoo

A newer entrant that lets guests haggle on the room rate in real time. You set a hidden bottom line, Hoo counters guest offers automatically, and the agreed price stays invisible to metasearch sites.

Key takeaways:

Priceline is a great choice for US guests and has a low pedigree.

Hotwire is perfect for those with a strong mobile-first guest cohort.

Bidroom uses a membership model so you can avoid constant commission – great for high volume hotels.

HotelTonight can help you fill up rooms within 24 hours.
Hoo enables guests to “haggle”, combining the excitement of an auction with a hotel room booking.

How to integrate hotel bidding sites with existing systems?

Running bidding platforms in isolation quickly turns into extra admin and rate errors. The answer is to plug them into the systems you already use every day so prices, availability and bookings move in sync. Start with these building blocks:

Channel manager: The linchpin that pushes hidden floor rates and live inventory from your PMS to each bidding site, then pulls confirmed reservations back. Look for direct connections to Priceline, Hotwire and the other platforms on your list.
Property management system (PMS): Keeps room counts and guest profiles accurate once new bookings arrive. With the channel manager acting as interpreter, your front desk sees updates in real time, avoiding accidental over-bookings.
Revenue management tools: Feeding bid-level data into your pricing engine helps you spot low-demand nights early and adjust floors across every property in one move.
Booking engine and integrated website: By holding your strongest public rates here, you steer satisfied bidding-site guests to book directly on their next stay.

Before you flip the switch, match room types carefully, test a handful of sample dates and confirm that cancellations flow back just as smoothly as new reservations. Once the links are live, you gain a closed loop where bidding sites drive incremental bookings without piling extra work on your team.

Key takeaways:

Connect bidding sites through your channel manager to cut manual updates.
Add bidding sites to your PMS to keep room rates and availability accurate.
Analyse the data from bidding sites to better understand low and high demand and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Sustainable business travel: Strategies for multi-property hotels

Dean Elphick — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 04:31:40 +0000

What is sustainable business travel?

Sustainable business travel is a hotel’s way of meeting corporate guests’ needs while actively cutting carbon emissions, preserving local resources, and supporting the communities that host those travellers. In practice it means offering responsible transport options, energy-efficient rooms, and transparent reporting so companies can reach their own climate targets without giving up productivity or comfort.

The push for greener trips is gathering pace. Global business-travel spending was forecast to reach US $1.48 trillion in 2024, already surpassing pre-pandemic levels, so the pressure is on to shrink the footprint of every overnight stay. Forward-thinking corporate buyers now look beyond room rate; they evaluate a property’s energy mix, waste policies, and ability to track emissions per guest night.

For hotel managers, sustainable business travel is not a niche add-on. It influences RFP results, unlocks premium corporate rates, and positions your brand as a responsible partner in a world where regulators, investors, and travellers expect measurable climate action.

In this blog, we will break down the strategies, certifications, and tech tools that help hotels attract eco-conscious corporate accounts while keeping costs in check.

Table of contents

Why is sustainable business travel important for hotels?

Corporate clients and their travellers now expect proof that a hotel is reducing its climate impact, and they steer bookings towards properties that deliver. Nearly 93% of global travellers aim to make more sustainable choices and 82% of companies set organisation-wide sustainability goals, with 45% applying specific targets to business travel.

Hotels that can document real progress enjoy a clear commercial upside. Participants in the Green Stay Initiative won 22% more corporate RFPs for 2024 programmes than non-certified competitors. On-site energy upgrades and waste reduction projects also cut operating costs and keep properties ahead of emerging disclosure rules, protecting both margin and reputation.

Key takeaways:

Traveller and buyer expectations have shifted: 93% of guests favour sustainable options and most companies link travel choices to climate goals.
Eco-certified hotels secured 22% more corporate contracts, proving that green credentials translate into revenue.
Efficiency projects lower utility bills and prepare properties for stricter reporting laws, turning sustainability into both a defensive and offensive business strategy.

Make sustainability matter at your business with SiteMinder

SiteMinder showcases your eco-friendly rooms to a global audience and reveals which ‘green’ upgrades guests book, turning sustainability into higher corporate revenue.

Learn more

How can hotels implement sustainable practices that appeal to business travellers?

Key insights of sustainable practices show that:

Energy efficiency upgrades lower utility costs and can lift ADR, while signalling progress in carbon reduction programmes.
Plastic-free amenities, app-based check-in, and robust recycling give travellers visible ways to act sustainably during their stay.
Verified green certification and locally sourced, plant-forward dining provide hard evidence that helps hotels win corporate RFPs.

Corporate buyers look for quick wins they can show on their own sustainability scorecards. Focus on actions that cut waste, save money, and are easy to communicate across multiple properties.

1. Energy efficiency

Swapping to LED lighting, tuning HVAC schedules, and installing smart sensors can trim power use by a tenth. For a full-service hotel that 10% cut is worth about US $1.35 in extra ADR for every occupied room. Promote the savings in RFPs to show buyers you are protecting both the planet and their travel budgets.

2. Eco-friendly amenities

Plastic-free bathroom kits, bulk dispensers, and compostable slippers strike a chord with guests. Nearly 6 in 10 travellers prefer hotels that eliminate single-use plastics. Highlight these swaps on your booking engine so corporate travellers see tangible proof before they arrive.

3. Digital check-in

Speed and sustainability go hand-in-hand. Seventy percent of American travellers would skip the front desk for an app or kiosk. Digital keys reduce printed paperwork and shrink lobby congestion, a welcome perk for time-pressed road warriors.

4. Sustainable dining

Menus that champion local, plant-forward dishes resonate with corporate wellness policies. Ninety percent of diners favour restaurants with strong sustainable practices. Source ingredients nearby, flag carbon-friendly meals, and share the story on table tents or QR codes.

5. Green certification

Third-party seals instantly verify your efforts. Forty-nine percent of travellers are more likely to book a property when its certification is presented clearly. Display badges on rate sheets, websites, and distribution channels to lift conversion with eco-conscious corporates.

6. Recycling programs

Visible recycling bins and back-of-house waste sorting earn trust. Only 9% of the world’s plastic waste has been recycled, so showing guests how their stay avoids landfill makes a strong impression. Train housekeeping to keep streams clean and track diversion rates you can share in quarterly reports.

Connect with travel agents worldwide via the GDS

SiteMinder provides seamless connectivity to global distribution system vendors, giving you instant access to travel agents and corporate booking channels worldwide.

Learn More

How can technologies help hotels manage sustainability across multiple properties?

A software platform like SiteMinder gathers every property’s sustainability data in one dashboard, making targets, progress, and disclosures easy to track and share. SiteMinder then turns that information into revenue by pushing updated room descriptions that highlight environmental features to every OTA, metasearch site, and direct booking channel in a single action. The system can also attach upsells like farm-to-table dining or carbon-offset packages during the booking flow.

This extra visibility matters, because 59% of travellers want to filter for properties with strong sustainability credentials when they book.

SiteMinder’s analytics layer reveals which green initiatives actually influence clicks and confirmed stays. By tracking guest search terms, booking paths, and add-on purchases, the platform shows whether guests respond more to refill stations, rooftop solar, or local-produce menus, letting you focus investment where it drives the greatest return.

Key takeaways:

Centralised dashboards: collect and monitor carbon, water, and waste metrics across all properties in one place, simplifying compliance and reporting.
Consistency at scale: update room descriptions with new sustainability features and attach green upsells across every sales channel without extra manual work.
Data-driven targeting: analyse booking behaviour to discover which eco initiatives lift conversion and revenue, then refine offers for stronger corporate appeal.

FAQs about sustainable business travel

What certifications or eco-labels help build credibility with corporate clients?

Focus on labels that travel-management companies already track. Green Key, EarthCheck, and LEED appear most often in RFP scorecards and online booking filters. Green Key alone is held by more than 7,900 hotels across 90 countries, giving buyers a familiar benchmark.

How do I know which sustainability initiatives matter most to business travellers?

Start with guest data. Booking analytics can show whether rooms with plastic-free amenities or refill stations convert better than standard options. Industry surveys also help, using the data gathered from your peers to better inform your own strategies.

How can hotels effectively market their sustainable offerings to business travellers?

Display certifications and a short sustainability scorecard on your website, OTAs, and GDS listings. Offer green upsells at checkout, such as locally sourced dining or carbon-offset packages, and promote success stories on LinkedIn where corporate travel buyers research suppliers. SiteMinder can automate these content updates across every channel, ensuring a consistent message without extra manual work.

How to build a strong travel brand: Guide for hotels

Dean Elphick — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 03:56:23 +0000

What is a travel brand?

A travel brand is an entity that makes a promise to guests about the experience they will have during their stay at a hotel, and the proof that is delivered at every touchpoint. It covers everything about your hotel, from the look of your logo and the tone of your emails to the accuracy of your rates online.

Consider a mid-scale hotel group that markets itself as “easy business travel”. Its photos show practical workspaces, reviews mention fast Wi-Fi and the booking engine highlights flexible check-in. Those details back up the promise and set the property apart from the sea of generic listings on OTAs.

For multi-property operators, consistency is vital. Guests should get that same reliable Wi-Fi and flexible service whether they stay in Sydney or Singapore. Technology that syncs rates, availability and content across channels keeps the story straight and avoids brand-damaging surprises.

In this blog, we will break down the steps to build and scale a travel brand that wins bookings and loyalty.

Table of contents

Why do hotels need a strong travel brand?

The importance of a travel brand comes down to providing a clear, consistent, answer to guests about your offering that cuts through the noise. With this you’ll see a number of benefits:

A recognised brand lifts revenue: When travellers trust what they will get, they book earlier, choose higher-value rooms and are less tempted by last-minute discounts. Strong brands also earn repeat stays, turning one-off guests into loyal advocates who do your marketing for you.
Brand clarity saves money: With one look and feel across your website, OTAs and confirmation emails, you spend less time fixing mismatched photos, outdated rate descriptions or review complaints that stem from mixed messages.
A defined brand attracts the right staff and partners: People want to work with hotels that live their values, whether that is low-impact luxury or fast, fuss-free business stays. When your promise is crystal-clear, recruitment and collaborations become far simpler.

Power up your travel brand with SiteMinder

SiteMinder unifies your OTAs, market data and booking engine in one platform, helping you boost revenue and guest loyalty.

Learn more

How did luxury travel brands become successful?

Luxury hotels don’t win loyalty on marble lobbies alone. Three patterns stand out:

Crystal-clear positioning: Each brand owns a specific idea: urban tranquillity, barefoot island escapes or business-ready elegance. Guests know exactly what they’re paying for, and staff know how to deliver it.
Relentless consistency: Room layouts, staff training and digital touchpoints all follow one playbook, so travellers feel at home whether they arrive in Dubai or Dublin.
Local flair on a global frame: The best brands weave local art, food and stories into a standard guest journey. This balance of familiarity and discovery keeps experiences fresh without diluting identity.

How to be the best travel brand: A step-by-step guide

First we should consider a few key stats:

35% of people discover new travel destinations on Instagram so having a strong brand can get you on that list.
79% of consumers say that personalised service from a travel brand is more important, which is one of the ways of becoming the best travel brand
70% of travellers in 2024 prefer sustainable holidays and travel options which is common in the list of being the best travel brand

A strong brand is the result of clear choices repeated consistently. The five steps below walk you through defining your promise, packaging it in a memorable identity and keeping every touchpoint, from website to key card, in sync so guests recognise and trust you wherever they book.

1. Identify your niche/audience

Pin down who you serve and what they need most. Families on school holidays want simple room configurations and clear value, while digital nomads crave fast Wi-Fi and flexible stays. Once you’ve named the group, list the non-negotiables that make them book again and again.

2. Develop your brand identity

Choose a brand promise guests can repeat in one line, then anchor it in concrete details. If your story is “coastal calm”, let sea-toned photography, uncluttered layouts and soothing copy carry that mood across every page. Keep the colour palette short and the voice guidelines even shorter so staff and partners can apply them without lengthy style checks.

3. Build brand consistency

Consistency is your brand’s safety net. Use the same tone, imagery and rate descriptions on your website, OTAs, social feeds and confirmation emails. Schedule weekly checks on live pages to catch stray fonts or old offers before guests do. A channel manager and content manager working together keep prices and copy in sync, saving your team from those “why is this different?” calls at reception.

4. Partner with locals

Show you’re plugged into the neighbourhood rather than parachuted in. Feature one or two nearby businesses that reflect your promise, such as an independent roastery for coffee-loving guests or a bike-hire shop for eco-minded explorers. Packages and joint social posts bring both audiences under your roof without a big ad spend.

5. Monitor your brand

Set up alerts for brand mentions and review scores, then track them alongside occupancy and ADR. Spikes in negative sentiment often point to a broken promise, for example, slow check-in, patchy Wi-Fi or housekeeping delays. Fix the root cause, tweak the messaging if needed and let guests see the change in action.

How do you measure the success of your travel brand?

A few points that demonstrate the importance of having a strong brand presence:

Hotel websites generated about 60% more revenue per booking than OTA sources in 2024, so tracking direct-booking share is one of the fastest ways to grow profit.
A one-point rise in a hotel’s online reputation score drives an 5 – 9 % RevPAR increase, which means real-time review and sentiment monitoring isn’t optional.
Repeat guests spend roughly 67% more per stay than first-time visitors, making repeat-stay rate and lifetime value critical barometers of brand health.

To measure the success of your travel brand you need to pair the right metrics with purpose-built tools. Do this and you’ll spot wins, close gaps, and prove return on investment.

1. Direct booking share

Use SiteMinder’s performance dashboard to watch how many bookings come straight through your website versus OTAs. Add Google Analytics data to see which pages and campaigns drive those conversions.

2. Repeat-stay rate and guest lifetime value

Pull reservation history from your property management system and overlay it with Revinate or similar CRM software. These platforms flag repeat guests and calculate what they spend across multiple stays.

3. Average daily rate (ADR) uplift

Compare your ADR to the local competitive set in SiteMinder Insights, then sanity-check against market data in OTA Insight. A steady premium shows travellers value your promise.

4. Review sentiment and Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Feed TripAdvisor, Google and OTA reviews into ReviewPro. The tool scores sentiment, highlights common pain points and links feedback to specific stays so you can fix issues quickly.

5. Brand awareness and search demand

Track branded keyword volume in Google Search Console and monitor social mentions with Brandwatch or similar listening software. Growth here proves more travellers know you by name.

Bring these numbers into one shared dashboard, so marketing, revenue and operations work from the same playbook. Celebrate quick wins, fix weak spots early and refine campaigns before results slip.

Key takeaways

Track the numbers that feed profit such as direct booking share, repeat-stay value, ADR premium and branded search demand.
Rely on purpose-built tools like SiteMinder Insights, Revinate and ReviewPro to turn live data into clear actions.
Pull every metric into one shared dashboard so revenue, marketing and operations move in sync and fix issues fast.

Maximise direct bookings from your website

SiteMinder integrates with leading hotel booking engines to keep your rates and inventory up-to-date in real-time, delivering commission-free direct bookings straight to your PMS.

Learn More

FAQs About Travel Brand

Which IHG brand was the first luxury hotel travel brand?

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts launched in 1946. It was created by Pan Am founder Juan Trippe to serve emerging business routes in Latin America. From the start, InterContinental paired global service standards with local culture, and it’s a blueprint many modern brands still follow.

What is the best luxury hotel brand for business travel

Four Seasons ranks high with corporate travellers because it builds work-friendly features into the luxury experience: fast, free Wi-Fi, tech-ready meeting rooms, flexible check-in and an always-on concierge. Every touchpoint shows that productivity and comfort can sit side by side.

Tryp.com: Expert guide for hotel owners

Dean Elphick — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 23:54:25 +0000

What is Tryp.com?

Tryp.com is an online travel marketplace that bundles flights, accommodation and experiences into value-driven packages curated by AI. Travellers pick a theme, such as “beach escape” or “digital nomad city break”, and the site returns ready-made itineraries that can be booked in a few clicks.

For hotel managers, that means a fresh stream of millennial and Gen Z guests who are motivated by price, flexibility and share-worthy experiences rather than traditional brand loyalty. By listing your property on Tryp.com, you appear where these younger travellers are already researching trips, without relying solely on the usual OTAs.

In this blog, we’ll show you how to set up and optimise your Tryp.com listing and explain how SiteMinder keeps your rates and availability perfectly in sync.

Table of contents

Tryp.com reviews: Is Tryp.com legit for hotels?

Yes, Tryp.com is perfectly legitimate. Tryp.com has a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot score, with nearly nine out of ten guests awarding five stars, praising quick support and transparent pricing. The company publishes a verifiable Danish business address and phone number, responds publicly to every negative post, and processes payments through secure gateways that include card-scheme charge-back protection.

For hoteliers, these signals translate into guaranteed bookings instead of risky charge requests. Tryp.com pays properties through familiar virtual credit cards or direct bank transfer, shares full guest details before arrival, and runs a 24-7 concierge line so your front desk does not field traveller issues alone. Because the platform curates packaged itineraries, cancellation volumes stay lower than on bargain-only flash-sale sites.

Plus, when you connect Tryp.com to SiteMinder’s channel manager, inventory and rate updates flow through automatically, preventing mismatches and accidental overbooking.

Key takeaways

Trustpilot’s 4.7 rating and transparent corporate details confirm Tryp.com’s legitimacy.
Secure virtual cards and round-the-clock support reduce operational headaches for hotel teams.

Sync your entire inventory, including Tryp.com, with SiteMinder’s platform

SiteMinder updates rates and availability in real-time, taking manual work off your hands so you can focus on your guests instead.

Learn more

Why should hotels list on Tryp.com?

Hotels should list on Tryp.com because the platform curates experience-led packages that funnel high-value millennial and Gen Z travellers directly to your rooms. Picture a pair of digital nomads booking a “work from anywhere” bundle: flights into your city, four nights at your property with reliable Wi-Fi, and a local winery tour in a single click. Tryp.com handles the itinerary and sends you guests who stay longer, spend more and share every moment on social media.

Here is what sets the platform apart for hotel managers:

Access to experience-driven travellers. Tryp.com’s audience filters trips by themes such as wellness, food or remote work rather than by the lowest nightly rate. Your boutique yoga studio or farm-to-table restaurant becomes a headline attraction, helping you maintain a healthier average daily rate.
Bundled bookings that lift revenue. Because guests pre-pay flights and activities together, their discretionary spend on-property often rises. Think room-service brunch or late checkout. Many hotels on packaged itineraries report longer stays compared with traditional OTA bookings.
Low competition and early-mover advantage. Tryp.com is still new territory for hoteliers, especially outside Europe. Listing now positions your rooms in front of millennial and Gen Z travellers before larger chains flood the marketplace.
Smooth rate and inventory management via SiteMinder. Connect Tryp.com to SiteMinder’s channel manager and your availability, restrictions and promotions update automatically, preventing price discrepancies without extra manual work.

Key takeaways

Tryp.com attracts guests who book for the experience first and price second.
Package deals encourage longer stays and boost on-property spend.
Early adoption places your property ahead of competitors while your channel manager keeps inventory in sync.

How can you position your hotel on Tryp.com to attract guests?

To capture attention on Tryp.com, shape your listing around the platform’s experience-first audience and keep your content fresh. Here is a proven playbook:

Highlight affordable packages

Bundle a breakfast upgrade, airport transfer or late check-out into a single, value-driven rate. Packages display higher on Tryp.com’s search results and entice guests to book longer stays while protecting your average daily rate.

Flexible booking policies

Millennial and Gen Z guests weigh flexibility almost as heavily as price. Offer free date changes within a set window and clear cancellation terms. Flexible rules lower booking friction and improve conversion.

Localise content

Describe nearby trails, markets and cultural spots in the same language your audience speaks. Use geo-tags and keywords that match local attractions so Tryp.com’s algorithm surfaces your property in themed searches.

Collaborate with locals

Partner with tour guides, cafés or wellness studios to create exclusive add-ons. A rooftop yoga session or tasting platter from the deli next door turns your room into the gateway for a memorable experience and lifts total spend.

Regularly update photos

Swap in seasonal imagery at least four times a year. Fresh visuals signal that your listing is active, keep you aligned with current guest expectations and earn better placement in search results.

Key takeaways

Bundled, value-rich offers paired with flexible booking policies lift click-through rates and encourage longer stays.
Localised descriptions and partnerships with nearby businesses turn your hotel into the gateway for authentic experiences, driving higher spend.
Updating photos seasonally keeps your listing fresh and improves placement in Tryp.com search results.

How can you integrate tools and platforms with Tryp.com?

Connecting Tryp.com to the tech you already use turns new demand into smooth, automated revenue.

Start with your channel manager. Two-way communication pushes live rates, restrictions and availability from your PMS straight to Tryp.com and pulls confirmed reservations back within seconds, saving you time and manual work.

Next, feed Tryp.com booking data into your revenue-management system. Treat it as its own demand stream and let the system adjust prices when package travellers lock in longer stays or premium room types.

Payments slot neatly into existing gateways. Each reservation arrives with a secure virtual credit card that is automatically pre-authorised and settles on check-in, so your night-audit flow stays the same.

Finally, sync guest details with your CRM or messaging platform. Automated pre-arrival emails can share Wi-Fi codes, upgrade offers and local tips, which boosts spending once guests arrive.

Key next steps

Activate Tryp.com in your channel manager, map each room and rate plan, then run a test reservation to double-check real-time sync.
Create a Tryp.com market segment in your PMS and revenue-management system so pricing rules and performance reports treat it as its own demand stream.
Tag Tryp.com bookings in your CRM and schedule automated pre-arrival messages that include tailored upsells linked to the guest’s packaged itinerary.

SiteMinder and RevenYou perfect the art of hotel business optimisation

Dean Elphick — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 22:33:47 +0000

RevenYou, led by CEO and Founder Tamie Matthews, has a knack for turning around the fortunes of hotel businesses, even under the most dire circumstances. Unlocking profit for its clients has become synonymous with the brand over the years.

Established in 2016, RevenYou is a specialist consultancy firm supporting accommodation businesses across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific with revenue management, sales, marketing, and systems integration.

Tamie brings a wealth of hospitality experience and a robust skillset that enables hoteliers to better analyse revenue performance, improve yield management, and optimise hotel management. She has been a valued SiteMinder partner since 2020, combining her knowledge with the power of SiteMinder’s platform to drive outstanding results for the region’s hoteliers.

Let’s look at some key stories that show why it’s so important for modern hoteliers to seek the right partners and to implement the best technology if they want to achieve business growth.

Tackling the most common hotel challenges

Hoteliers can face many operational challenges but they usually all boil down to a few outcomes:

Whether it’s a flood of overbookings, manual management methods causing errors, clunky systems wasting time, or strategies that fail to maximise revenue, the result is going to be an unsustainable business model that crumbles quite quickly.

Luckily RevenYou has a track record of making these problems disappear, with the help of best-in-class technology like SiteMinder. Let’s look at five examples.

1.Putting a Queensland hotel back on the map

Faced with a property that was reopening after being in receivership and losing visibility from roadtrippers thanks to a Google Maps update, RevenYou set about redefining the property’s sales and marketing strategies, project managing the implementation of suitable technology systems, and creating targeted rate strategies.

Now the property is attracting a wide range of guest segments, operating at 75% occupancy, and turning a profit that the owners can use as leverage to sell the business and move onto new challenges.

“It’s important for hoteliers to recognise that a successful business is more than adjusting pricing,” explained Tamie. “Room types, rate plans, tech, photos, descriptions, websites etc all need to be optimised to build a successful distribution strategy.”

“But it’s immensely satisfying when we do see them achieve success. It’s great to hear owners speak of their relief of having the money they need to pay bills and to see the joy when they can finally realise their dreams of being small business owners.”

Tamie Matthews – Founder & CEO, RevenYou

2. Melting the headaches of a new property

RevenYou encountered a property that was three months into its operation, which was suffering from significant overbooking issues leading to negative guest experiences and extremely stressful conditions for staff.

After a full review of the business, RevenYou was able to establish seamless connectivity between the property’s PMS, SiteMinder’s channel manager, and its OTA partners to ensure that inventory management was accurate and up-to-date at all times.

This, coupled with other initiatives such as analysing competitor sets, implementing rate strategies, and introducing seasonal rate plans, resulted in the property turning a profit within three months of RevenYou’s involvement.

3. Making direct bookings a priority

While it’s always great to deliver a fantastic food and beverage experience, accommodation providers also need to make sure their room revenue is optimised for the long-term health of the business.

For one such property, RevenYou quickly put a channel manager in place to connect to destination-specific OTAs and introduced a booking engine onto the property’s website. This enabled direct bookings to be taken online at any time of day.

Add some extra ingredients such as streamlined room types and a dynamic pricing model, and you get a property that increased room revenue by 35% within 12 months.

4. Seven days to deliver months worth of success

A Sydney CBD property transitioning from a hotel management company to an owned brand doesn’t sound like a huge challenge – except for when the client requires a 4-6 week job to be turned around in the space of a week.

RevenYou didn’t blink though, managing to source and implement a PMS, booking engine, and channel manager that suited the property’s type and budget. Included in this was the creation of room types, pricing strategies, market segments, distribution partner connectivity, on-site training, performance reporting procedures and more.

“Professional relationships were absolutely essential to making this a success,” said Tamie. “Being able to contact my amazing network of suppliers and tell them we have a large project that needs to go live on Friday and knowing I will have their support to make it happen is amazing. It really is a team effort.”

5. Unlocking corporate market potential

RevenYou partnered with a well-maintained 53-room property that was struggling to capture corporate market share despite being located in a thriving business hub with strong tourism, corporate, and medical visitation.

After identifying that property’s European-focused GDS was entirely inappropriate for the Australian market, RevenYou transitioned the property to Australian-focused consortia programmes that generate over $500k annually for local competitors, secured a 10% discount, and implemented a new channel manager with dynamic pricing capabilities.

The strategic overhaul resulted in increased corporate client production, streamlined pricing management, and positioned the property to capitalise on the lucrative corporate travel market.

The power of combining knowledge and tech excellence

It’s only through years of experience and trained skills that RevenYou has become so adept at identifying what a property needs to succeed and implementing the perfect plan to reach the goals of clients.

Part of this has been the ability to identify the most effective technology providers in the industry, which has led to a rock-solid strategic partnership with SiteMinder.

With almost 20 years of award-winning history, SiteMinder has established itself as one of the most powerful and reliable hotel platforms in the industry – not only relying on its own outstanding features but also giving hoteliers access to specialised experts and integrations to ensure that every property can reach its full revenue potential.

“We have such a great relationship with SiteMinder. I know the system inside and out and we can always get what we need with little fuss,” mentioned Tamie. “I also have the freedom and the support of the SiteMinder team to push the system to its limit. I haven’t broken it yet but I’ve done some wild things!”

“My latest experiment was working with SiteMinder’s developers to store reservations and availability for a week while we built a PMS. SiteMinder then pushed the reservations into the PMS once it was ready to go live.”

Clients of RevenYou enjoy this perfect union of consultancy and technology. Together, RevenYou and SiteMinder have supercharged the properties above to deliver results that include:

And that’s just the highlights.

We can’t wait to achieve more exceptional outcomes for hoteliers with RevenYou in the future!

How SiteMinder and the Blueground Partner Network unlock extended-stay revenue

Dean Elphick — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:19:05 +0000

Extended stays are transforming the way that travellers and travel companies view the hospitality landscape. With remote work here to stay for many, corporate relocations surging, and travellers seeking more flexible accommodation arrangements, demand for stays lasting 30+ days is growing. For operators managing furnished apartments, aparthotels, or extended-stay inventory, this shift represents a significant revenue opportunity.

However, a lot of furnished rental providers still lack access to the right distribution network to respond to this demand and capture a lucrative market. That’s where SiteMinder’s seamless integration with the Blueground Partner Network changes the game.

Let’s deep-dive into what the partnership is, how it works, and what it can mean for your property.

Table of contents

What is the Blueground Partner Network?

Blueground—the global leader in fully-furnished mid- to long-term rentals—created its Partner Network to give professional accommodation providers an easier way to capture today’s surge in multi-month demand. Via one curated platform, partners gain instant distribution to 40,000+ apartments in 100+ cities and 120,000 direct bookings each year, without the headaches of standard OTAs.

The platform caters to high-value market segments including business travellers on extended assignments, individuals relocating for work, digital nomads, and corporate managers booking accommodation for their team.

What is the opportunity around extended-stay revenue?

Extended-stay guests offer unique advantages that can significantly boost your hotel’s financial performance including:

Increased value per guest: A single extended-stay guest averaging 45 nights delivers more revenue than traditional hotel guests staying 2-3 nights. Even at lower nightly rates, the cumulative revenue per guest far exceeds short-term bookings.
Lower operational costs: Longer stays mean fewer room turnovers, reducing housekeeping, laundry, and maintenance expenses. You’ll also see reduced guest acquisition costs since one booking generates weeks or months of revenue.
Cash flow stability: Without the constant need to fill rooms each night, your revenue streams are more predictable. A single 30-day booking can replace 15 separate short-term reservations, also improving your revenue forecasting.
Access to corporate accounts: Extended-stay travellers often represent corporate accounts with higher budgets and lower sensitivity to price, which could mean multiple stays throughout the year leading to valuable repeat business relationships.

Tips for your extended-stay strategy

To make the most of being a property that offers extended-stay inventory, you need to focus on three things:

Audit your inventory

Which rooms or units are best suited for extended-stay guests? Do they have the right furnishings and amenities? Are they big enough? Do you have separate living areas?

Be strategic with your pricing

Extended-stay guests expect lower nightly rates but deliver higher total revenue. Use revenue management tools to develop competitive pricing that attracts 30+ day bookings.

Leverage seasonal opportunities

By using the Blueground Partner Network to lock-in occupancy during low periods, and shifting back to short-stays during peak seasons, you can ensure optimal revenue performance all year.

How do SiteMinder and the Blueground Partner Network collaborate?

Operators that are subscribed to SiteMinder’s platform can easily access the Blueground Partner Network via native integration. This includes the ability to connect your PMS to Blueground through SiteMinder in a matter of minutes, all it takes is one click.

SiteMinder also offers real-time synchronisation, ensuring that your rates and availability are automatically communicated to the Blueground Partner Network and all your connected channels. This means you’ll always have accurate pricing and inventory, and you’ll eliminate manual work.

Lastly, you get to choose exactly which rooms or units you want to market on Blueground via SiteMinder, so you maintain complete control of how much extended-stay inventory you want to sell.

Key benefits of the integration

With this key partnership, your property can take full advantage of the extended-stay market, resulting in a number of positive business outcomes.

Blueground has a network with access to over 4,000 corporate travel managers which can generate over 120,000 direct bookings each year. These types of decision makers often prioritise quality accommodations and have healthy budgets for travel.

Other benefits include:

An optimised low season: Extended-stay bookings help fill gaps during traditionally slower periods. Strategic use of dynamic pricing for extended stays can maintain occupancy when short-term demand drops.
Competitive pricing: At just 7% commission, Blueground’s Partner Network fee structure ensures more revenue flows to your bottom line compared to traditional OTAs that typically charge 15-25%. This improved margin directly impacts your hotel’s profitability.

Perhaps the most telling benefit is seen in the customers that are already utilising SiteMinder and Blueground’s Partner Network partnership. Results from users include:

60% increase in bookings of 30+ days within two months
40% improvement in average length of stay
5-10% overall revenue uplift
Top-performing partners exceed $600K in monthly revenue

How to get started

With SiteMinder’s industry-leading platform and Blueground’s Partner Network unique access to a lucrative segment, more revenue is at your fingertips.

List your inventory in minutes, pay only 7% commission, and cancel anytime.

Simply join the Blueground Partner Network and start today!

How Hoteles Maioris boosted revenue and efficiency with SiteMinder

Dean Elphick — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:36:32 +0000

Hoteles Maioris is a family-owned chain with over 30 years of history, operating six properties across different regions in Mexico: Culiacán, Navolato, Guadalajara and La Paz. Their hotels are designed for travellers looking for a comfortable place to stay before continuing their journey. They offer comprehensive facilities, in-house restaurants, and locally sourced food for guests to experience the authentic taste of the region.

We spoke with Rodolfo Romo, Online Hotel Manager, who leads the chain’s digital strategy. Rodolfo shared how Hoteles Maioris has evolved and overcome hospitality challenges with SiteMinder’s support.

A transition from traditional methods to optimised tech

Despite its long history, Hoteles Maioris faced significant challenges. The business relied on traditional methods and expensive advertising that didn’t deliver results. A manual booking system was making work difficult, especially at reception, so the team needed to modernise their online presence to attract more customers. On top of this, staff turnover was another issue that made it very hard to keep processes consistent.

Once SiteMinder was in the picture, they managed to centralise all booking channels in one platform using SiteMinder’s channel manager. This not only made work easier for the team, but it also allowed them to focus on the guest experience.

“With SiteMinder now doing the heavy lifting, the team at reception can concentrate on the customer,” explained Rodolfo.

This change has improved coordination across hotel departments and given staff the confidence they need to adapt to new technology.

Simpler processes, more revenue

What if you could boost your hotel's efficiency and revenue while also reducing your workload? Our smart hotel platform helps you do exactly that.

Learn more

A simple and clear vision

SiteMinder has become a key partner for Hoteles Maioris. Its user-friendly platform has allowed the property to simplify booking management, keep everything in check, and improve the customer experience. Additionally, the insights SiteMinder provides has provided a clearer vision of who its guests are and where they come from. This has helped the team develop strategies to attract new markets and boost growth.

Since implementing SiteMinder, the results have been impressive, according to Rodolfo.

“We’ve had double the revenue compared to what it cost to implement the tool.”

This not only shows a good return on investment but also the positive outcome when modernising processes with advanced technology. For Rodolfo, technology isn’t just an operational tool but a way to improve relationships between guests and staff.

“Customers should be in control of their own experience,” he explained.

“By using a system that does much of the work for you, we can focus on offering friendly, personalised customer service, not just following protocols.”

Ongoing support and looking to the future

Hoteles Maioris’ experience with SiteMinder’s support team has also been excellent from day one. Rodolfo explained that “many providers make big promises, but they don’t follow through. SiteMinder is different.”

He praises the team’s friendly, effective approach, which puts his mind at ease. Rodolfo’s advice for fellow hoteliers is to use technology to improve processes and remove unnecessary strain on their teams.

“Technology isn’t just a good investment. It’s a way to show leadership and commitment to your team,” he said.

Thank you for your amazing feedback Rodolfo. We wish Hoteles Maioris all the best in the future.

In times of uncertainty, hotels have a reason to lean in

fidel.pamintuan@siteminder.com — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:02:35 +0000

It’s safe to say that the tariff discussions that defined the first half of 2025 has thrown the global economy a curveball. The travel and hospitality sector, in particular, has recalibrated its outlook for the year, with some global hotel brands lowering their RevPAR guidance as they navigate the current climate with a mix of caution and quiet confidence.

For some hotels in the US, the impact of the negotiations was immediate, felt as early as the first quarter of the year, around the time the US government imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports.

“We certainly felt the impact, especially going into March,” says Christopher Ellison, Vice President of Revenue at Brittain Resorts and Hotels, a full-service hospitality management company based in the Southeast region. “You just saw a kind of trickle down. January was a good month, February declined slightly and then March was significantly off. And that was a direct impact of the Canadian traveller.”

Consumer uncertainty triggered by trade tensions – compounded by a global rise in costs of living, political tensions and stricter travel advisories – may be weighing slightly on hotel demand at the moment. Yet, behind the curtains of a disruptive geopolitical and economic drama is a global travel trend that hotels must equally consider as they steer through the uncertainty.

The accelerating rise of the experience economy

“The overarching story for the travel industry is one of success, accentuated by resilience,” says Sean Morgan, Head of Travel Industry Research at Tourism Economics. “Much of this is being buoyed by a continuation of consumer prioritisation of travel.”

Morgan points to the industry’s remarkable recovery post-pandemic, which continues to resonate across segments such as business travel, where expenditures have exceeded the high-water mark of 2019. Recent data on global tourism arrivals align with this trend. UN Tourism reported at the close of May of this year that over 300 million tourists travelled internationally in the first three months of 2025, three percent above the same period in 2019.

And despite recent disruptions, this positive momentum for global travel looks set to continue. According to Tourism Economics’ latest forecast, 2025 remains on track to achieve over 1.6 billion international tourist arrivals – almost 10% above 2019.

Key to the growing appetite for travel is the rise of the experience economy. While demand for meaningful experiences had already gained momentum pre-pandemic, Morgan notes the acceleration in the years since. Consumers increasingly prioritise interactions with new cultures and communities over material goods – a green light for the hotel industry, especially as one in five travellers globally are likely to return to a hotel for its close connection to its local community, according to SiteMinder’s Changing Traveller Report 2025.

Geopolitical and economic events will no doubt continue to impact the hotel booking landscape, but the rise of the experience economy makes one thing clear: consumer demand for travel isn’t gone, it’s just changing. And amid uncertainty, travel has become a search for meaning, as economic conditions merely prompt some consumers to place more importance on value – and lasting memories – than on luxury.

The shift has been evident in the preferences of travellers in recent years. Ellison shares: “What I think we’re seeing, more than anything, is not so much a shift [on the part of] customers, but a shift in travel patterns… People still want to go on vacation, but they’re having to cater it to their current budget.”

Revisiting revenue strategies amid changing travel demand

As travel demand evolves, hotels are being called to reimagine their revenue strategies more thoughtfully. For example, with international arrivals slowing in key destinations, domestic travel has thrown a much-needed life raft to the industry, sparking creative strategies that seek to engage this segment.

Pablo Torres, hospitality consultant and author of Mastering Hospitality Ancillary Revenue, suggests hotels need to make offerings more appealing to local travellers – citing the US as an example, a market largely driven by domestic demand.

“I’ve seen some companies, for example, offer extra points to loyal customers who travel locally,” says Torres. “It’s about differentiating based on geolocation, targeting people who are driving nearby to stay at the hotel, rather than those flying in. That way, you’re rewarding the domestic traveller by creating tailored packages or bundles specifically for them.”

The changing travel landscape has also prompted hotels to revisit loyalty programs, once built around long-term accumulation. There is now a growing push for instant rewards to allow guests to redeem points during their stay for high-value ancillary services like F&B or spa treatments: “It encourages guests to think, ‘Hey, this company is offering more. I can enjoy extra services for the same spend.’ It’s about delivering more value for the same money,” Torres explains.

The shift from discounting to hotel ancillary

Indeed, value has become the name of the game for the guests tightening their budgets, but still in search of a meaningful experience. For hotels, however, that doesn’t have to mean lowering room rates, which can be a perilous road to take. As Torres notes, discounting often sets off a vicious cycle: one property lowers its rates, prompting others to do the same, risking a downward spiral of price cuts that are hard to recover from.

Discounts, once the default, no longer hold the same appeal. According to Ellison, the focus has shifted – not on spending less, but on getting more for what guests are already willing to spend. “Everyone became so accustomed to seeing a discount that people are now less concerned about the percentage and more focused on the total value. What’s the total cost of the room? What am I getting? Is it just a room, or does it include breakfast? Is it a better view?” says Ellison.

Enter: ancillary services. In today’s experience economy, these non-room offerings are increasingly stepping out of the shadows as revenue management moves towards profitability. The growing appeal of hotel F&B among younger generations – perhaps the main attraction of hotel ancillary – is a clear example, owing to social media’s influence. As Torres explains, “Younger people tend to… dedicate more of their budget to enjoying [life]. They might not own a house. They might not own a car. But they go on holidays three, four times a year and they spend heavily on F&B because they want to enjoy… It’s an Instagrammable experience.”

Torres adds that relying too heavily on room revenue, particularly when occupancy is moderate, limits a hotel’s potential. “If you offer different experiences throughout the day, it can add extra revenue to your business,” he says.

Hotel ancillary is becoming an experimental space for adopting new revenue streams as guest expectations change. Ellison suggests that these offerings can include even basic hotel services, which no longer need to be built into the room rate. Instead, they should be reimagined as flexible components of the guest journey – still tailored to what travellers value, but offered as optional based on their preferences – whether it’s opting out of daily housekeeping or introducing a flexible cancellation add-on.

Looking after the bottom line

Hotels still have their work cut out for them, despite various value-add opportunities. With the tempered RevPAR outlook from major hotel chains, a hotel’s bottom line has become more relevant than revenue alone.

Some properties have turned to managing costs, specifically fixed expenses like labour, property taxes and long-term service contracts, to sustain profitability. However, Ellison mentions that these fixed costs are usually the hardest things to shift, and properties who don’t evaluate these costs as they forecast demand are likely to struggle the most.

“It’s not about how much revenue you can generate at the top line… It’s protecting that bottom line, and you have to evaluate every cost, particularly those fixed costs,” he says.

Herein lies the case for revenue managers to work more closely with hotel operations. While the revenue department focuses on driving bookings and top-line performance, an awareness of how that revenue flows through to profit, managed on the operations side, offers a smarter path through volatile periods.

“Just because you’re in a down market or a down economy, that doesn’t mean your bottom line is going to be down, if you can manage those costs effectively,” Ellison adds.

‘Within the blood of the hospitality industry’

Uncertainty may be hanging over the hotel industry at the moment, but it’s just as important to take stock of its track record. As Torres observes, the pandemic was proof of the industry’s ability to adapt quickly. “[Hotels] did very good on… how to create new packages, new deals, new offers, play with the rates and the bundles that were created to make them attractive to any customer that was able to travel,” he says.

That adaptability has only strengthened the industry’s resilience in a market now defined by constant change.

“I think resilience is just within the blood of the hospitality industry… and linked to that, innovation,” Morgan shares. “It’s innovation that comes from being a people business. It’s about understanding people’s needs and responding to them.”

In today’s climate, however, resilience has taken on a different shape. Beyond simply bouncing back, it’s about staying alert to where new opportunities may be emerging. Just as travellers now seek meaning in their experiences, hotels, too, must find meaning in the quiet signals of demand picking up.

And this, perhaps, is why Ellison is optimistic.

“We’re seeing encouraging indicators across several of our properties, small surges in demand, particularly around key leisure periods. Spring Break performed exceptionally well, and historically, that tends to signal a strong summer travel season. Early bookings and forward-looking pace reports are starting to reflect that same momentum. While broader economic stability is still a factor, we feel confident saying the industry has likely bottomed out, and the current uptick in demand suggests we’re turning a corner,” he says.

oxoHotel optimises processes and reduces costs with SiteMinder

Dean Elphick — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 05:54:30 +0000

With more than 15 years of history, oxoHotel has built an impressive portfolio of 28 properties in Colombia. The company is a multi-brand hotel group that works with major industry names like Hilton, Marriott and Curio, as well as independent boutique hotels across several tourist destinations.

We spoke with Alejandro León Carvajal, Corporate Director of Revenue Management and Online Distribution at oxoHotel, who shared how SiteMinder has helped the group improve their distribution and operational efficiency.

Fragmented operations required a digital solution

Before using SiteMinder, oxoHotel faced several challenges. The group’s boutique hotels operated as independent brands, each in different areas with different investors. This fragmented setup, combined with the use of different connectivity tools, made decision-making difficult and limited their ability to scale efficiently. The team needed a comprehensive technology solution that would allow them to unify their operations and gain clear insights to optimise their distribution.

After evaluating several options, SiteMinder emerged as the best tool. It offered reliable support and connectivity that would allow them to significantly improve their online management.

“SiteMinder is part of our business. We found a strategic partner in SiteMinder that positively impacts our revenue and profitability,” Alejandro explained.

The intuitive interface and gentle learning curve have also allowed the team to maximise the platform’s full potential. SiteMinder’s reliable integrations have delivered significant results for oxoHotel, with their independent boutique hotels seeing 10-15% growth in B2C room revenue.

Working with SiteMinder has enabled oxoHotel to manage their distribution channels more efficiently and accurately, resulting in improved profitability and sustained growth.

Easier, more strategic, management and increased revenue results

What if you could boost your hotel's efficiency and revenue while also reducing your workload? Our smart hotel platform helps you do exactly that.

Learn more

Boosting efficiency and cutting costs

oxoHotel’s experience with SiteMinder’s customer service team has been very positive, especially regarding the team’s efficiency.

“It’s always been very fast and easy. Any issue is quickly resolved,” Alejandro said.

Costs have also reduced thanks to SiteMinder’s centralised control hub. The team find the platform easy to use, which has led to higher employee satisfaction. Similarly, by leveraging SiteMinder’s advanced technology and connectivity features, they are able to accelerate growth through seamless integration with their evolving pricing strategies.

Elevating guest experiences through technology

For oxoHotel, technological success starts with quality team training. As Alejandro explained, his team focuses on optimising processes and offering personalised customer experiences, demonstrating the critical role that technology plays in improving the customer journey. The team uses data and guest feedback to make ongoing improvements, while training in artificial intelligence to optimise revenue management, a key area for growth. Teamwork and mastering technology are essential to offer the best possible service to guests.

Alejandro’s advice for hoteliers is to reflect on what’s truly working for them, remembering that technology isn’t an expense but an investment that provides speed, support, and efficiency, and necessarily involves software, hardware and staff processes.

SiteMinder’s adoption has been key to improving channel management, increasing profitability, and offering guests a more personalised experience. We’re delighted to be part of their evolution towards success.

Casa Salles achieves 62% revenue increase with SiteMinder’s platform

Dean Elphick — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 04:44:45 +0000

Casa Salles is an exclusive boutique hotel in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. Located near the El Tequileño distillery, an iconic brand with a rich tradition in the region, the hotel was originally designed for distillery visitors only but opened its doors to the public in 2020 and has since become a popular destination.

With 24 rooms, a swimming pool, spa, and rooftop terrace overlooking the majestic Tequila volcano and Sierra Madre Occidental, Casa Salles offers a unique experience for its guests, most of whom are international visitors looking to immerse themselves in the local culture.

To learn more about how the hotel has evolved and embraced technology, we spoke with Margarita Pérez, General Manager at Casa Salles.

Connectivity and operational challenges required a smart solution

Before implementing SiteMinder’s technology, Casa Salles faced several distribution management challenges. Poor connectivity led to distribution issues, while time-consuming manual processes made inventory updates both difficult and prone to errors. Without proper integration between operations and management, overbooking became a recurring problem that resulted in significant business losses.

SiteMinder was able to transform the way Casa Salles managed its operations.

“This is the first time I’ve had such a high percentage of direct bookings, thanks to SiteMinder’s booking engine. People really do click through to our website and use the booking button. It has genuinely helped us when they look for accommodation in Tequila,” Margarita explains.

Some of the key improvements included:

Enhanced connectivity: SiteMinder provided seamless connectivity and a reliable integration with the property’s PMS.
Automated rates: Thanks to SiteMinder’s channel manager, Casa Salles now enjoys automatic rate updates, improving day-to-day management of operations.
Real-time reporting: SiteMinder Insights provides clear, detailed reports that help the team at Casa Salles better define their strategy and assess their performance at all times.
Significant growth: Casa Salles recorded a 62% increase in revenue compared to 2023. Bookings also grew by 46%, with direct bookings leading the way.

Seamless operations and effortless revenue generation

What if you could boost your hotel's efficiency and revenue while also reducing your workload? Our smart hotel platform helps you do exactly that.

Learn more

A winning change of strategy

Thanks to SiteMinder, Casa Salles has streamlined its operations and left behind the time-consuming manual processes that were overcomplicating the team’s workflow. Now, guests enjoy a more personalised experience, since they can easily add extras to their stay with clear, accessible, information in front of them.

Additionally, SiteMinder provides the tools required to better understand the local market and pinpoint a clear target audience each season.

“Knowing where bookings come from and what we should focus on is key to becoming a destination hotel for people.”

The results achieved by Casa Salles are proof that investing in technology doesn’t just improve day-to-day operations, it also enhances the guest experience and boosts revenue. Since choosing SiteMinder, operations run more smoothly, evidenced by a growing reputation and guest loyalty. Margarita Pérez’s advice for fellow hoteliers is simple: if you want to streamline operations and deliver better guest experiences, you need a reliable technology partner.

Choctaw Casinos & Resorts transforms its revenue strategy with SiteMinder

Dean Elphick — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 04:40:51 +0000

Choctaw Casinos & Resorts’ hospitality is deeply connected to the Choctaw Nation’s rich cultural heritage. The story of the Choctaw is rooted in ancestral lands across present-day Mississippi and Alabama, and shaped by the forced relocations of the 1830s known as the Trail of Tears. Today, the Choctaw Nation honors that legacy through successful enterprises, including hospitality and gaming, that support both tribal prosperity and regional tourism.

The tribe’s hospitality journey began in the 1990s with bingo halls across Oklahoma. What started as modest gaming spots eventually grew into full-scale resorts, especially after table games were introduced in the early 2000s. As interest increased, the tribe saw the need to offer overnight stays and higher-quality guest experiences, which led to the launch of Choctaw’s hotel properties.

Now, Choctaw operates four resorts across Oklahoma, including the flagship Durant resort near the Texas border, the Grant property, Choctaw Landing, and Pocola near Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Choctaw’s core gaming guests are typically travelers aged 55+ with higher disposable incomes, including many retirees. Families visit during peak seasons like spring break, while concertgoers and outdoor enthusiasts are drawn to live entertainment and the scenic experiences at Choctaw Landing.

We spoke with Edmund Wong, Corporate Director of Revenue Optimization for Choctaw Nation on how SiteMinder has transformed their revenue strategy and streamlined operations across their properties.

Narrow distribution lens was limiting potential

Prior to adopting SiteMinder’s technology, the Choctaw team did not prioritize, or even consider, opening their properties to wider distribution channels. Their strategy focused almost exclusively on casino guests. Online travel agencies (OTAs) or global distribution systems (GDS) were largely absent from their approach.

Edmund recalled that “we didn’t really have a distribution strategy pre-SiteMinder. We were happy with what we had and that limited our growth.”

Expanding the distribution network became essential for creating new revenue opportunities, even fueling considerations for property expansion due to increased visibility and demand.

“It helped us think differently about growth: more guests, more visibility, more demand… That creates momentum for expansion.”

Growth aligned with distribution restructure

The transformation began in 2015 when the tribe created a dedicated revenue management role, marking a shift away from the earlier approach where hotel operations teams handled all booking and channel management without a formal revenue strategy.

SiteMinder became the foundation for this new strategy by enabling a channel manager connection required by their booking engine provider, which instantly enhanced brand website visibility and streamlined operations. After implementation, the centralized booking and channel management system created a ripple effect that improved both performance and visibility.

The team also embraced tools like SiteMinder Insights for performance reporting and Channels Plus for expanded and streamlined distribution. Edmund admits that the team relies on Insights heavily for performance reporting and analysis and that Channels Plus has been a standout addition especially due to their unique legal and sovereignty considerations as a Native American tribe.

Each of those contracts requires time to address tribal sovereignty, so any measure that saves our legal team time is valuable.”

Better management, less work

What if you could boost your hotel's efficiency and revenue while also reducing your workload? Our smart hotel platform helps you do exactly that.

Learn more

Reliable efficiency and easy expansion

Beyond saving time, the greatest benefit has been ease of use. The team no longer needs to log into multiple extranets or manually retrieve virtual credit card information, because SiteMinder consolidates key tasks into a single platform. This operational simplicity has reduced workload and given the team freedom to focus on strategic projects and revenue-driving initiatives.

“It frees the team up to do deeper analysis and better decision-making. That’s where the real value is,” Edmund shared.

Choctaw also uses Agilysys LMS as their Property Management System, with a smooth integration to SiteMinder that dates back four years.

“We’ve had a pretty solid experience with integrations, especially with Agilysys. It’s been smooth from the start,” Edmund noted.

This reliable connection supports efficient daily operations and gives the team confidence in their technology ecosystem. Since implementing SiteMinder, Choctaw Casinos & Resorts has seen significant growth in property size and room count.

“We’ve doubled in size since I arrived. It’s not all from one tool, but the ability to be present and active across more channels definitely drives bookings,” Edmund shared.

While marketing and operations played a role, there’s no doubt that broader distribution access contributed to increased bookings and ongoing growth.

Thank you, Edmund, for your amazing feedback and we wish Choctaw Casinos and Resorts all the best in the future.

Casa Palacete 1822 maximises rate control and prevents overbookings with SiteMinder’s platform

Dean Elphick — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 03:38:26 +0000

Offering a perfect blend of 19th-century grandeur and modern hospitality, Casa Palacete 1822 stands as one of Granada’s most distinctive boutique accommodations. This intimate six-room property delivers personalised service in a meticulously restored historic palace, just steps from the city’s iconic cultural attractions including the magnificent Alhambra.

The property combines authentic Spanish heritage with contemporary comfort, creating a unique experience for discerning travellers seeking both historical immersion and modern convenience. Each of the six rooms features a distinctive cultural theme: Chinese, French, Hindi, and American double rooms, plus Italian and English double deluxe rooms, with carefully preserved architectural elements alongside thoughtful amenities that elevate the guest experience. A renowned coffee bar is another highlight of this unique property.

David Belón, General Manager of Casa Palacete 1822, discusses how the team has leveraged technology to deliver exceptional guest experiences whilst optimising their distribution strategy since becoming a SiteMinder customer.

Unmatched distribution capabilities

For boutique properties like Casa Palacete 1822, efficient distribution management isn’t just convenient—it’s essential for success in a competitive marketplace. With just six rooms, each accommodation represents a significant portion of potential revenue, making optimal distribution across multiple channels absolutely crucial.

“SiteMinder makes it incredibly easy to manage multiple distribution channels through its channel manager —including our own direct channels—offering a level of simplicity that’s unmatched in today’s market,” explains David.

This comprehensive functionality allows the property to maximise visibility across various booking platforms while maintaining control over its distribution strategy. What particularly impressed the team was how SiteMinder brought disparate systems together into one cohesive platform to create a unified and efficient workflow.

Real-time rate management drives direct conversions

Casa Palacete 1822 has transformed its approach to rate management through SiteMinder’s platform, leveraging real-time capabilities to make agile pricing decisions that drive higher conversion rates.

“With a simple click you can update your offer on the fly and make it more attractive to a potential customer who is comparing rates,” David mentions.

This responsiveness directly impacts conversion rates, particularly for a smaller property like Casa Palacete 1822, where each of their rooms significantly affects overall occupancy and revenue.The speed at which they can identify and respond to market conditions has proven invaluable.

“With minimal loading time and a quick refresh, we detect the discounts that are being offered on other portals, either for non-indexed rates or for offers made for different circumstances (membership, affiliate rewards, reservations made with peripherals such as mobile) and we can compare them with our booking engine and update them ipso-facto.”

For Casa Palacete 1822, this capability isn’t merely convenient—it’s transformative. “For small hotels like ours, conversion is crucial and, thanks to SiteMinder, we can also put it into practice daily,” David emphasises, highlighting how the platform’s efficiency directly contributes to the property’s bottom line.

Mitigating overbooking risks through instant mapping

The consequences of overbooking can be particularly severe for a small boutique property like Casa Palacete 1822. With such limited inventory, even a single double-booking represents nearly 17% of their total capacity and could significantly impact their reputation.

“Indeed, our risk of overbooking is higher and, in the face of this challenge, SiteMinder has once again shown its professionalism,” explains David.

The platform’s instant mapping capabilities have proven invaluable in preventing potentially damaging double-booking situations. Even when challenges arise, SiteMinder’s detailed reporting provides clear accountability.

“We have been able to track the exact moment when a room was closed for sale using the RUID (a unique reservation identifier), and through the sales log provided by SiteMinder, we were able to identify which booking portal was responsible for reselling it”.”

This level of transparency and support gives the Casa Palacete 1822 team confidence that they can deliver on their promises to guests, maintaining the trust that is especially crucial for smaller properties where personal recommendations drive significant business.

Better management, less work

What if you could boost your hotel's efficiency and revenue while also reducing your workload? Our smart hotel platform helps you do exactly that.

Learn more

Maintaining price integrity with real-time Insights

Beyond managing inventory, Casa Palacete 1822 relies on SiteMinder to monitor rate parity across all connected distribution channels—an often challenging aspect of modern hotel distribution.

One of SiteMinder’s most notable advantages is its speed and responsiveness, especially when it comes to tracking and adjusting prices across multiple distribution channels.

“Due to this immediate update, we have been able to detect when certain sales engines or channels sell rooms with rates that aren’t aligned with our pricing strategy,” David explains.

“Thanks to SiteMinder’s instant refresh capability, we can spot these inconsistencies in real time and make the necessary pricing adjustments.”

This visibility allows them to address discrepancies promptly, maintaining pricing integrity across all distribution channels.

With SiteMinder’s platform in place, Casa Palacete 1822 now benefits from real-time insights that simplify decision-making and take the guesswork out of distribution. Instead of being bogged down by manual processes, The team now has access to data-driven insights that guide confident decisions on rates and availability.

By simplifying what was previously a time-consuming process, SiteMinder has freed the team from tedious administrative tasks.

“The platform provides essential insights through booking performance reports and rate parity monitoring, offering a fast preview to ensure they’re on the right track with pricing”, stated David.

These smarter insights have empowered Casa Palacete 1822 to operate more efficiently, ensuring pricing remains competitive and aligned with market trends. With less time spent analysing data and managing distribution, the team can reinvest that time into what truly sets them apart—the personalised, high-touch experience they offer each guest.

The competitive edge: Eight years of distribution excellence

For Casa Palacete 1822, SiteMinder’s platform represents more than just a distribution tool—it provides a genuine competitive advantage in a challenging marketplace. The ability to monitor, adapt, and optimise their distribution strategy in real-time has transformed their approach to revenue management over their eight-year partnership with SiteMinder.

The ease of use and comprehensive functionality of SiteMinder’s channel manager stands out as particularly valuable for small properties with limited resources, allowing them to compete effectively with larger establishments that have more substantial dedicated revenue teams.

Casa Palacete 1822’s experience demonstrates how the right distribution technology can transform operations for boutique properties, creating opportunities to maximise revenue while maintaining the personal touch that makes small hotels special. Their longstanding relationship with SiteMinder since 2016 underscores the platform’s continued value and ability to evolve alongside the property’s needs.

“Our most sincere recommendation to all hoteliers in the world,” concludes David, underscoring his satisfaction with SiteMinder’s contribution to their ongoing success.

Thank you, David, for the amazing feedback and we wish Casa Palacete all the best in the future!

Lower costs, higher conversions: How a boutique hotel elevated its business with SiteMinder

Dean Elphick — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 00:54:42 +0000

When award-winning boutique hotel Skky Hotel in Whitehorse, Canada, partnered with hospitality consultancy Four Sides to rethink its tech stack, the goal was clear: simplify operations and cut unnecessary costs – without sacrificing guest experience or revenue.

After implementing SiteMinder, the results speak for themselves: major cost savings, a boost in direct bookings, and greater control over the guest journey.

We spoke to James McCullogh from Four Sides to discuss the optimisations that Skky Hotel achieved with SiteMinder’s platform.

Complex systems and rising fees were causing a headache

With multiple platforms powering their CRS, guest communication, and distribution, Skky was spending more on fees than it needed to – including per-reservation charges for bookings across Web, OTA, and GDS channels.

“Previously, with the hotel’s legacy CRS system, a fee was charged per reservation: $5 for Web, $7.50 for OTA, and $10 for GDS. These costs add up quickly,”explained James.

Additionally, the hotel was paying $400/month for a third-party guest messaging platform, adding to an already hefty operational tech bill.

More revenue, less work

What if you could boost your hotel's efficiency and revenue while also reducing your workload? Our smart hotel platform helps you do exactly that.

Learn more

SiteMinder’s platform introduced all-in-one efficiency

SiteMinder offered a simplified, cost-effective alternative. By consolidating key systems — such as a booking engine, channel manager, and guest engagement — the hotel could eliminate unnecessary tools and fees.

“With SiteMinder’s Guest Experience feature, that cost [for guest messaging] was eliminated,” said James.

The property also implemented SiteMinder’s Demand Plus, which gave the hotel visibility and easy management on major metasearch platforms like Google, TripAdvisor, and Trivago — helping drive more direct bookings.

“We were excited to try Demand Plus, which allowed the hotel to show their direct booking engine on Google, TripAdvisor, and Trivago — with Google being the top performer by far.”

An immediate and measurable impact

Just six months after implementation, the improvements were clear:

Nearly 40% overall cost savings across reservation and messaging platforms  
60% drop in Booking.com commission fees thanks to increased direct bookings  
30% conversion rate from Google Hotel Ads via Demand Plus  
Improved operational simplicity and guest communication – all within a single platform

“Overall, the switch to SiteMinder has meant a nearly 40% cost savings for the hotel while revenue has stayed consistent,” said James.

This success is a testament to the impact of pairing expert hospitality consulting with the right hotel commerce technology. Skky hotel now operates with greater efficiency, stronger guest relationships, and more profitability.

Thanks for choosing SiteMinder and we look forward to continuing driving success for the business!

Difference between a hotel and a motel: A core guide

Dean Elphick — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 04:54:40 +0000

When travellers are weighing up where to stay, the terms “hotel” and “motel” might seem interchangeable. But for you as a hotel operator, the difference is more than just a matter of semantics. It’s a business decision.

Understanding what sets hotels and motels apart isn’t just useful trivia. It helps define your property’s value, clarify your brand positioning, and attract the right type of guest. If you’re unsure how your accommodation stacks up or want to highlight why your hotel is worth a little extra, this guide will help.

In this blog, we’ll look at the core differences between hotels and motels to help you position your property clearly in the market.

Table of contents

What’s the difference between a motel and hotel?

While both motels and hotels offer paid lodging, they serve different purposes and types of travellers. The most obvious difference is in the size, structure, and services provided.

Hotels are typically found in cities, near airports, or close to tourist attractions. They are built for comfort and experience, with multiple floors, interior hallways, and a wide range of amenities like restaurants, pools, gyms, and concierge services. Guests usually enter their rooms from inside the building, and the atmosphere caters to both leisure and business travellers.

Motels, on the other hand, are usually located along highways or on the outskirts of towns. They focus on convenience for short stays, especially for those on road trips. Most motels are one or two stories tall, with rooms that open directly to the car park. They offer fewer services and are generally more affordable, making them ideal for budget-conscious travellers.

Here’s a quick comparison:

Feature	Hotel	Motel
Size	Large, multi-story	Small, 1–2 stories
Amenities	Extensive (gym, restaurant, etc.)	Basic (bed, bathroom, TV)
Location	Urban, near airports or events	Highways, suburban areas
Room Access	Interior hallways	Direct outdoor access
Target Guest	Business, leisure	Budget travellers, road trippers
Price Range	Mid to high	Low to mid

Understanding these distinctions helps clarify how your property compares, and more importantly, how you can stand out.

Use SiteMinder to win with any property

SiteMinder helps you turn your accommodation’s strengths into real results, with tools that boost visibility, automate pricing, and improve guest experience.

Learn more

Why knowing the difference between hotel and motel matters

For hotel operators, understanding the distinction is fundamental for defining your market position and making smarter operational choices.

Motels often compete on price and convenience. If your property offers more, like high-touch service, better amenities, or a premium location, you need to make that value clear. Otherwise, you risk being lumped into the same category by guests who don’t understand the difference.

Say you run a 40-room property with an onsite restaurant and centralised booking tools. On paper, you’re a hotel. But if your marketing, pricing, or guest experience doesn’t reflect that, potential guests may assume you’re no different from a roadside motel.

Being clear about where your property sits helps you:

Attract the right travellers;
Price rooms more effectively; and,
Build a stronger, more consistent brand.

It also gives you a benchmark. If motels are your nearby competition, understanding how they operate can show you where to differentiate and where to double down on your strengths.

How marketing changes with hotel vs motel

Your marketing message should match your offering, and that starts with understanding what sets your hotel apart from motels.

Motels tend to lean into affordability and convenience. Their messaging often focuses on easy parking, quick check-ins, and low nightly rates. That works for road trippers and last-minute bookers, but it won’t appeal to travellers looking for comfort, quality, good room sizes, or a memorable stay.

Hotels have more room to build a brand. If you offer premium bedding, on-site dining, or centralised booking tools, make that front and centre in your marketing. These are not just features; they are signals that your property delivers a different experience. And when communicated well, they justify a higher price.

For example, a motel might advertise “Clean rooms right off the highway.” A hotel could promote “Spacious rooms with city views and room service available.” Both appeal to different audiences, but one clearly speaks to a more experience-driven guest.

Think of your marketing as a mirror. If you don’t reflect on what makes your hotel unique, guests may not see a reason to book with you, instead of the cheaper option down the road.

How can hotels differentiate themselves from motels

If motels are competing on price and convenience, your edge as a hotel lies in offering something more. Here are a few strategic areas where hotels can create clear separation and attract higher-value guests.

Enhance amenities

Guests are willing to pay more when they feel like they are getting more. While motels usually offer the basics, like a bed, a bathroom, and a TV, hotels can elevate the experience with extras. That might mean a well-equipped gym, a relaxing pool area, or simple comforts like high-quality linens and coffee in the lobby.

In-room amenities matter. Travellers rate air conditioning and power outlets near the bed as two of the most desired room features. Meanwhile, business travellers also have high expectations. Up to 69% say they would book directly through a hotel’s website or app if free Wi-Fi is guaranteed.

Target specific travellers

Motels serve a wide, transient audience. Hotels have the opportunity to focus. Whether your sweet spot is business travellers, families, or long weekenders, your offering and marketing can be shaped around what that audience values most.

Strong brand identity

A clear, consistent brand helps you rise above the noise. That includes your visual identity, your tone of voice, and the kind of experience guests can expect at any of your properties. It makes your hotel feel more established, more trustworthy, and more worth the booking.

If you run multiple locations, consistency is key. A guest should know what they are getting from the moment they land on your website to the moment they check out.

Advanced technology integration

Motels often rely on manual processes and disconnected systems. Hotels can gain a serious edge by using tools that connect everything, like booking engines, channel managers, and dynamic pricing platforms. More than 85% of hoteliers now offer or plan to offer in-room tech such as mobile keys and contactless payments, while 92% of hoteliers report that guests are more open to using contactless technology now than they were before the pandemic.

SiteMinder, for example, helps hotels manage their rates and availability across multiple channels at once. It gives operators more control, reduces manual work, and helps you compete more effectively, even in price-sensitive markets.

Tools help hotels compete with motels

Hotels can gain a significant edge by using technology to run leaner, smarter operations. While motels often rely on basic systems or manual processes, hotels have access to tools that unlock far more control over pricing, availability, and guest experience.

That’s where SiteMinder makes the difference.

By connecting your hotel’s property management system with SiteMinder’s platform, you can:

Automatically update room rates and availability across all booking channels in real time;
Avoid overbookings and manual errors; and,
Respond to demand shifts faster with dynamic pricing.

For example, if your PMS shows low occupancy for a weekend, SiteMinder can adjust your rates across connected OTAs instantly, helping you fill rooms without lifting a finger. When motels are adjusting prices manually or not at all, this kind of automation keeps you one step ahead.

You can also use integrated guest data to personalise offers, time promotions more strategically, and forecast with better accuracy.

The result? Fewer admin headaches, better margins, and more bookings from the right kind of guests.

Hotel ad: Monitoring, compliance and parity

Dean Elphick — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 04:18:07 +0000

What is a hotel ad?

A hotel ad is any paid placement used by a hotel to promote its rooms, offers or brand, typically through online platforms like Google Hotel Ads, OTAs (online travel agents), metasearch engines, and social media channels. These ads are designed to appear in front of potential guests at the moment they’re planning or booking travel.

But not all hotel ads are created equal. A small banner on Facebook is very different from a dynamic rate listing on Google or a sponsored placement on Booking.com. Each platform has its own format, audience behaviour and rules. That’s why getting ads right is about timing, targeting, and trust.

A well-executed hotel ad helps you reach the right guests, at the right time, with the right rate. And when managed properly, it can drive direct bookings, reduce reliance on high-commission channels, and increase your overall profitability.

Think of it as one piece of a broader digital strategy; one that works best when integrated with your booking engine, pricing tools, and property management system.

In this blog, we’ll show you the hows and whys of ads in the hotel industry, and practical ways for your business to master it.

Table of contents

Why is hotel ad parity crucial?

When a guest sees your hotel advertised on Google at $180, then clicks through to an OTA and sees it for $160, their booking choice is almost made for them.

That’s the impact of rate parity, and why it matters.

Hotel ad parity means your room rates and availability are consistent across all advertising and distribution channels. If your ads show conflicting prices, not only do you risk losing bookings, but you also damage trust. Guests start to question the value of booking directly. Worse, some platforms may penalise your property’s ranking for not meeting rate consistency requirements.

Inconsistent rates can also lead to wasted ad spend. Imagine paying for traffic on an ad that ends up sending guests elsewhere because they found a better deal on another site. All that effort is undone by a mismatch.

Maintaining parity helps protect your revenue and reputation. It allows your hotel to compete fairly, without confusing guests or undermining your direct channels. And when combined with tools that monitor your listings and flag discrepancies, it becomes easier to control what the market sees, no matter how many platforms you’re on.

Simplify hotel ad management with SiteMinder

Take control of your ad performance, rate parity, and campaign compliance across every platform.

Learn more

Key hotel ad compliance

Ad compliance might not sound exciting, but it’s one of the fastest ways to lose visibility, or even your entire ad account, if you get it wrong.

Each platform has its own rules. Google has strict policies about destination mismatches, misleading offers, or inaccurate availability. OTAs like Expedia and Booking.com may reject your listing if your ad copy or images don’t meet their standards. And social platforms will penalise ads that breach their content or landing page policies.

That’s why hotel ad compliance is about more than ticking a few boxes. It’s about knowing what each platform expects, setting up your ads properly, and avoiding costly disruptions.

Some of the most common compliance issues include:

Mismatched rates or availability between your ad and your booking engine
Landing pages that don’t work or don’t reflect the ad content
Missing disclosures such as taxes or fees in your advertised price
Overuse of promotional language that gets flagged as misleading

The fix? Use tools that integrate your property management system with your ad platforms, so your rates and availability update automatically. Set up alerts that flag ad disapprovals early, and keep a checklist of ad requirements for each channel your hotel uses.

When compliance is part of your day-to-day process, not an afterthought, you protect your reach and make the most of your ad spend.

How to develop an effective hotel ad strategy

An effective hotel ad strategy isn’t about being everywhere at once. It’s about showing up in the right place, at the right time, with a compelling offer that fits your guest’s needs. Here’s how to build a strategy that delivers results.

Identify your target audience and goal

Start by getting clear on who you’re trying to reach. Are you targeting last-minute weekend travellers? Corporate bookers? Families planning school holidays? Your ad messaging, visuals, and channels should all reflect that. Be specific. A well-defined audience is easier to reach and more likely to convert.

Define your goal early, whether it’s increasing direct bookings, promoting a seasonal offer, or filling shoulder nights. Your targeting and tracking will hinge on this.

Choose the right channels

It’s easy to overspend across too many platforms. Focus instead on the ones that match your audience. Google Hotel Ads, for instance, continues to dominate for intent-based travel searches, while platforms like Instagram are more effective for brand building and visual inspiration. In fact, 61% of travellers have booked a hotel after seeing it on Instagram.

Metasearch advertising is also gaining traction. It accounted for 39.2% of ad-driven direct revenue for D-EDGE hotels in 2023, a 69% increase since 2019.

Set your ad budget

Don’t guess. Look at your booking window, average daily rate, and current occupancy trends to decide where your ad spend will have the most impact. A recent survey found 33% of hoteliers planned to invest between $50,000 and $100,000 in digital campaigns in 2024, with 21% aiming even higher.

Ensure rate parity

Rate parity isn’t just a compliance issue, it’s a trust issue. When your rates vary from platform to platform, guests lose confidence in your direct channel. This not only reduces bookings but can hurt your ad performance if platforms deprioritise inconsistent listings.

Aim for consistent pricing across your direct site, OTAs, and metasearch platforms. Tools that sync pricing between your PMS and your ad channels can make this far more manageable.

Monitor performance regularly

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Use dashboards and integrated tools to track clicks, conversions, return on ad spend, and channel performance. Schedule weekly reviews so you can tweak budgets, pause underperforming ads, and test new variations.

And remember, online bookings are expected to make up 80% of total hotel revenue within the next three years. That makes regular monitoring not just a nice-to-have, but essential to staying competitive.

Top hotel ad examples

The best hotel ads speak directly to the kind of guest a property wants to attract. From luxury escapes to budget city stays, a great ad delivers relevance, emotion, and a reason to book.

Here are two standout examples that show how targeted messaging can make all the difference.

Luxury hotel ad: Twenty Sundays

Twenty Sundays is a boutique luxury property in California that ran an eye-catching display ad campaign using minimalist visuals and a calming colour palette. Their messaging focused on peace, privacy, and slow living—perfectly aligned with their audience of urban professionals looking for a quiet retreat.

One of their ads featured a single line: “Your out-of-office reply just kicked in.” Combined with imagery of a serene poolside setting, it created an immediate emotional pull.

By keeping the copy sparse and evocative, they captured the essence of a luxury hotel ad: less about deals, more about experience and aspiration.

Hotel Trivago ad: “Hotel? Trivago.”

Trivago’s long-running campaign remains one of the most recognisable in the travel space. Their iconic tagline, “Hotel? Trivago,” positioned the platform as the go-to place to compare hotel prices in seconds.

What made the ads effective was their clarity. The visuals were clean, with price comparisons front and centre. There was no fluff, just a clear message for deal-hunters and spontaneous travellers. It’s a textbook example of how repetition, simplicity, and brand consistency can turn a basic Hotel Trivago ad into a household phrase.

Whether you’re building brand awareness or chasing conversions, these examples show that the best hotel ads are tailored to purpose. Use them for inspiration, but always shape your campaign around your own audience, platform, and goals.

A guide to managing hotel construction

Dean Elphick — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 03:26:19 +0000

What is hotel construction?

Hotel construction refers to the process of designing, planning, financing, and building new hotel properties, or significantly renovating existing ones. It’s a complex undertaking that involves more than just bricks and mortar. From site selection and zoning approval to sourcing contractors and setting up operational systems, every decision can affect how profitable and practical the final property will be.

For hotel owners and operators, particularly those managing a growing portfolio, the construction process also includes mapping out how the new property will meet market demand, deliver a memorable guest experience, and fit into broader business objectives. Whether you’re building a boutique hotel or expanding a midscale chain, the goal is the same: create a space that draws guests in and keeps operations running efficiently from day one.

In this blog, you’ll learn what drives hotel construction costs, how to avoid common project pitfalls, and the steps to building a successful hotel from feasibility studies to post-construction setup.

Table of contents

Why does hotel construction cost so much?

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why hotel builds often stretch far beyond their initial budgets, you’re not alone. Construction is one of the largest investments a hotel owner can make, and one of the most unpredictable.

A big part of the cost comes down to what type of hotel you’re building. According to HVS’s 2024 survey, a midscale extended-stay hotel averages around $143,000 per room to build, while luxury properties can climb beyond $600,000 per room. These costs cover everything from architecture and permitting to construction materials, FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment), and pre-opening expenses.

But it’s not just the upfront price tag. Construction projects are notoriously prone to overruns. Around 9 out of 10 projects exceed their budget, often by 15% or more, due to inaccurate estimates, delivery delays, or changes mid-build .

For hotel owners working within tight margins, these unexpected costs can delay openings and impact long-term profitability. That’s why understanding where the money goes, and where it’s most likely to blow out, is critical before breaking ground.

Set yourself up for success with SiteMinder

Prepare your systems, staff, and distribution strategy before you open your doors.

Learn more

Common challenges in a new hotel construction and how to avoid them

Building a hotel is a balancing act, managing timelines, compliance, budget, and future operations. And when things go wrong, the fallout can be expensive and time-consuming.

One of the most common pitfalls is underestimating the time and complexity involved in securing zoning approvals or building permits. Delays here can stall the entire project before a single brick is laid. In fact, permitting and approval bottlenecks are a key contributor to project delays, which saw a major spike in the hotel sector during the pandemic. At one point, the number of delayed hotel rooms under construction jumped by over a third year-on-year.

Budget creep is another major issue. Many projects go over budget due to estimating errors or unexpected on-site issues. Misjudging site conditions, failing to account for price volatility in materials, or rushing through the contractor selection process can all derail your plans. You may also run into complications if you haven’t considered local labour availability, weather risks, or supply chain reliability.

Avoiding these challenges starts with better planning, but also with choosing experienced partners who understand the specific risks of hotel builds and can offer a realistic, flexible project plan.

How to set up a successful hotel construction project plan

Hotel construction is about delivering a guest-ready property that aligns with your brand, meets market demand, and runs efficiently from day one. That means thinking well beyond the build itself. Below is a step-by-step guide to setting up a construction plan that works for medium-sized hotel operators juggling budgets, timelines, and future operations.

Planning

Market feasibility study

Before you even pick up the phone to a contractor, run a thorough market feasibility study. This helps you validate whether there’s real demand for a hotel in your proposed location. Look at local travel trends, occupancy rates, competitor performance, and the needs of your target audience. For example, the rise of extended-stay hotels, now accounting for 36% of all hotel projects under construction, suggests a growing demand for flexible, self-contained accommodation in many markets.

Location & zoning

Choosing the right site goes hand-in-hand with understanding zoning restrictions and land use regulations. Some regions may require hotels to have dedicated parking, limit building height, or comply with specific accessibility rules. Engaging with local authorities early can help you anticipate and address potential issues, from environmental assessments to community objections.

Preconstruction

Securing financing

Getting the financial structure right is one of the most critical aspects of the preconstruction phase. Hotel construction loans are harder to come by than they used to be, especially with lenders becoming more cautious. Many U.S. banks reduced hotel loan portfolios in early 2023, making it harder for smaller operators to access capital without strong business cases and collateral.

Explore options like SBA 504 loans, private lending, or partnerships with investors, and factor in contingency reserves of at least 10–15% to cushion against overruns.

Permits & approvals

You’ll need construction permits, health and safety signoffs, and in many cases, environmental clearances. These approvals can take months, and missing paperwork can grind everything to a halt. A project manager experienced in hospitality developments can help you streamline this step and manage submissions across agencies.

Choose hotel construction companies

Look for contractors with specific experience in hotel builds, not just commercial or residential work. They’ll be more familiar with industry nuances like FF&E timelines, guest-facing layouts, and soundproofing requirements. It’s also worth checking if they can deliver a design-build service, which can help reduce coordination issues between architects and builders.

Construction

Adhere to timelines & deadlines

Once the site is prepped and foundations are laid, keeping the build on track is crucial. Delays here can ripple into staffing, marketing, and even brand reputation. Yet many projects run behind due to scheduling conflicts, poor weather planning, or change requests. Make sure your contractor provides regular progress reports, and use project management tools to monitor milestones in real time.

Quality control & inspections

Don’t rely solely on final inspections. Schedule periodic walkthroughs and third-party checks throughout the build. This can help catch construction flaws early, such as substandard waterproofing or misaligned mechanical systems, before they become expensive rework items.

Post construction

Punch list

Your punch list is a final sweep of minor issues like paint touch-ups, faulty light switches, or uneven fittings that need to be addressed before the hotel opens. While it might seem minor, an unchecked punch list can lead to guest complaints and maintenance headaches down the line.

Set up systems & staff

With the building finished, attention turns to operations. This includes installing your property management system (PMS), connecting channel managers, and preparing the booking engine. Tools like SiteMinder can help centralise these systems early, making your go-live process smoother and reducing last-minute surprises.

Certifications

Before welcoming your first guests, you’ll need to finalise health and safety certifications, fire compliance, and in some areas, sustainability or accessibility documentation. Don’t leave this until the last week. Many of these require inspections or third-party approvals, which can take time to secure.

Integrate tools to manage the hotel construction process

Most hotel owners think of technology as something you implement after the doors open, but the right tools can make a major difference during construction, too. From project oversight to operational readiness, tech can give you a head start on streamlining how the property will run once guests walk through the door.

Start by considering your future tech stack early in the build. Your property management system (PMS), booking engine, and integrations with OTAs and payment gateways should all be factored into your timelines, especially when coordinating with contractors installing internet infrastructure, front desk setups, or smart room features.

Software like SiteMinder lets you configure your booking engine and distribution strategy while construction is still underway. That means your team can build out rate plans, test connectivity, and be ready to take reservations the moment certifications are cleared.

It also helps with hiring and training. Once your systems are in place, new staff can be onboarded before the hotel opens, using simulated bookings and dashboards to familiarise themselves with workflows.

The more you can embed operational tools into the final phases of construction, the smoother your opening will be and the faster you can start generating revenue.

Hotel commercial strategy: Solutions and optimisation guide

Dean Elphick — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 00:53:21 +0000

What is a hotel commercial strategy?

A hotel commercial strategy is a coordinated business approach that integrates sales, marketing, revenue management and distribution efforts to maximise total hotel revenue. It aims to drive profitability and improve competitiveness in the market for a hotel business.

Rather than operating in silos, a hotel commercial strategy ensures everyone is rowing in the same direction, working collaboratively and productively to drive revenue, enhance profitability and boost the hotel’s competitive edge.

A commercial strategy powers a data-driven mindset, allowing a hotel to respond faster to market trends, more effectively personalise guest experiences, and make smarter pricing and distribution decisions.

This blog will explain in more detail why your business needs a hotel commercial strategy, and offer practical steps on how to successfully create and implement one.

Table of contents

Why should you implement a hotel commercial strategy?

A carefully considered commercial strategy can help a hotel respond to global turbulence, technological advancement, and changes in traveller behaviour.

Hotel businesses can succeed in this ever-changing landscape by reshaping how they operate. This includes identifying market shifts and crafting hotel strategies to adapt to them.

Examples of such shifts include:

Early engagement: Attention spans are getting shorter, so smart hotels are working to capture the interest of potential guests as early as possible using sophisticated, data-driven marketing strategies.
Personalisation: The modern traveller expects to be catered to with custom communications, deals and offerings that reflect their needs and preferences. Forward-thinking hotels are implementing systems capable of delivering these personalised experiences.
Booking flexibility: Between COVID and a rise in global conflicts, there’s now a level of uncertainty to travel that simply didn’t exist in the first two decades of this century. Guests are increasingly looking for flexible booking options, and savvy hotels are offering them.
Seamless digital experiences: Guests now expect to be able to manage every part of their stay, from the moment they book to the moment they check out. Smart hotels are investing in intuitive digital platforms that give customers that power.

There’s no one trend that a hotel must focus on. Market shifts and changes in consumer behaviour are many and varied, and often overlap. That’s what makes a hotel commercial strategy so powerful – it binds all these individual strands into a single, holistic strategy.

Master your hotel commercial strategy with SiteMinder

Give your team the tools they need to successfully deploy your hotel commercial strategy with SiteMinder’s revenue-driving platform.

Learn more

How a hotel commercial strategy can maximise profit & increase efficiency

The ultimate goal of any commercial hotel sales strategy is simple: to generate more revenue and profit. A good strategy does this by lighting a clear path to that growth – one that unifies the entire team around a goal, and describes the steps that need to be taken in order to achieve it.

One common element of a hotel commercial strategy is a focus on direct revenue, which cuts out intermediaries like OTAs that can charge significant commission fees. A more direct relationship with the guest also enhances the experience you can offer them, by giving you the data points you need to personalise and customise every touchpoint.

6 tips for a successful commercial hotel sales strategy

How do you create, implement and optimise a successful hotel commercial strategy? The following guidelines are a great place to start.

1. Leverage data

Hotels are often a collection of very separate teams that only speak to one another when strictly necessary. But this can result in critical information being siloed within each department. The more data you have at your disposal, the more powerful the insights you can gain, so the most successful hotels pool their data resources together, sharing information openly between departments and crunching the numbers to see where risks and opportunities lie.

2. Review your systems

The only way to fully leverage data and run your hotel business efficiently is with the help of smart hotel software. The best systems will take care of the low-value busywork while presenting endless opportunities for automation, allowing you and your team to focus on the high-value stuff, like making every guest experience memorable.

3. Adopt an RMS

A revenue management system (RMS) uses real-time and historic data to power dynamic pricing, where room rates are adjusted based on demand, seasonality and competitor movements. Some RMSs feature forecasting tools that predict future booking trends and optimise your inventory well ahead of time.

4. Visibility on distribution channels

While direct bookings are the best bookings, distribution channels offer you unmatched reach and will likely remain a key source of bookings for your hotel, no matter how much direct business you manage to win. Your hotel commercial strategy should therefore work to enhance your visibility across GDSs, OTAs and metasearch.

5. Upselling and cross-selling

Commercial hotel sales strategies should also consider how to maximise the value of every guest, most notably by identifying opportunities to upsell and cross-sell. Examples include offering package deals, room upgrades and add-on services, both as part of the booking process and when the guest is on-site.

6. Assemble a strategy team

A holistic hotel commercial strategy will combine the disciplines of sales, marketing, distribution and revenue management and span all your departments – every team plays a part in attracting and pleasing guests, after all. A cross-functional commercial strategy team should be assembled to provide voices and perspectives from every part of the business, and avoid potential blind spots or oversights during strategy development.

Using tools in a hotel commercial technology strategy

Once you’ve assembled your strategy team, you need to give them the tools they need to succeed.

Your overarching hotel commercial strategy should be paired with a hotel commercial technology strategy, as smart tools will play a key role in any worthwhile effort to enhance your business.

A platform like SiteMinder, for example, is designed to provide deep levels of business intelligence powered by real-time data, and which can automate any number of operational tasks to free your team from the shackles of low value busywork.

SiteMinder can help you to capitalise on data like never before, by placing information and insights drawn from every department into a single platform. As you begin to implement your hotel commercial strategy, these smart insights can create a feedback loop that informs your strategic decision making, optimising your efforts over time.

Hotel laws & regulations: How to stay compliant for hotel owners

Juhlian Pimping — Tue, 27 May 2025 01:16:23 +0000

What are hotel laws?

Hotel laws are the rules and regulations that hotel operators and staff must follow to ensure legal compliance, protect guests’ rights and maintain safety and service standards.

Hotel laws and regulations can vary significantly between countries, states, and even local jurisdictions: for example, hotel laws and regulations in Florida can be very different to California hotel laws.

This blog will take a closer look at hotel rules and regulations to help you understand your legal obligations as a hotel business.

Table of contents

Why are hotel laws and regulations important to follow?

Complying with hotel laws and regulations is critical to protecting the safety, rights and wellbeing of both guests and staff. A benefit of compliance is ensuring your hotel business maintains high standards of cleanliness, security and service.

Following hotel laws to the letter also protects the hotel – it shields you from the legal and financial consequences of non-compliance, while also helping you to build trust with your guests.

Ensure your hotel's legal compliance with SiteMinder

SiteMinder keeps your guests' data, your revenue, and your reputation safe through highly secure payment systems.

Learn more

Hotel laws in different states

While there are hotel rules and regulations that cover the whole of the US, much of the regulatory work is left to the states. Let’s take a look at how three of the largest states in the US differ in terms of hotel laws.

Hotel laws in Texas

Texas hotel laws prioritise property rights, public safety and consumer transparency. Hotels are subject to fire code compliance, health inspections and zoning regulations governed by local jurisdictions. The state also enforces laws on room tax collection and the clear display of rates.

In terms of hotel eviction laws, Texas hotels can typically evict guests without formal legal proceedings, but if a guest has established residency – whether through an extended stay or by receiving mail at the hotel – they could be considered a tenant, which would necessitate more formal eviction procedures.

Hotel laws in Florida

Florida hotel laws place strong emphasis on public health and safety. Hotels must comply with sanitation standards set by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), including regular inspections of water quality, food services and pest control (particularly important in such a hot and humid state).

Florida also has strict rules around disaster preparedness, especially for hurricane-prone areas. Accessibility, fire safety and clear guest pricing are all closely monitored, and hotels must display their lodging license publicly at the property.

Hotel laws in California

California hotel regulations are amongst the strictest in the US, especially when it comes to employee rights and sustainability. Hotels must comply with state labour laws like daily housekeeping rules, fair scheduling and even human trafficking awareness training.

Environmental compliance is also key – many cities require hotels to implement recycling, energy efficiency and water conservation programs. Hotels must clearly disclose resort fees and can face heavy fines for misleading pricing or advertising. Local ordinances can add additional layers of regulation.

Hotel laws and regulations to stay compliant on

What sort of laws do hotel businesses need to be aware of? Examples include:

Hotel refund laws

While some states have mandatory refund rules for specific situations, your stated cancellation policy will generally take precedence. As such, you should clearly state your refund terms in booking confirmations, and always provide refunds for major service failures.

Hotel privacy laws

With data privacy becoming an increasingly prevalent issue across the globe, your hotel should collect only the most necessary information and secure it properly. No matter where you operate, it’s wise to comply with world-leading privacy laws like Europe’s GDPR.

Hotel eviction laws

Just like residential landlords, hotels must follow specific legal procedures when removing guests. Eviction laws vary state by state, but a hotel will generally need a valid reason, such as non-payment, disruptive behaviour, or overstaying to evict a guest. Clear documentation of any incidents is key to avoiding any legal trouble.

Hotel security camera laws

Hotels can only place cameras in common/public areas – no surveillance can be carried out in private spaces (e.g. rooms and bathrooms). In Texas and other states, hotels must post signage that indicates the presence of security cameras, including the name and contact information of the entity responsible for those cameras.

Hotel room temperature regulations

Certain US states have regulations relating to hotel room temperatures that focus on both energy efficiency and guest comfort and safety. California’s Title 24 energy code, for example, requires hotels to have in-room thermostats that offer both Fahrenheit and Celsius readings. Unoccupied rooms can’t be heated lower than 60°F or cooled higher than 80°F.

Hotel rules and regulations checklist to use

A hotel regulation checklist is a handy way to ensure your hotel is fully compliant, to reduce risk, maintain high standards and create a safer, more professional environment for your guests and staff. While the specifics of your checklist will depend on local laws, it should cover:

Health and safety: Follow OSHA guidelines and maintain clean, hazard-free facilities.
Fire and emergency: Install smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and visible exit signs.
Accessibility (ADA): Ensure facilities are accessible to guests with disabilities.
Licensing and permits: Keep business, food, alcohol and occupancy licences up to date.
Guest rights and evictions: Handle removals lawfully and document incidents properly.

Technology can be your friend when it comes to ensuring compliance in your hotel. Case in point: SiteMinder, the world’s largest open hotel commerce platform.

Hotel cyber security regulations

One set of regulations that can be a little more borderless than those listed above – particularly for hotels that host international visitors – are the ones relating to hotel cyber security. European guests, for example, will have high expectations in terms of data privacy, driven by their continent’s leadership in the space, namely with its GDPR legislation.

Hotels should therefore work to meet and ideally exceed those expectations, implementing world-leading data privacy and cyber security technologies that give guests total confidence.

Hotel equipment: Complete guide for hotel owners

Juhlian Pimping — Tue, 20 May 2025 08:13:47 +0000

What is hotel equipment?

Hotel equipment is the tools, appliances, systems, and furnishings that support a hotel’s daily operations and service delivery.

Think about the gear that powers your property: ovens and refrigeration in the kitchen, trolleys and vacuums in housekeeping, or the in-room items that make a guest’s stay comfortable: minibars, safes, hairdryers. Each item serves a specific purpose, helping your staff work efficiently and your guests feel cared for.

A boutique B&B may prioritise high-quality coffee machines and chic furnishings, while a large resort might invest heavily in laundry systems and banquet service tools. Either way, the right equipment helps maintain smooth operations and reduce maintenance headaches.

In this blog, we’ll explore the essential equipment for each department, how to choose the right supplier, and how smart investments can improve both efficiency and guest satisfaction.

Table of contents

Why invest in high-quality hotel equipment

Outdated or poorly maintained equipment doesn’t just slow down operations. It increases running costs and quietly erodes the guest experience.

Take your HVAC system, for example. In many hotels, heating and cooling account for up to 50% of total energy use, often because systems are outdated or inefficient. That kind of energy drain shows up month after month in your utility bills.

There’s guest satisfaction too. Dated equipment that breaks down or needs constant repair impacts satisfaction scores. According to a 2022 report, guest satisfaction dropped by eight points year over year, with deferred maintenance cited as a contributing factor.

The cost savings from high-quality, efficient equipment aren’t just theoretical. Some hotels have cut energy costs by up to 30% through smarter equipment upgrades and maintenance programs.

In short, investing in the right equipment means:

Lower energy and maintenance costs
Fewer disruptions for staff
A smoother, more enjoyable stay for guests

Over time, that translates to stronger reviews, better operational control, and a healthier bottom line.

Smarter hotel processes start here

Connect your systems, streamline operations, and deliver better guest experiences with SiteMinder.

Learn more

How to choose the right equipment for your hotel

Finding reliable hotel equipment suppliers isn’t just a box to tick. A good supplier becomes a long-term partner, not just a one-off vendor.

Before buying, make sure your hotel has covered all the basics, from everyday hotel products to specialised items from hotel equipment manufacturers. It helps to keep a clear hotel equipment list for each department, so nothing slips through the cracks during procurement.

When narrowing down your options, here are a few things to consider:

Budget: Think total cost of ownership, not just purchase price. Will this item cost more to run, repair, or replace?
Space and layout: Is there room for this equipment to function properly and safely? Oversized gear in a tight kitchen or cramped housekeeping area causes more problems than it solves.
Energy and water efficiency: Look for ratings and certifications that point to long-term savings on utilities.
Safety compliance: Equipment should meet all local codes and health regulations to protect guests, staff, and your business.
Usability: Choose equipment your team can use efficiently. Complicated tech with a steep learning curve could slow things down.
Service and warranty support: A strong warranty and accessible service team can save time and frustration when things go wrong.

You should also learn what to look for in a supplier and where to find them. Industry trade shows, hospitality associations, and peer recommendations can help you discover vetted suppliers with experience in your segment of the market.

List of equipment needed for a hotel

Equipping your hotel with the right tools is essential for delivering exceptional service and ensuring efficient operations. Each department has unique requirements, and selecting appropriate equipment can significantly impact your hotel’s performance and guest satisfaction. Below, we explore the essential equipment for various areas, starting with the kitchen.

Hotel kitchen equipment

Your kitchen is one of the hardest-working parts of your hotel. The right equipment here can reduce energy use, cut costs, and help your team deliver consistently high standards.

Smart ovens with AI temperature control make it easier to avoid overcooked or undercooked meals by adjusting the heat in real time. Induction cook tops heat quickly and use far less energy than gas alternatives. And newer commercial dishwashers clean thoroughly while using up to 40% less water and power, especially if they’re ENERGY STAR certified.

At Burnham Beeches Hotel, for example, switching to more efficient kitchen systems led to a 33% reduction in energy consumption.

Hotel restaurant equipment

Service speed, sustainability, and smart systems can all improve how your restaurant operates.

AI-powered food prep stations now support everything from slicing to plating. This frees up staff to focus on quality and presentation while reducing waste. More hotels are also switching to eco-friendly tableware made from bamboo or recycled materials. Guests are starting to expect this kind of sustainable thinking.

Contactless POS systems have become essential. They help staff move quickly through orders and connect to inventory and reporting tools behind the scenes. This means faster payments, fewer errors, and a smoother guest experience.

Hotel room equipment list

Your guest rooms are where impressions are made. Comfort, convenience, and a sense of modernity all depend on having the right tools in place.

Smart thermostats and automated lighting give guests better control over their room while helping you reduce power use. Mobile key systems and digital concierge tablets make it easy for guests to check in, unlock their door, or order room service without waiting at reception. Investing in high-quality mattresses, pillows, and ergonomic furniture sends a clear message that you care about their stay from start to finish.

Hotel service equipment

The departments that operate behind the scenes keep everything running smoothly. Their equipment should make the job easier, not harder.

Automated laundry systems can dramatically reduce water, energy, and labour costs. The Apple Farm Inn, for example, saved nearly 40% in annual laundry-related costs after switching to an ozone-based setup.

Cleaning robots can cover high-traffic areas like lobbies and elevators, maintaining hygiene standards while easing the load on staff. And with smart inventory tracking for housekeeping supplies, you’ll spend less time chasing stock and more time focusing on the guest experience.

SiteMinder drives 180% revenue boost for 眷村 Guest House 1954 in Taipei

Mark Dawson — Mon, 19 May 2025 04:59:26 +0000

The 79 Hospitality Management Group (79HMG)’s 眷村 Guest House 1954, located in Taiwan’s historic Sanchong Air Force Military Dependents’ Village, offers a stay that is genuinely one-of-a-kind and resembles entering a living memory. This boutique guest house is a hidden gem for families, couples, and single travelers looking for a slower, more soulful experience because of its carefully preserved architecture and worn exteriors, which combine nostalgic ambiance with thoughtful modern comfort.

Just a year after it opened, 眷村 Guest House 1954 has already become well-known for its unique idea. The establishment is a part of 79HMG’s new hospitality brand, the “79 Military Village Revival Guesthouse Series,” which aims to connect Taiwan’s rich local history with tourism.

The completely non-smoking guest house offers free WiFi, outdoor seating areas, shared restrooms, and air-conditioned rooms. Additionally, some rooms have private balconies, which are ideal for taking in the tranquil surroundings. In keeping with its goal of creating genuine, memorable travel experiences, the hotel offers a paid airport shuttle service and promotes outdoor exploration.

Every element of 眷村 Guest House 1954 has been carefully chosen to provide more than just lodging. The motto that guides their hospitality philosophy is “Stay in history, discover a story,” which invites visitors to engage, pause, and feel a part of Taiwan’s living past.

Juggling guest experience with operational gaps

The core of everything at 眷村 Guest House 1954 is creating memorable guest experiences. According to CEO Roy Chao, this entails more than just providing a place to sleep; it also entails personal connection, cultural immersion, and storytelling.

“Enjoying the brand, learning about local culture, and making enduring memories are the keys to a positive customer experience,” he says.

The team uses what they refer to as the MEMO theory, a strategic framework based on four pillars—Map the Connect, Ensure Real-Time Update, Minimise Manual Work, and Optimise Performance Data—to inform their service philosophy.

Chao continues, “We particularly value the ‘E’ in MEMO, which stands for both Easy and Efficiency.”

But as the hotel grew and started to serve a wider range of tourists, including families, couples, and leisure travellers, internal procedures started to lag. It was challenging to control room availability across platforms. Rate updates took a lot of time and were done manually. Bookings and the team’s capacity for rapid response were both impacted by system synchronisation delays.

“The challenge was clear: our staff needed better tools to respond to customer needs in real time,” Chao continued. “We need a smarter, more connected way to do it, but promptly attending to staff needs allows them to respond to customer demands efficiently.”

The team eventually looked beyond their current configuration in order to find a solution that fit with their MEMO-driven approach to hospitality, as the need for centralised control and streamlined operations grew.

The backbone behind a seamless experience

SiteMinder was more than just another operational tool for 眷村 Guest House 1954; it signalled a significant change toward more intelligent and effective hotel management. According to Chao, the platform is a calculated step to improve overall operational effectiveness and expedite daily procedures.

“Using SiteMinder is a key strategy to enhance hotel operational efficiency,” he said. “It’s not just about channel management, it’s the first step toward intelligent and streamlined hotel operations.”

The team successfully synchronised room rates and availability across all platforms in real-time by utilising SiteMinder’s channel manager. The risk of human error was greatly decreased by this degree of automation, which also enabled the hotel to react swiftly to consumer demand.

“Room inventory management becomes simpler,” Chao explains. “It gives me more time to focus on pricing strategies and revenue optimisation.”

Better visibility, enhanced control over all sales channels, and quicker rate adjustment execution were all made possible by this smooth update system.

The hotel’s MEMO service philosophy is perfectly aligned with the transformation. Effective system connection mapping is made possible by SiteMinder, which also guarantees real-time updates, reduces the need for manual intervention, and maximises access to performance data for improved decision-making. Business outcomes were directly impacted by these operational improvements.

“If we compare the revenue from 2024, the REV growth is over 180%,” says Chao.

Following the hotel’s adoption of SiteMinder’s Demand Plus solution, which increased their visibility on international metasearch engines like Google, Trivago, and Tripadvisor, their growth continued.

“Before, most bookings came from local travellers. Since the switch, we’ve seen a substantial increase in international reservations,” Chao shares.

In the last two months alone, revenue has increased by over 180% and even more than 500%. The benefits were immediate and evident, with more bookings coming from direct and international sources and less time spent on manual updates.

“I can do more things in less time. I’ve seen an increase in direct bookings, reduced errors, and overall, it’s made my job more enjoyable,” he says.

The group is actively looking for platforms that can assist in managing multiple sites at once, something SiteMinder is well-positioned to support, as they look to expand to more hotels and properties in the future.

As 眷村 Guest House 1954 continues to evolve, SiteMinder will be there every step of the way to help them reach new heights!

Travel packages: Examples and ideas for hotels

Juhlian Pimping — Fri, 16 May 2025 07:14:25 +0000

What are travel packages?

Travel packages bundle together multiple elements of a trip into one simple offer. Instead of guests booking accommodation, activities and extras separately, a travel package wraps them into a single, appealing price.

For hotels, this usually means combining your rooms with value-adding experiences, like airport transfers, dining, spa treatments, tours or tickets to local attractions. Done right, travel packages can turn your property from just a place to sleep in, into the actual centrepiece of a guest’s trip.

For example, a city hotel might offer a “weekend culture package” that includes a two-night stay, breakfast and museum passes. A coastal resort could sell “romance retreats” with a suite, sunset cruise and late checkout. These are far more than discounts. They create experiences guests want to buy into.

In this blog, we will explore why travel packages work, share inspiring examples and show you how to create offers that guests can’t resist.

Table of contents

Why travel packages work

By bundling accommodation with extras like tours, meals or wellness activities, you create offers that feel complete. Guests do not need to worry about organising the details since the travel package covers the entire itinerary, incentivising them to book these offers instead of standard room accommodation.

Packages also help fill rooms during slower periods. When demand dips, a compelling offer can be the push travellers need. For example, adding spa treatments or local experiences to a midweek stay can encourage bookings outside of peak times.

Direct bookings are another big win. Guests who book directly through your website often spend more than those who use online travel agents. In fact, in 2024, the average booking value through hotel websites was $519, compared to $320 through Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). Travel packages give guests a reason to choose your site, helping you build stronger customer relationships and avoid commission fees.

Finally, packages allow you to target specific traveller types. A family offer with discounted kids’ meals and tickets to local attractions speaks directly to parents. A business package with meeting space and breakfast appeals to corporate guests. The more tailored your packages, the more likely they are to convert.

Turn packages into bookings with SiteMinder

Easily create, manage, and promote packages across all your channels with one platform.

Learn more

Travel package examples in different countries

Looking for ideas? Travel packages are shaped by the experiences guests already want, and what better way to understand what they want than by the most significant choice they’ve already made: the country they’re visiting. Here are examples from popular destinations to help you think about how your hotel could create offers that make booking simple and appealing.

Japan travel packages

The Golden Route is one of Japan’s most popular travel paths, but organising each stop can be overwhelming for visitors. A package covering 3 days in Tokyo for food, shopping and museums, 2 days in Kyoto’s temples and gardens, a day in Nara visiting shrines and deer parks, and time in Osaka for its markets and nightlife makes the whole journey much easier. Partnering with tour operators helps hotels offer this as a ready-to-book itinerary for guests who want the highlights without the hassle.

Iceland travel packages

In Iceland, many travellers come for natural wonders. A 5-day winter package can offer hotel stays along with guided northern lights tours, spa visits and day trips to waterfalls and glaciers. These types of offers are especially helpful during quieter seasons when visitors want everything arranged ahead of time.

Italy travel packages

In Italy, food and wine often take centre stage. A Tuscan package might pair four nights at a countryside hotel with vineyard visits, cooking lessons and transfers to nearby villages. Guests looking for slower, more immersive experiences appreciate having everything organised so they can focus on enjoying their trip.

Greece travel packages

Island hopping is popular in Greece, but it often takes a lot of planning. A Cyclades package can take care of the details. Guests stay across Santorini, Paros and Mykonos with ferry tickets, hotel bookings and guided tours all arranged ahead of time. This saves them the trouble of managing separate reservations and lets them focus on enjoying each island.

Hawaii travel packages

Hawaii offers the chance to combine adventure and relaxation. A Maui getaway might feature five nights at a resort, car hire, surf lessons, a sunset luau and discounted spa treatments. These packages help guests make the most of their time by wrapping local experiences into one easy option.

How to set up hotel travel packages

Once you understand the value of travel packages, the next step is creating offers that fit your property and guests. It doesn’t need to be complicated. With the right approach, you can turn your rooms and services into packages that drive more bookings and revenue.

1. Identify hotel features and services

Start with what you already have. Look at your rooms, facilities and services. Do you offer breakfast, spa treatments or airport transfers? These can all be part of a package. Think about which amenities go well together and what adds value for your guests.

2. Partner with local attractions

You don’t have to do it all alone. Work with nearby businesses or tour operators to offer experiences outside your hotel. Museum tickets, guided tours, local restaurants or outdoor activities can help make your packages more appealing. These partnerships often benefit both sides, giving you new ways to reach guests and giving local businesses more visitors.

3. Pre-planned itinerary

Guests like convenience. Pre-planned itineraries remove the need for them to figure everything out themselves. Whether it’s a weekend of dining and sightseeing or a week of cultural activities, think about how to structure your package to cover key needs, like meals, transport and activities.

4. Set pricing

Your packages should offer good value, but they don’t need to be heavily discounted. Focus on convenience and experience. Use your booking and revenue management tools to price packages based on demand. This helps you stay competitive while protecting your margins.

5. Promote your travel package

Creating a package is only part of the job. Make sure it’s visible where guests are searching. Promote packages on your website, through email marketing and on your social media channels. Consider listing them on OTAs if you want to reach a wider audience.

Tools to manage travel flight and hotel packages

Once your travel packages are ready, the next step is managing them across different channels and properties. This is where the right technology makes all the difference. Without it, updating prices, availability and inclusions for each offer can quickly become complicated and time-consuming.

With SiteMinder, this process becomes much simpler.

The booking engine lets you display travel packages directly on your hotel’s website, so guests can book easily without needing to call or email. You can showcase different offers for various guest types, seasons or events, and make them available 24/7.

If you want to sell packages across multiple platforms, our channel manager has you covered. This tool connects your packages to online travel agents and other booking channels, keeping pricing and availability up to date everywhere in real time. No more manual updates or worrying about double bookings.

If you’re running more than one property, everything can be managed in one place. SiteMinder’s centralised platform gives you full control over your packages across all locations. You can roll out offers to selected properties, adjust them based on local demand and ensure consistency in how they’re presented.

By using the right tools, you’ll spend less time handling admin and more time creating offers that attract bookings. From your own website to global booking sites, SiteMinder helps make sure your packages reach customers who are ready to buy.

How to choose hotel revenue management software

Juhlian Pimping — Thu, 15 May 2025 06:33:13 +0000

What is revenue management software?

Revenue management software is a digital tool designed for the hospitality industry to optimise room rates based on predicted demand. It uses data analytics to forecast hotel room demand, allowing hoteliers to adjust prices accordingly to maximise revenue. This dynamic pricing strategy takes into account various factors, such as seasonal demand, local events, competitor prices, and historical data, to set the optimal room rate at any given time.

The primary goal of revenue management software is to sell the right room to the right customer at the right time for the right price. By doing so, it helps hotels increase their Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) and overall profitability. In an industry where room rates can fluctuate frequently based on external and internal factors, having a software that can quickly and accurately adjust prices can be a game-changer.

Choosing the right revenue management software, like SiteMinder, can be a transformative decision for a hotel’s bottom line. This page will guide you through the essential considerations when evaluating potential technology partners, ensuring you make a choice that aligns with your hotel’s needs and goals.

Table of contents

Why do you need revenue management software for your hotel?

Revenue management software is an indispensable tool for modern hotels, streamlining various crucial aspects of hotel operations. By analysing factors like market demand, competitor prices, and local events, the software optimises room pricing, ensuring neither underpricing nor overpricing. It offers real-time updates to adapt to the dynamic nature of the hotel industry and integrates seamlessly with other hotel systems, creating a unified operational platform.

Furthermore, it aids in forecasting future room demand, efficiently managing inventory across distribution channels, and providing in-depth performance analytics. This not only enhances the guest experience by anticipating busy periods but also significantly boosts profitability.

In a competitive landscape, such software not only automates manual tasks, reducing errors, but also ensures hotels stay ahead of their competitors by quickly responding to market changes.

If you’ve decided to purchase hotel revenue management software, you’ve really only started your journey. Understanding what the software is and the benefits it provides is the easy part. Now you’ve covered that, there is plenty to do in regards to making a final purchase decision.

Choosing the best provider for your individual property and business case means a lot of research is required to sift through the many options on the market.

We could tell you the obvious course of action is to move forward with an established industry leader like SiteMinder but no one should make a blind choice when investing in such critical software that’s going to impact the success of a business.

Example of a revenue management software solution

There is no shortage of hotel revenue management software that could suit your needs. Some will present very similar offerings, while others will work in more specialised or niche territory.

For example, some will be based largely around rate setting and some may focus specifically on revenue strategies related to food and beverage services. It’s a broad sector of hotel technology, meaning you have to be especially clear about what you want and what results you expect from a provider.

An easy example to give is SiteMinder’s hotel business intelligence software, which enables you to understand the local market and your competitors, and set rates to deliver the maximum amount of revenue to your property. This is regarded as a rate shopping and market intelligence tool.

SiteMinder has decades of industry experience and more than 47,000 hotel customers, pioneering some of the most powerful hotel technology solutions that exist today.

Maximise your property's revenue potential with SiteMinder

SiteMinder's powerful channel manager ensures your property is visible in over 450 distribution channels including the GDS.

Learn more

Types of hotel revenue management software

Revenue management software solutions consist of a broad range of products. They can serve many different purposes and be suited to a whole spectrum of properties, including:

Tools targeted towards smaller, independent, hotels
Tools targeted towards larger, enterprise, groups
Specialised services for accounting and financial management
Tools that specialise in food and beverage management
Tools that focus on room pricing etc

That’s why it’s very important to clearly understand what you want for your property. You don’t want to make the mistake of using the wrong tool or buying one that doesn’t include all functions you need.

Generally speaking, hotel revenue management software can be placed into two groups:

Standalone: All-in-one revenue management solutions offer features like forecasting, pricing and reporting, and are built to handle large inventories and dynamic pricing complexities. This type of RMS can be particularly useful for large chains and resorts, or properties that offer (relatively complex) package deals.
Integrated: An integrated revenue management software solution connects seamlessly to existing hotel software, allowing it to provide additional features and functionalities. This type is most commonly used by smaller properties who don’t need the analytical power of a standalone RMS, and can benefit from the extra efficiency and flexibility that an integrated solution can offer.

Some of the most useful RMS tools are focused on rate shopping. If you can set your prices accurately to maximise revenue and profit, it gives you a lot more freedom to manage revenue across the rest of your business.

Reports generated by revenue management software

RMS solutions are capable of generating a wealth of different reports, with each providing insight into the fiscal state of play within your hotel. Examples include:

Revenue performance reports: Track revenue against your forecasts, budgets and historic data, breaking data down by time, segment, channel or product.
Demand and booking reports: Identify current and future trends around bookings, cancellations, and no-shows to better anticipate fluctuations in demand.
Pricing and rate reports: Compare your current prices with competitor rates to identify opportunities and craft strategic pricing that gives you an edge.
Occupancy and availability reports: Understand your current and projected occupancy levels, room availability over specific periods, and potential oversell risks.
Segment and channel reports: Analyse revenue by customer segment (e.g. business vs leisure) or distribution channel (e.g. Direct vs OTA vs GDS).
Forecasting reports: Predict future demand, revenue, and occupancy based on historic data and current booking trends.
Performance KPIs: Track key metrics like RevPAR, ADR, TRevPAR and GOPPAR to ensure they’re moving in the right direction over time.

Benefits of having a revenue management software in your hotel

The best revenue management software is capable of delivering a wealth of (very literal) value to your hotel. Here are just some of the most compelling perks that come with the implementation of pricing and revenue management software.

Increased revenue

By predicting demand and optimising pricing, the best hotel revenue management software helps you to maximise both occupancy and room rates, which in turn maximises revenue.

Dynamic pricing

Dynamic pricing ensures that your room rates always reflect demand, increasing when demand is high to maximise revenue during peak periods, and decreasing when demand is low to maximise occupancy during lulls.

Better decision-making

Revenue growth management software drives data-driven decision making. There’s no need to rely on instincts or gut-feel–more often than not ,your answer can be found by analysing the data.

Integration support

The best revenue management software companies will ensure your RMS connects seamlessly to your current hotel tech stack, which will allow you to generate deeper insights and set up all manner of time-saving automations.

Better guest experience

By implementing revenue management software, hotels can ultimately enhance their guest experience by offering loyal guests consistently fair and transparent pricing.

Revenue management software pricing

Price will obviously vary based on the type of tool you’re looking at. In the case of tools based around market intelligence and rate shopping, price will be very reasonable.

Look for providers who offer a flexible pricing model. This means no lock-in contract or commissions. The preferred way of paying is by set monthly fee.

You can always move to a contract later if you want a discounted price and are happy with the service.

Commonly, the amount you pay each month will depend on the size of your property. The more rooms you have, the higher your fee will be. However the price will remain pretty static for hotels with less than 70 rooms. See a pricing example for your property.

Comparing free hotel revenue management software companies

Before deciding on the right RMS for your property, it’s important to weigh your options against relevant criteria. You can use review sites such as Hotel Tech Report to perform your competitive analysis. On Hotel Tech Report you’ll be able to see scores and user ratings for factors such as:

Ease of use
Range of functions
ROI
Customer support
Implementation process
Integration
Price

Additionally, you can view full customer reviews and recommendations from hoteliers just like you to gain real-life user insight.

Social media pages such as Facebook provide another medium to check whether an RMS provider could be a good fit for your business. Do they interact with their audience? How many followers do they have? Are there positive reactions to their content? All of this can serve to help inform your decision.

How to find the best hotel revenue management software

Your RMS provider shouldn’t just unlock and analyse large amounts of market data for your hotel, it should also make the information digestible, and therefore actionable.
Before you make your investment, ensure your tool has these features:

All-day visibility of local supply and demand

Your chosen RMS should be able to continuously monitor shifts in demand and competitor availability throughout the day, then respond with timely pricing advice or decisions. You should have the option of allowing the RMS to change rates automatically while receiving pricing notifications.

Compare room rates with competitors in one view

You should be able to view your pricing alongside multiple competitors in a single dashboard. This provides perfect transparency in terms of where you sit in the market at any given moment, and powers fast benchmarking and better strategic alignment.

Know local market pricing up to one year in advance

Find an RMS solution that allows you to access forward-looking data on market rates and trends to support long-term pricing and inventory planning.

Unlimited rate shopping

There shouldn’t be any limit on how much market research you can do, so avoid subscription revenue management software that impose rate shopping limits. Let your team conduct checks of competitor pricing across dates, room types and channels without any restrictions.

Exportable reports

Pick an RMS that allows you to download detailed performance, pricing and forecast reports in whatever format you choose, so that insights are easily shared with and analysed by your entire team.

Rate strategy rule creation

Look for RMS tools that allow you to build custom rules when automating pricing responses. These rules can be based on predefined triggers like levels of occupancy and demand, or changes in competitor pricing.

Constant access to the latest market information

The best RMS tools will serve up real-time market insights in a visual and accessible form, to ensure you’re always offering the most competitive rate for your rooms.

Analysis of how your property is performing online

Another important RMS feature allows you to see your rates as your guests see them. By analysing relevant listings across leading global OTAs, you get a clear picture of where your hotel offering sits against your competitors.

Alerts and preset rules

Automation is a key feature of leading revenue management tools. You should be able to set up notifications that inform you of key market developments, and you should be able to set rules that trigger automatic actions, e.g. if a set of competitors increases their rates by 20% for certain dates, your prices rise too.

Direct booking functionality

The purpose of a revenue management solution is to make your hotel more money, so the best will offer a direct booking engine that allows you to avoid the sky-high commission fees – usually 15-25% – that you’re forced to pay to OTAs and third-party booking sites.

How to improve your cash flow using hotel revenue management software

Amidst the constant work of managing a hotel day-to-day, being bogged down by data might seem like the last thing you want to do. But with the right tools and know-how, it can be out of the most beneficial updates you can make in your daily operations.

By analysing the facts and figures across your hotel operations, you’ll be able to find plenty of opportunities to grow your revenue stream and further the success of your business. Often it can only take a small tweak to have a big impact on your annual revenue.

To help raise your bottom line, practice these data strategies at your hotel to maximize your revenue potential:

1. Re-evaluate your revenue channels

When it comes to your hotel distribution channels, it may seem like your “golden goose” is the channel that drives the most demand and highest number of bookings.

However, to truly understand which channels are your most valuable, you need to look at them from a net revenue perspective. This means you need to ask how much profit you’re actually generating from each channel after deducting the associated overhead costs of running them.

If you find that your most profitable channel is actually the one you place less focus on, you get an opportunity to grow the demand for it. This allows you to lower your cost per booking ratio to ultimately improve your overall profitability day-to-day.

2. Balance the pros and cons of channels over time

It’s important to constantly track the performance of marketing and distribution channels. While one strategy may have worked perfectly two years ago, you need to investigate if it’s still giving you the same benefit today. Perhaps the spend has gone up, while the revenue has gone down.

On the other hand, some channels may have added benefits like brand awareness that counteract a lack of revenue creation, and are still very useful. An example is holiday deal sites that you might advertise on. The rate is going to be low and the commission is likely to be high, but the exposure will also be significant. In this instance you would have to weigh whether it’s worth it for your brand to be on such websites, and for how long.

3. Use your hotel guest data to optimise your offering

The insights you can gain from each guest that stays at your hotel are invaluable. If you can detect trends in your customer base e.g., what their preferences are, how long they typically stay, their purpose of travel etc. you can start to meaningfully shape a successful marketing and distribution strategy.

From here, you’ll be able to identify any superfluous strategies and replace them with a more targeted approach, using tactics like emails or social media campaigns, to boost your conversion rates and improve your bottomline.

4. Use technology to your hotel’s advantage

A lot of the data you need to make informed decisions can be gleaned from the technology your hotel uses such as your channel manager or booking engine and website. Run reports and generate insights that you can act on almost immediately.

Of course, a revenue management system is one of the best solutions to keeping on top of your income, profits, and data. The right tool can ensure the revenue management at your hotel is down to a science and offers real-time automation.

One such tool is Pace, and CEO Jens Munch makes a pertinent statement about the state of hotel industry today:

“Many industries, including travel, still suffer today from low quality data hidden away in proprietary systems. However, there’s a trend emerging with modern cloud providers to alleviate those problems by enabling connectivity layers for their customer’s data. This lets solutions like us democratise our services and give hoteliers better access to state-of-the-art revenue management.”

Pace, and other machine learning services, generate significant optimisations and competitive advantages for their customers, and should be a serious consideration for any hotel wanting to boost their revenue.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM): A complete guide for hotels

Juhlian Pimping — Fri, 09 May 2025 04:23:14 +0000

What is customer relationship management?

Customer relationship management (CRM) is both a strategy and a set of tools that helps you manage and improve guest relationships.

Some hoteliers think of a CRM as a marketing add-on. In reality, it’s a core part of running a modern operation. A CRM helps bring together all guest interactions, no matter where they happen. Whether someone books through an OTA, contacts you directly, or shows up unannounced, a CRM gives your team the context they need to deliver a smooth experience.

A CRM works by collecting the data your guests leave behind and helping your team use it in smarter ways. Booking history, pre-arrival requests, in-stay preferences, and post-stay feedback can all feed into a single profile. This allows you to tailor communications, surprise guests with personalised touches, and stay connected long after check-out.

In the hotel world, CRMs are less about sales pipelines and more about creating memorable stays, improving efficiency, and building loyalty over time.

In this blog, we’ll show you why a CRM matters, how you can effectively implement one in your hotel business, and a few great options that have helped hotel managers and owners like you succeed in an increasingly competitive landscape.

Table of contents

Why customer relationship management in a hotel is important

Guest expectations are higher than ever, but the tools many hotels rely on haven’t kept up. When booking information lives in one system, guest preferences in another, and follow-up notes in someone’s inbox, the result is a disjointed experience – for both your guests and your team.

Your team misses an upsell. A returning guest gets the wrong room. Another request falls through the cracks. These are signs of a system that isn’t working hard enough for your business.

A CRM helps connect the dots. By centralising guest information and automating key touchpoints, it gives your team the confidence to personalise each stay, follow up consistently, and make smarter use of the data you’re already collecting.

And it delivers real results. Hotels using targeted CRM strategies have seen an average 23% increase in repeat bookings. That kind of loyalty means long-term revenue growth. Yet CRM adoption across the industry is still low. Only 21% of hotels, covering about a third of all rooms globally, currently use a CRM.

That gap creates a clear opportunity for forward-thinking hotels to stand out.

Bring your guest data together with SiteMinder

Stop switching between systems. SiteMinder helps you connect your CRM and PMS, so every guest interaction feels personal.

Watch demo

Benefits of having a customer relationship management system

Each interaction gives you a choice: make it meaningful or let it pass unnoticed. From the moment they book to the day they check out, guests are sharing valuable information about their preferences, habits, and expectations. Without a system to capture and act on that data, opportunities slip away.

A good CRM gives your team the clarity and time to focus on the experience. Instead of bouncing between inboxes and spreadsheets, staff can access up-to-date guest profiles, automate repetitive tasks, and deliver more consistent service. Research shows that increasing customer retention by just 5% can boost profits by as much as 95%.

For hotels competing on loyalty and repeat bookings, that shift has real impact.

Enhanced communications

Instead of writing the same emails over and over, your team can use templates and triggers to automate confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups. Messages go out on time and in the right tone, without the need to chase every booking manually.

Personalised experience

With each guest profile automatically storing past stays, preferences, and notes, it becomes easier to tailor the experience. That could mean offering their favourite room, remembering dietary needs, or simply greeting them by name when they walk through the door.

Streamlining operations

Routine tasks like sending feedback requests or pre-arrival information can be automated through your CRM. That cuts down on admin time and keeps your staff focused on delivering service, not processing paperwork.

Data-driven decisions

Your CRM stores information, but it also turns it into actionable insights. See which campaigns are driving return bookings, identify your most profitable guest segments, and adjust your strategy based on real patterns rather than guesswork.

Essential features of a customer relationship management solution

Not every CRM suits the way hotels work. Some are built for managing sales pipelines, others for handling support tickets. You need a system that helps your team respond quickly, personalise the guest journey, and reduce manual work without creating more complexity.

Here are the features that matter most in a hotel setting:

Guest management features

It starts with a single, detailed guest profile. Booking history, preferences, contact details, and feedback are all stored together, giving your team a full picture of every guest, even across multiple stays or properties.

Operational efficiency

Hotel-focused CRMs do more than store information. They take repetitive tasks off your team’s plate by automating confirmation emails, pre-arrival messages, and post-stay feedback requests. That means more time for in-person service and fewer details slipping through the cracks.

Marketing automation

Running targeted campaigns shouldn’t require a full marketing team. A strong CRM lets you group guests by past behaviour or stay history and schedule relevant offers—like a birthday discount, a seasonal package, or a follow-up for lapsed guests.

Analytics and intelligence

Instead of guessing what’s working, your CRM should show you. Reporting tools help you see which campaigns are performing, which guests are booking again, and where your highest-value guests are coming from.

Upsell opportunities

It’s easier to offer a well-timed upgrade when you know who’s most likely to take it. A CRM can help flag loyal or high-spending guests, so your team can offer extras like room upgrades or late check-out at the right moment.

Top 5 examples of customer relationship management software

There’s no shortage of CRM tools out there. Below are five popular platforms, each offering a different approach depending on the size, style, and needs of your property. Smaller hotels may benefit more from a dedicated, tailored tool, such as Little Hotelier.

Salesforce

Salesforce is a powerhouse when it comes to customisation and scalability. It’s typically used by large hotel groups that need to manage complex operations across multiple departments, including sales, loyalty, and marketing.

HubSpot

HubSpot is known for being user-friendly and easy to set up. Smaller hotels and independent properties often use it to manage guest contacts and run basic email campaigns without needing dedicated marketing staff.

Userpilot

Userpilot focuses on user engagement and onboarding. It’s more common in hybrid hospitality setups, such as serviced apartments or tech-enabled short-stay brands, where app-based check-ins and guest journeys are part of the experience.

Zendesk

Zendesk began as a support tool, and that’s still where it shines. Hotels with high guest messaging volumes often use it to keep track of service requests, ensuring nothing gets missed across email, chat, and other channels.

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign blends CRM functionality with sophisticated marketing automation. It’s often used by hotel groups that want to nurture guest relationships with targeted offers, especially when running loyalty or re-engagement campaigns.

Customer relationship management: Best CRM in the hotel industry

You don’t need another system that adds more work. What you need is something that brings everything together (bookings, guest notes, preferences) so your team can do their job without constantly swapping across five different tabs.

The best CRM for hotels works quietly in the background. It picks up booking details from your Property Management System (PMS), logs guest interactions automatically, and helps you follow up with the right message at the right time. It’s not about having more data. It’s about having the right data, in the right place, when you need it.

From manual struggles to smart solutions: SiteMinder powers success at Sotetsu Grand Fresa Taipei Ximen

Mark Dawson — Thu, 08 May 2025 01:46:54 +0000

Just a minute’s walk from Ximen MRT Station, Sotetsu Grand Fresa Taipei Ximen offers a modern stay enriched with Japanese hospitality, right in the heart of bustling Taipei.

Since opening its doors in February 2024, spacious and well-appointed guest rooms as well as proximity to one of the city’s most vibrant areas have rapidly made it win over a devoted following of enthusiasts, with couples being especially smitten with the hotel.

All 200 of the hotel’s guest rooms, which range from basic doubles to luxurious triples, are comfortable. In addition to amenities like Japanese-style nightwear, and a multilingual TV system, every room has premium Serta beds, an air cleaner, and high-speed Wi-Fi.

In addition, visitors can avail themselves of the hotel’s convenient self-service kiosks, which provide a seamless arrival by avoiding delays.

Public areas in the hotel are also of note. Multi-day stays are made easy through the ice machine and self-service laundry, while a minimalist lounge area offers an unobtrusive setting for business or unwinding. Apart from the free coffee at lobby level, customers enjoy the convenient presence of the nearby 7-Eleven store.

With this combination of comfort, effectiveness, and neighborhood accessibility, Sotetsu Grand Fresa Taipei Ximen is a modern stay tailor-made for the modern traveler.

The hidden cost of manual communication

Creating a stay that connects with local culture and is remembered for a long time to come is more important than providing guests with just comfort at Sotetsu Grand Fresa Taipei Ximen. In an attempt to immerse the visitors in Taipei culture, the hotel frequently hosts events in the premises and combines them with interesting internet promotions.

Their usual patrons, mostly couples, enjoy cozy, personalised, and special experiences.

But as bookings grew, the team was confronted with a growing problem: front desk personnel were manually handling guests for a considerable amount of time. Because of this absence of efficiency, the team embarked on finding an alternative.

“We needed a way to streamline communication between the front desk and guests because it takes up a lot of time,” says Jimmy Tang, Revenue Management Manager.

By adding Guest Engagement through SiteMinder, the team was able to automate guest messaging, reducing the level of manual effort but still maintaining the friendly, engaging tone.

Elevating revenue and efficiency

To enhance operations and power better decisions, the hotel embraced several SiteMinder products: Channel Manager, Insights, Hotel App Store, and Guest Engagement. Tang, who has worked with various properties, was already familiar with SiteMinder.

“All the hotels I work with use SiteMinder. It’s easy to use, intuitive, and works for both beginners and experienced users,” he says.

One of the clearest wins was automating pre-arrival confirmations, saving over 30 hours of front desk time each month by reducing manual guest communication.

“Even that alone has made a huge difference,” Tang adds. With time freed up, staff can focus more on personalizing service, leading to happier, more satisfied guests.

GuestJoy’s upsell feature has also been a revenue driver, especially for luxury or resort-type hotels. Tang conservatively estimates being able to generate total revenue 1-2% higher with manual upsell offers alone.

“From a return on ad spend perspective, achieving a 10:1 return is not difficult,” he notes.

The staff has also seen solid performance from other Guest Engagement (formerly known as GuestJoy) tools, utilizing it for feedback surveys. Having integrated it with Google Maps, they noticed a huge spike in review activity: receiving 28 new reviews in two weeks, a 200% boost from their usual rate. For lower-rated feedback (three stars or below), guests are encouraged to share their feedback internally so that the team can learn and improve without affecting their public image negatively.

Tang also suggested how the Guest Engagement tool can be beneficial for hoteliers who would like to grow their TripAdvisor reviews, which enlarge their chance to participate in Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best Hotels and improve their property image in general.

On the analytics front, SiteMinder Insights has become an indispensable tool for revenue management.

“I keep the dashboard open all the time,” Tang shares. “It helps me monitor real-time booking trends and identify unusual activity, like pricing issues across channels. It’s an essential tool for sharpening data instincts.”

Although the SiteMinder mobile site is easy to use, Tang observes that some basic features are easier to use through browsers. Nevertheless, being able to access it on the go is a plus.

Overall, SiteMinder has streamlined Sotetsu Grand Fresa Taipei Ximen’s ability to operate more efficiently, reduce overbookings, and optimize direct bookings and top-line revenue.

“I can do more in less time. The system has made my job easier, and our guests are happier for it,” Tang continued.

Looking ahead, the hotel is eager to see SiteMinder’s IDeaS collaboration implemented in Taiwan, which they believe will deliver even greater value to operations in the domestic market.

SiteMinder is proud to support Sotetsu Grand Fresa Taipei Ximen on their journey toward even greater excellence and guest satisfaction!

Central Reservation System (CRS): Guide for hotels

Mark Dawson — Wed, 07 May 2025 03:54:47 +0000

What is a Central Reservation System?

A Central Reservation System is a type of reservation software that is used to update and maintain hotel inventory and rate information so that hotels are able to manage guest reservations in real-time. Its definition can be simplified to its purposes of centralising data from every connected distribution channel and system, including the hotel’s property management system and booking engine.

By consolidating so much data, it can also be a very useful tool for hotel managers when thinking about revenue management strategies. Here’s everything you need to know about Central Reservation Systems.

Table of contents

Why is a hotel Central Reservation System important?

A hotel Central Reservation System is important for keeping track of reservation data and having the appropriate information to optimise distribution for the hotel. Because the CRS transfers reservation data from the PMS/s to the distribution channels in real-time, hotels are able to reach guests across as many channels as needed.

In this aspect, a Central Reservation System acts in much the same way as a channel manager. A CRS generally has more features than a standalone distribution solution, but doesn’t offer the same power and performance as an integrated hotel commerce platform.

Maximise the power of your property with SiteMinder

SiteMinder’s unified platform will give your hotel all the functions of a CRS and more, helping you to boost bookings and revenue.

Learn more

4 advantages of a Central Reservation System

Here’s four reasons hotels will choose to use a central reservation system to improve their business.

1. It can improve customer experiences

The CRS can help hotels track patterns in guest purchasing behaviour and also record reservation data to enable the creation of guest profiles.

2. It keeps everything in one place

Trying to consolidate data from OTAs, the GDS, brick-and-mortar travel agencies, phone reservations, and more can be very tricky when done manually. The Central Reservation System ensures all this information is stored and accessible in one place, and always up-to-date.

3. It increases efficiency

Admin errors, lost data, and slow processes all cost money in the long run so it’s crucial for hoteliers to find ways that make backend operations easier and quicker. By preventing data fragmentation, the CRS saves hoteliers a lot of time, money, and effort.

4. It enables better decision making

By giving greater visibility on bookings, a Central Reservation System lets a hotel make more informed sales and pricing decisions and make more accurate performance forecasts.

Streamline multi-property operations with SiteMinder’s CRS integrations

We connect your central reservation system with top distribution channels, automatically syncing rates and inventory across all of your properties to lower your cost of distribution.

Learn More

How does a CRS work at a hotel?

A CRS works by collating vast amounts of data from a number of different sources into one accessible location. The CRS is able to connect the hotel’s property management system to every distribution and sales channel the hotel might be using. This ensures that all reservation data is safely recorded and stored in the hotel’s own system, meaning inventory will always be accurate and up-to-date everywhere it needs to be.

The synchronisation works the other way too – the CRS can also push updated rates and availability to the distribution channels where guests are booking. For example, if you need to update a packaged rate for your hotel, you can do this within the CRS and the new rate will be reflected on your connected OTAs, your own direct booking engine, and in your PMS.

Types of central reservation systems

A Central Reservation System is just one type of reservation software. There are a number of systems on the hotel market that can help improve reservation management. Other types of reservation systems include:

Property Management Systems (PMS)
Channel Managers
Booking Engines

There are also many different providers of these systems, including Central Reservation Systems, and it’s up to you to decide what is the best fit for your property.

Central reservation system examples

Some common Central Reservation System examples you might come across, which can be integrated via SiteMinder’s platform, include:

Choice
GuestCentric
Pegasus
ROIBACK
SHR

SiteMinder’s platform integrates your CRS with the leading online travel agencies (OTA) to increase your reach and lower your cost of distribution. With SiteMinder, inventory and rate updates to and from your CRS are automatic and real-time eliminating manual work and lowering your cost of acquisition.

Hotel employee engagement tips to boost guest service

Mark Dawson — Mon, 05 May 2025 04:08:24 +0000

What is hotel employee engagement?

Hotel employee engagement is the connection staff feel to their work, their team, and the guest experience. It shows up in how motivated they are, how they solve problems, and how they interact with guests.

Engaged staff do more than the bare minimum; they look for ways to add value, whether they’re an operations manager or a brand new junior hire. That might mean noticing when a guest needs help before they ask, or stepping in to support a teammate during a busy check-in.

In a high-turnover industry, this kind of staff engagement is a practical advantage. It helps reduce churn, improves service consistency, and creates a better experience for everyone who walks through your doors.

The importance of employee engagement in the hospitality industry

In hospitality, your staff are the experience. You can have beautiful rooms and a strong brand, but if the people running the show are unmotivated or burned out, it shows.

Engaged employees are more likely to deliver consistent, high-quality service. They solve problems faster, communicate better across teams, and contribute to a more positive atmosphere, from the front desk to housekeeping.

The payoff for engagement is real. Marriott found that businesses with higher employee engagement saw a 21% boost in productivity and 22% higher profitability. But conversely, any hotel owner or manager can tell you that good staff can be hard to keep. Staff only stick around when they feel valued and are given the right opportunities.

In this article, we’ll show you what you need to know about effective staff engagement, including the benefits, the challenges, and the practical measures you can take starting today to keep your staff engaged – and working with your hotel; not your competitors’.

Table of contents

Challenges of employee engagement practices in the hotel industry

Engaging hotel staff isn’t as simple as handing out rewards or scheduling the occasional team lunch. The challenges are deeper and more structural.

Inconsistent staffing disrupts team dynamics

When people come and go frequently, it’s hard to build momentum. Teams don’t get the chance to gel, and service quality can become unpredictable, especially during busy periods. This means that colleagues stay as acquaintances and don’t develop into true teammates.

Frontline roles are under pressure

From dealing with demanding guests to covering last-minute shift changes, hotel staff are under constant strain. Without clear communication and support, burnout can set in quickly, especially in understaffed teams.

There’s often limited time for development

In a fast-paced environment, training and growth often fall to the bottom of the list. But when staff don’t see a future with your hotel, they’re less likely to stay engaged or loyal. Everyone is looking for the next opportunity. You just have to make sure you’re the one providing it, not your competitors.

Poor management is a dealbreaker

Many employees say their perception of work is shaped by their direct manager. A lack of recognition or support can push even good staff to leave. In fact, 45% of employees have left a job because of poor management.

Bring out the best in your team with SiteMinder

Free up time, reduce pressure, and give your staff the tools theyneed to thrive with SiteMinder

Learn more

How to improve employee engagement in the hotel industry

Improving engagement doesn’t require sweeping changes or big budgets. It’s about making consistent, meaningful improvements in how your team works, communicates, and grows.

Open communication

When staff feel like they’re the last to know, or worse, never asked, it creates a disconnect. Clear, two-way communication builds trust and makes staff feel like they’re part of the bigger picture.

Start small: hold five-minute daily huddles, run short anonymous surveys after busy periods, and make space in weekly meetings to hear from frontline staff. This helps uncover pain points early, avoid miscommunication, and shows your team that their ideas count.

A hotel manager who explains the why behind new policies will always get more buy-in than one who simply posts a notice on the break room door.

Provide growth opportunities

Many staff leave because they can’t see what’s next. Development doesn’t always mean promotions. It could be letting someone from housekeeping shadow the front desk, offering short courses on guest conflict resolution, or giving your top performers more responsibility.

Build it into your culture. Mention progression in onboarding. Celebrate internal promotions, loudly. And give people feedback that includes not just what to improve, but where they could go next. 60% of employees said they would stay longer at a job if there were clear opportunities for career advancement.

Team building activities

When people feel connected to their coworkers, they’re more likely to show up with a positive attitude, even during the toughest shifts.

Think beyond ‘trust falls’. Organise birthday shout-outs, friendly competitions (e.g. most positive guest mentions this week), or even invite staff to contribute ideas for shared social events.

The goal is to create moments where your team can interact without the pressure of their daily tasks. Even a short shared meal (ideally covered by the business!) after a long weekend shift can go a long way in helping teams bond.

Work-life balance

Hospitality roles are physically and emotionally demanding. Without balance, even the best team members will burn out.

Offer predictable schedules when possible and avoid excessive last-minute changes. Allow staff to block out key dates in advance, and if you have tech tools for scheduling, use them to give people more visibility and control over their time.

Celebrate achievements

Recognition doesn’t have to be grand but it has to be real. A sincere “thank you” in front of the team or a small monthly reward for standout service can boost morale more than you’d expect. 68% of employees said they are more likely to stay with a company if they feel recognised for their hard work.

Use your PMS or guest feedback tools to spot standouts. If a guest names a staff member in a review, share it with the team. Recognition helps reinforce the behaviours you want more of.

Implement technology

Technology can reduce friction and give your team more time for delivering great service and building relationships.

A system like SiteMinder can help automate bookings, simplify rate management, and improve communication across departments. That means fewer phone calls chasing availability, fewer double bookings to fix, and more clarity about who’s doing what.

Hotel employee engagement examples

Putting engagement strategies into practice can feel abstract until you see how they play out on the floor. These practical examples show how small shifts in approach can lead to stronger morale, better service, and improved staff retention.

Front desk autonomy builds confidence and loyalty

At a mid-sized urban hotel, the general manager noticed front desk staff felt micromanaged. They were required to escalate nearly every guest complaint to managers, even when they had the skills to resolve the issue themselves. The hotel introduced a policy allowing team members to offer small, predefined gestures like late checkouts or complimentary drinks without needing sign-off.

Within weeks, guest satisfaction scores improved. Staff began reporting higher confidence and job satisfaction in post-shift surveys. Feeling trusted made a clear difference, and turnover slowed.

A simple recognition program lifted housekeeping morale

Turnover in the housekeeping team was high, and morale was low. To address it, management launched a peer-nominated “Star of the Week” award. Winners received a small (but meaningful) bonus and a shout-out during the weekly staff briefing.

Team members started recognising each other’s efforts more often, creating a noticeable shift in atmosphere. After three months, exit interviews showed a stronger sense of connection and pride in the job.

Technology helped reduce stress during peak season

One regional hotel group introduced a platform to automate bookings, room assignments, and rate changes. Previously, staff spent hours each day chasing information across systems and managing tasks manually.

The new tech reduced errors, freed up time, and allowed staff to focus more on guest service. During the busy summer period, team leads reported smoother shifts and less stress. Staff said the changes made their work more manageable and rewarding.

Revenue management systems: Guide for hotel owners

Mark Dawson — Fri, 02 May 2025 05:54:21 +0000

What is a hotel revenue management system?

A hotel revenue management system (RMS) is a technology platform that helps hotels make smarter pricing and inventory decisions. It collects and analyses data, like occupancy rates, booking patterns, local demand, and competitor pricing, to automatically adjust room rates in real time.

Think of it as a behind-the-scenes strategist. While you focus on running your property, the RMS is working in the background to make sure you’re charging the right rate, to the right guest, at the right time.

For hoteliers who are still using spreadsheets or ‘gut instinct to set prices’, switching to a revenue management system means gaining a data-driven, automated way to maximise revenue without increasing workload.

And it’s not just for large chains anymore. Many modern RMS platforms are now accessible to medium-sized hotels and growing groups, especially those juggling multiple locations and seasonal fluctuations.

In this article, we’ll show you why hotels that adopt revenue management software report an average increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR) of between 7% and 20%, and how your hotel can effectively adopt the best possible tool for your specific needs.

Table of contents

Why is a revenue management system for hotels important?

Running a hotel is already complex. Between staff management, guest experience, and day-to-day operations, pricing strategy can quickly fall to the bottom of the list, despite being one of the biggest levers you have for success. For hotel owners managing multiple properties, the challenge grows. Coordinating rates across locations without a centralised system is time-consuming and risky.

A revenue management system removes the guesswork. It uses live data to automatically adjust your prices based on demand, seasonality, competitor behaviour, and booking trends. An RMS gives you a single source of truth so you can manage pricing and performance from one dashboard rather than toggling between spreadsheets or systems.

Instead of reacting after the fact, you’re staying ahead of the curve. More importantly, it frees up your time. Time you can reinvest into your team, your guests, and your business strategy.

Hotels that implement revenue management systems report measurable improvements in both operational efficiency and financial performance. In fact, the global hotel RMS market is expected to grow from USD 16.4 billion in 2023 to over USD 29.4 billion by 2031, driven largely by increased adoption among mid-sized hotels.

Smarter revenue management with SiteMinder

Manage rates, reporting, and demand in one place - built for hotel groups that want to grow.

Learn more

How do hotel revenue management systems work?

In short, an RMS is a data connector. It pulls in data from various sources, including your hotel’s booking history, current occupancy, competitor rates, market demand trends, and even local events. It analyses all this information in real time and recommends optimal pricing for each room type.

Many RMS platforms also update your rates automatically across your direct booking site and connected OTAs, so you don’t have to log in to multiple platforms. You can set rules and thresholds, such as minimum and maximum prices or lead-time strategies, so the system aligns with your business goals.

Some tools go a step further by offering demand forecasts and performance dashboards. These insights help you plan staffing, promotions, and even room availability across different distribution channels.

Instead of spending hours adjusting rates manually, you can focus on strategy while the system keeps your pricing competitive and your inventory selling efficiently.

Use of revenue management system examples

A 60-room coastal hotel sees spikes in demand during long weekends. With a revenue management system, it detects booking surges early and raises rates automatically, adding thousands in incremental revenue each season.
A multi-property hotel group uses an RMS to align pricing strategies across three locations. With a centralised dashboard, the revenue manager saves hours each week and responds faster to market changes.

Key benefits of revenue management systems (RMS)

A revenue management system isn’t just a pricing tool. It’s a business growth tool. For hotel owners managing multiple properties, or just looking to make smarter decisions, the right RMS can:

Improve profitability

By analysing live demand and competitor pricing, an RMS helps you charge the optimal rate for every room. This means capturing high-value bookings when demand is strong and staying competitive when demand softens.

Increased efficiency

Instead of updating rates manually across multiple channels, an RMS can automate this process. That means fewer mistakes, better rate parity, and more time for you and your team to focus on guests, not spreadsheets.

Better decision-making

Dashboards and forecasting tools provide a clear view of your performance and market trends. You can see what’s working, spot opportunities, and make proactive decisions that support your revenue goals.

Enhanced customer experience

With smarter pricing, you avoid underpricing during peak periods or overpricing in slow seasons. Both hurt guest satisfaction and bookings. The right RMS helps ensure your rates match what guests are willing to pay, improving conversion and perceived value.

How to find the best hotel revenue management systems

Choosing the right RMS comes down to finding a system that matches your property’s needs today and can scale with you tomorrow. Here are some essential features to look out for:

Rate comparison: See how your pricing stacks up against competitors in real time, so you can stay competitive without constant manual research.
Forecasting: Predict future demand using historical data and booking trends, helping you prepare for high and low seasons with confidence.
Dashboard with reporting: Get a clear, centralised view of performance across one or more properties. Ideal for tracking KPIs like occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR.
Integrates with existing systems: The best RMS will plug into your PMS, channel manager, and booking engine, syncing data and reducing double-handling.

Not every system offers the same depth or flexibility, so it’s worth trialling options that let you see the tools in action.

The top 5 hotel revenue management systems

If you’re ready to invest in a revenue management system, these platforms are worth exploring. Each offers different strengths. Some are built for simplicity, others for advanced strategy, but all aim to help hoteliers grow revenue and work smarter.

1. Duetto

Duetto gives hotels more control over pricing than many other systems. Its open pricing model means you can set rates by room type, channel, and customer segment without sticking to rigid pricing structures. It also offers smart automation with custom rules, so you can decide when the system should take over and when you want to stay hands-on.

2. Cloudbeds

Cloudbeds’ RMS uses data from across its platform to automate pricing and inventory decisions. Its user-friendly interface is great for independent hotels and small groups that want to get started quickly with smart pricing.

3. BEONx

BEONx focuses on holistic revenue strategy. It’s particularly strong for hoteliers who want to blend revenue management with guest experience metrics, offering features that help align pricing with guest value.

4. IDeaS Elevate

A well-established RMS with a deep feature set, IDeaS is known for its forecasting accuracy and strong analytics. It’s popular with larger hotels and chains that need robust data modelling.

5. Diamo

Diamo is a more recent entrant focused on making revenue management accessible to mid-sized hotels. Its interface is clean, and it provides helpful decision-support tools for teams that aren’t ready for a full enterprise solution.

These platforms vary in cost, complexity, and integration options, so the best choice depends on your size, tech stack, and growth plans.

The complete guide to successful hotel ownership

Mark Dawson — Fri, 02 May 2025 03:58:32 +0000

What is hotel ownership?

Hotel ownership describes the legal and financial responsibility of owning a hotel business, including the land, the property, and all its fixtures and equipment.

A hotel owner is responsible for overseeing the overall performance and profitability of the property. Their duties can include managing finances, setting strategic goals, maintaining the building and facilities, ensuring compliance with regulations, and deciding on staffing or management structures.

While some hotel owners are hands-on, others hire management companies to run hotel departments and daily operations, focusing instead on investment decisions, brand partnerships and long-term growth. Ultimately, the owner’s role is to ensure the hotel remains well-maintained and profitable.

In this blog, we will drill down on hotel ownership to understand different ownership structures, how to choose the right one for your situation, and the tools that will help your hotel venture succeed.

Table of contents

Why choosing the right hotel ownership model matters

Choosing the right hotel ownership model is crucial because it directly affects the financial returns, operational responsibilities, level of control and long-term success of your hotel business.

The model you choose determines how much risk you take on, how involved you need to be in daily operations, and how much support you receive from external partners.

An independent hotel grants you full control over the business but requires significant investment and experience. A leased ownership model, meanwhile, sees you act as nothing more than a hotel landlord, where you enjoy a steady income with zero operational involvement and minimal risk. The downside is you won’t enjoy any extra reward.

Aligning your ownership structure with your goals, resources and risk appetite is key to building a sustainable and profitable hotel business.

Types of hotel ownership

There are a number of different types of hotel ownership models, and each comes with its own pros and cons.

Independent hotel ownership

Independently owned hotels aren’t affiliated with a major brand or chain. As the owner (or as part of the hotel ownership group), you have complete control over decision-making, from branding to operations, which gives you the ability to offer a truly unique guest experience. On the flipside, an independent owner takes on all financial and operational risk.

Franchised hotel ownership

Franchised hotels are operated under a recognised brand name and use the franchisor’s systems, standards and marketing. As the hotel owner, you pay fees and royalties in exchange for the benefits of brand recognition and support. You retain day-to-day control of the property, but don’t have the creative and decision-making freedom of an independent owner.

Leased hotel ownership

Leased hotel ownership sees you lease your property to an operator or brand, who runs the hotel for you and assumes all operational responsibility. As the owner, you earn a fixed rental income, while the operator manages the business, earns the profits and takes on the business risk. The owner simply acts as a landlord and is completely hands-off.

Managed hotel ownership

Managed hotel ownership is when you, the property owner, hire a professional hotel management company to operate the hotel on your behalf. The management provider handles staffing, operations and guest services, while you are more hands-off. You still ultimately take on the risk, but you receive a share of the profits as a reward.

Fractional hotel ownership

Fractional hotel ownership allows multiple individuals to co-own a share of a hotel or resort property. A famous case is ‘timeshare’, where each owner is entitled to use the property for a set period each year and shares in any rental income or appreciation: a sort of hybrid of real estate investment and lifestyle purchase. But there are also non-timeshare hotel ownership groups made up of large numbers of fractional investors – a situation that can be more comparable to buying shares in a publicly traded company.

Your situation may limit which of these ownership options are available to you, and channel you toward a specific form of ownership.

Choosing the right hotel ownership and management structure

How do you choose the right hotel ownership and management structure for your situation? By factoring in some key considerations, you can start to identify which of the ownership models listed above is right for you.

Long-term vision

Your long-term goals will have an outsized influence on the best hotel ownership model for you. If you envision building a unique brand and enjoying complete creative freedom, independent ownership is best, as it grants you full control over branding and operations.

But if your goal is to scale or build a property portfolio quickly, franchising or management agreements may get you where you want to go sooner. An investor wanting to grow nationally might choose a franchised model for its brand power and systems, even if it means they must adhere to strict brand standards.

Available capital

The amount of capital you can invest upfront will play a key role in your ownership decision.

Independent hotels typically require more capital for branding, systems and marketing, while franchised or managed hotels can offset some of these costs through access to established infrastructure and customer bases. Fractional owners, meanwhile, can often invest as much or as little as they choose.

An investor with limited funds might prefer a franchise for the support it provides, but they’ll need to factor in ongoing fees.

Operational capacity

Owning a hotel and managing a hotel are two very different things. You need to decide how hands-on you’re prepared to be in terms of operations.

If you have hospitality experience and a strong management team, you may be able to handle the day-to-day operational rigours of independent or franchised ownership.

But if you lack the time, expertise or desire to be that hands-on, a fractional, managed or leased hotel ownership model could be more suitable. A busy entrepreneur, for example, might prefer to hire a management company that allows them to trade daily involvement for a more passive role.

Risk tolerance

Different ownership structures come with varying degrees of financial and operational risk.

Independent owners face the highest risk, but also have the potential for the highest reward, and enjoy unmatched levels of creative and decision-making freedom.

Those with lower risk tolerance might prefer hiring a hotel management company or leasing a hotel to an operator and receiving predictable rental income regardless of performance.

Similarly, franchises provide support systems that can reduce operational risk, though they come with binding contracts and ongoing obligations.

Level of control

Consider how much control you want over the hotel’s design, policies and branding.

If you’d like full decision-making authority, independent ownership is ideal. If you’re comfortable giving up some control in exchange for support, franchising allows you to retain ownership while following brand standards.

For those willing to step back completely, management agreements or leasing will pass control to another party, which will limit your influence over the hotel.

Hotel ownership: Tools for growth

If you plan to take a more hands-on approach to hotel ownership – particularly as an independent owner – you’ll need tools to help you efficiently and effectively manage your hotel business.

A complete hotel software solution will have all the tools you need to grow your business. A few of the most important include:

Channel manager: A tool that synchronises room availability and rates across multiple OTA listings in real time.
Global distribution system: A tool that connects you to the booking systems used by travel agents and corporate travellers, like Sabre, Amadeus and Travelport.
Guest engagement: A set of features designed to enhance communication and personalise the guest experience before, during and after a stay.
Hotel booking engine: An online tool integrated into the hotel’s website that allows guests to check availability and make direct bookings.

One solution that offers all of the above, and a whole lot more, is SiteMinder.

As the world’s largest open hotel commerce platform, SiteMinder empowers hotel owners to gain control over the success of their properties, at whatever level they require, from granular day-to-day operations to long-term and strategic decision-making.

UEFA Champions League final brings 32% booking boost to German hotels: SiteMinder

fidel.pamintuan@siteminder.com — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 07:00:08 +0000

Berlin, Germany – Germany is witnessing a rise in hotel bookings as the country gears up to host the UEFA Champions League final on 31 May. According to data from SiteMinder, the world’s leading hotel distribution and revenue platform, reservations at local hotels between 29-31 May are currently higher by 32% compared to bookings made over the same period last year.

SiteMinder’s data further reveals that room rates have increased year-on-year in the lead-up to the final at Munich’s Allianz Arena, with the average daily rate (ADR) for stays during the period climbing by 10% to €265, from €241 last year. By contrast, the ADR in the preceding week was €56 lower, highlighting the spike in demand as the final game approaches.

Additionally, shifts in booking windows and lengths of stay reflect the impact of one of the world’s most anticipated football matches: travellers are locking in their stays at local properties earlier by 23 days, with the average booking lead time reaching 136 days, up from 113 days last year. Meanwhile, stays have shortened slightly year-on-year, with guests booking for an average of 1.57 nights, down from 1.83 nights over the same period in 2024.

“We saw during Germany’s hosting of UEFA Euros last year just how positive its impact was on local hotels, and it’s pleasing to see that the Champions League is proving no different, offering valuable momentum at a time when hotels are navigating more complex market dynamics,” says Andreas Kastl, SiteMinder’s Regional Manager – DACH. “With thousands of fans – both local and international – preparing to travel to Germany to see who takes home this year’s trophy, hotels are encouraged to fully embrace dynamic revenue practices that respond quickly to booking demand, whether through pricing or marketing strategies. For instance, longer booking windows give hotels more time to connect with their guests, creating opportunities to upsell and provide exclusive, personalised offers well before visiting fans arrive at the front desk.”

Ahead of the final showdown in Munich, the UEFA Champions League semi-finals will be played over two legs on 29-30 April and 6-7 May, with each of the qualifying teams set to host one match at their respective home stadiums across Europe. The venues will be confirmed following the quarter-final results.

Media enquiries
Maria Cricchiola
+61 2 9056 7415
media@siteminder.com

Investor information
Paul Wong
+61 411 889 876
investor.relations@siteminder.com

About SiteMinder
SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the name behind SiteMinder, the world’s leading hotel distribution and revenue platform, and Little Hotelier, an all-in-one hotel management software that makes the lives of small accommodation providers easier. The global company is headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangalore, Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London, Manila and Mexico City. Through its technology and the largest partner ecosystem in the global hotel industry, SiteMinder generates more than 125 million reservations worth over US$50 billion in revenue for its hotel customers each year.

SiteMinder & Edgar Suites: The perfect alliance between high-end hospitality and technological innovation

Salima Sair — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 09:38:52 +0000

Created in 2016, Edgar Suites quickly established itself as a benchmark in the high-end aparthotel sector in France.

A new generation of aparthotels, Edgar Suites residences combine the flexibility and coziness of an apartment with the comfort and services of a hotel.

After conquering Paris, the company then established itself in other major cities in France such as Lille, Bordeaux, Cannes, and soon Nice, Lyon, and Marseille.

Each accommodation, often a three-bedroom unit, combines space, design, and hotel services to offer a unique experience.

“Our strength is to have taken the best of the hotel industry — cleanliness, quality of service, 24/7 reception — and to combine it with the comfort of a spacious, carefully decorated apartment,” explains Grégoire Benoît, co-founder and director of operations at Edgar Suites.

With average stays of 5 days, Edgar Suites attracts a varied clientele: visiting families, business travelers, or remote workers. The brand mainly focuses on neighbourhoods located in the city center.

“The most important thing is that our guests feel at home, like locals, with nearby shops and easy access to public transport”

Today, the group has more than 20 residences, representing around 1300 rooms spread over more than 600 apartments.

We recently spoke with Grégoire Benoît, a user of SiteMinder’s channel manager.

An exceptional customer experience

Praised by its clientele, Edgar Suites was recently voted best host in France on Airbnb and obtained a score of 9.5/10 on Booking.com.

A recognition that reflects the quality of the Edgar Suites experience, both in terms of human connection and logistics.

“When you stay in an Edgar Suites apartment, you’ll find tasteful decor and impeccable service, which explains our high ratings. It’s truly the feedback from our guests that sets us apart from our competitors. Thanks to them, our residences are often highly ranked, no matter the city,” says Grégoire Benoît.

Optimising reservation management with SiteMinder

The acquisition of SiteMinder’s channel manager in 2020 significantly eased the workload of Edgar Suites’ digital team, which, in its early days in 2016, had to rely heavily on manual data entry.

The fluidity and efficiency of SiteMinder’s technology enabled the group to refocus on its core business: hospitality.

“We are not a tech company; we are hoteliers. Our job is to welcome and serve guests every day. That’s why we chose SiteMinder, the best channel manager on the market,” says Grégoire Benoît.

For the past five years, SiteMinder has ensured seamless, bug-free updates of the company’s room availability across all channels (Booking.com, Expedia, their website), perfectly synchronised with their PMS, Mews.

Simplicity, efficiency, and time savings

“SiteMinder’s channel manager meets our expectations perfectly by updating our availability and rates in the right place, at the right time, and without any bugs, which is very reassuring,” says Grégoire Benoît.

Results: no more overbookings or reservation errors, and operational teams are freed from time-consuming tasks.

Where the digital reception team once had to manage manual errors daily, they now encounter almost no incidents.

An effective pricing strategy thanks to SiteMinder

Thanks to SiteMinder’s advanced features, Edgar Suites can easily adjust its pricing strategy across online travel sites. “Our goal is to ensure an equivalent net revenue, regardless of the platform used by the customer.”

This dynamic management also helps maximise the group’s profitability by limiting excessive commissions.

More direct bookings thanks to Demand Plus

In addition, SiteMinder’s Demand Plus option allows Edgar Suites to increase the online visibility of its apartments, particularly through better SEO on Google, and to boost direct bookings.

“This reduces our dependence on third-party platforms while maintaining a strong brand image.”

Edgar Suites continues its expansion with the opening of 4 to 6 new residences per year.

The use of SiteMinder has increased bookings by approximately 10% by ensuring the right price, at the right time, on the right channel.

SiteMinder, a reliable and responsive partner

SiteMinder offers 24/7 customer service, ensuring that its users are always supported.

Grégoire Benoît praises the work of the teams: “SiteMinder’s customer service is impeccable. Whatever the request, everything is done very quickly, and SiteMinder is very responsive.”

He has no hesitation in recommending the solution to his hotelier colleagues: “It’s simply the number 1 on the market. There are no regrets, even five years after our choice. If you’re looking for a reliable, smooth, and bug-free channel manager, this is the one for you.”

A big thank you to Grégoire for this interview. We wish Edgar Suites continued success with their future projects.

Hotel POS system: Scaling your hotel operations

Mark Dawson — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 05:06:10 +0000

What is POS in the hotel industry?

In the hotel industry, POS is short for ‘point of sale’, which refers to a hotel system that processes payments and tracks sales.

POS systems are primarily used by hoteliers to handle transactions and manage finances, but by choosing the best, you can also streamline operations, control inventory and enhance guest experiences.

This blog will tell you all you need to know about hotel POS software, including how the right system can help you optimise operations and scale your business.

Table of contents

Why having a hotel POS system is important

A hotel POS system is an essential tool for a modern hotel.

It centralises transactions across all aspects of your hotel business, from the front desk to any restaurants, bars, spas and other services you might offer. It ensures seamless billing and accurate reporting, improving internal efficiency through more streamlined operations.

Modern POS systems support multiple payment methods, allowing guests to pay how they want to pay, including from digital wallets. They offer data analysis and reporting tools, giving you insight into sales trends, room rates and popular service offerings.

POS systems are designed to improve efficiency by helping you track stock levels and reduce waste. They automate a wealth of admin by integrating seamlessly with your other software. And they ultimately improve the guest experience, both directly, through smooth payment systems and indirectly, by freeing your team from admin and letting them focus on customers.

Secure your hotel payments with SiteMinder

Personalise entertainment, streamline bookings, and deliver memorable guest experiences - all from one platform.

Learn more

How does a hotel POS system work with other software?

Your POS system will need to interact with a variety of tools in your hotel tech stack. Here’s how such a system works with each of these solutions.

- Hotel PMS: The POS sends transaction data, and the PMS (and channel manager) sends booking data.
- Hotel CRM: The POS sends data on guest purchases and feedback, and the CRM sends member discounts and personalised deals.
- Inventory management system: The POS sends details on stock sold, and the inventory management system sends info on stock levels.

- Payment platforms: The POS sends transaction data like credit card/cardholder info, and the payment platform sends back the result of a transaction.

- Accounting software: The POS system sends sales and employee data to be logged in the accounting software.

Features in a hotel POS system to scale up your hotel business

As we’ve already seen, a modern hotel POS system can do far more than just process transactions: it can streamline operations, generate valuable insights and help to enhance guest experiences.

But that’s only true when you choose a capable POS system for your hotel – one with the following key features:

Inventory management

A hotel POS system with inventory management helps you to track stock levels in real-time, ensuring your restaurants, bars, spas and service desks never run out of essential items.

Centralising control of stock means your hotel can streamline procurement and supplier management, even across multiple sites. You may also be able to set automated stock level alerts to prevent shortages and overstocking.

Guest data management

By generating and sharing data on guest preferences and purchase history, a POS system can help you offer a more personalised level of service, which can increase guest satisfaction and drive loyalty.

You can use POS data to be more targeted with your marketing, tailoring promotions to specific groups or even individuals. You can also use this data to customise the service you offer each guest while they stay, like tweaking the recommendations you offer through a digital concierge.

Payment processing

The best POS systems support multiple payment methods to make transactions fast, smooth and convenient. Look for tools with automated billing and room charge capabilities, to make checkout quick and hassle-free.

Data protection

Secure payment gateways and data storage are critical features in any POS system, serving to minimise risk and enhance guest confidence.

A secure POS system will comply with all relevant data protection regulations, safeguarding payment details and confidential guest information. Encryption, role-based access and regular system updates also help to protect against fraud and cyber threats.

Robust reporting

Advanced reporting tools provide real-time insights into sales trends and operational performance. They give you the insights you need to make data-driven decisions.

Look for a POS solution with customisable dashboards that allow you to track key metrics like best-selling services, popular payment methods and peak sales periods.

Seamless integration

Choose a POS system that can connect with and talk to the key tools in your hotel tech stack: your PMS, accounting software, direct booking engine and more.

Integration breeds automation, allowing the tools to synchronise transactions, inventory, availability and more, without you or your team needing to lift a finger. Minimising manual data entry means fewer human errors too.

Best hotel POS system

What do the best hotel and restaurant POS systems look like? Let’s break down five of the finest on the market.

1. SiteMinder Pay: best overall

SiteMinder Pay represents the future of hotel POS systems. A hotel-specific and entirely digital solution, it removes the need for hardware-like payment terminals. The guests can pay online, how they want and when they want, backed by security that represents the industry standard. SiteMinder Pay is designed to streamline your payment processes, give you control over your cash flow, and enable fast and accurate reconciliation.

2. Square: best for price

With a free software tier and low-cost, long-term payment options for hardware, Square is one of the most accessible and affordable POS solutions on the market. While this popular, general purpose POS system isn’t built specifically for hotels, it does offer all the functionality that an accommodation provider needs.

3. Clover: best hardware

If hardware is important to you, Clover offers some of the very best. Its handheld POS terminals are simple and intuitive, so staff will require minimal training. It’s also one of the few solutions that lets you accept payments through a customer display.

4. Lightspeed: best for help & support

If you want all the help you can get with your new solution, look no further than Lightspeed. As one of the few POS systems that comes with a built-in training mode, your staff can get perfectly comfortable with this system before they use it to serve their first guest. It should be noted, however, that the best solutions should be so intuitive that you don’t need much support at all.

5. Toast: best for usability

Toast is a POS solution that prides itself on being perfectly intuitive and easy to use. Combining capable hardware with smooth software, the barrier to entry is particularly low for this solution, even for your most tech-phobic team members. You’ll also enjoy simple but surprisingly rare features like the ability to change screen colours and text size.

But if you’re looking for best-in-class functionality that also future proofs your hotel, there’s no POS quite like SiteMinder Pay.

Smarter, personalised stays drive revenue at The Regent Grand with SiteMinder

Andrea Cuenca — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 21:11:20 +0000

With just 25 rooms across 3 to 4 categories, including pool view and oceanfront suites, The Regent Grand in Turks and Caicos offers a personalized luxury escape on Grace Bay Beach. Most guests are leisure travellers, often couples or older visitors seeking a quiet, relaxing stay, while extended families tend to visit during summer and holiday seasons.

We spoke with Maria Piwowarczyk, Reservations/Revenue Manager, and Paul Telford, General Manager, about what sets their boutique property apart and how technology has supported their growth.

Creating a personal experience

Maria and Paul shared that The Regent Grand’s strength lies in creating truly personal guest experiences. Guests aren’t overwhelmed by traffic or noise; instead, they enjoy a relaxing stay, and that really shines through in our reviews.

“We take the time to connect with each guest and make them feel special,” says Maria.

Guests frequently mention feeling remembered and cared for, with every need anticipated. This is a key differentiator in a competitive leisure destination.

Before SiteMinder

Before SiteMinder, the team migrated from a legacy PMS with a built-in channel manager to Infor, a more modern PMS that didn’t include this functionality, creating a gap in their tech stack.

That’s when they discovered SiteMinder.

“We needed a platform that could integrate easily with our PMS and helpful tools,” says Maria. “The smooth integration and ease of use made SiteMinder an obvious choice.”

Their old system lacked API connectivity, meaning many tasks had to be done manually. As a result, they couldn’t access the insights they needed to make informed decisions.

Efficiency, Strategy & Smarter Guest Connections

With SiteMinder, The Regent Grand has significantly reduced manual work, especially around rate plan setup. The intuitive interface makes it easy to connect rate plans across room types, saving hours each week.

“It’s the little things like that that make our jobs easier,” Maria shares. “We’re saving time, and now we can focus on strategy.”

That extra time has allowed the team to dig deeper into performance data using the insights tool, refine marketing efforts, and improve their response to demand.

Communication with guests has also evolved. SiteMinder’s Guest Engagement tools, including automated pre-arrival emails, have made a major impact.

“Knowing when a guest is arriving helps us anticipate their needs and offer a more tailored welcome,” says Maria.

Encouraging post-stay reviews and connecting with guests early has strengthened their online reputation. And by integrating SiteMinder with dynamic pricing and guest engagement platforms, the team is seeing added revenue from upsells and personalizations.

Having full access to guest data has also made daily operations smoother, with the team able to retrieve information instantly without needing to reach out to other systems or departments.

The Regent Grand showcases how a boutique hotel can thrive by blending personalized service with efficient technology. Through thoughtful guest interactions and simplified operations, the team has shifted focus toward strategy and growth. SiteMinder has been instrumental in enabling this transition, helping reduce manual work, enhance communication, and improve decision-making. The result is a refined, guest-centric experience that stands out in a highly competitive leisure market like Grace Bay Beach.

Mastering ancillary revenue with SiteMinder expert partner, Pablo Torres

Mark Dawson — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 02:29:36 +0000

In today’s competitive hospitality landscape, driving revenue beyond the traditional room rate is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. That’s where Pablo Torres, hospitality consultant and SiteMinder Expert Partner, comes in. With over two decades of experience, Pablo’s expertise is helping hotels unlock hidden revenue potential. SiteMinder is proud to partner with Pablo, a true pioneer in hospitality revenue strategies, to help properties thrive in this ever-evolving market.

The power of ancillary revenue: unlocking new profit streams

Ancillary revenue is the key to increasing profitability without raising room rates, a concept often overlooked in the hospitality industry. Hotels, restaurants, bars, and spas all have untapped opportunities that can significantly boost their bottom line. Whether it’s upgrading guest experiences or optimizing F&B operations, there’s no limit to what can be achieved.

With SiteMinder’s powerful tools, hoteliers can tap into dynamic pricing, personalized offers, and seamless integrations that make it easier to track and boost ancillary revenue. Using data to personalize guest experiences creates more opportunities to offer value-added services that increase spend per guest—without affecting the room rate.

Mastering Ancillary Revenue by Pablo Torres

Pablo’s newly released book, Mastering Ancillary Revenue, serves as a comprehensive guide for hospitality professionals aiming to boost their revenue. With over 200 pages packed with practical insights, real-world examples, and proven strategies, it covers everything from identifying new revenue streams to leveraging technology and guest-centric marketing.

The book draws on Pablo’s extensive experience consulting for hotels across 30 countries, including real-life scenarios from over 400 projects. It’s designed not just for large hotel chains but also smaller properties and boutique businesses looking to make the most of their existing assets.

Key learnings from Pablo’s book: actionable strategies for hoteliers

Thinking beyond room rates
The book teaches hoteliers to uncover hidden revenue opportunities by monetizing existing assets, like converting lobbies into co-working spaces or offering wellness experiences. With SiteMinder’s flexible platform, you can easily diversify your revenue streams.

Technology: your secret weapon for profitability
Technology, like AI and real-time booking tools, plays a crucial role in ancillary revenue. SiteMinder helps hoteliers optimize offerings with data-driven insights, enabling personalized guest experiences and boosting revenue.

Empowering staff for success
Pablo emphasizes staff training to identify upselling opportunities. SiteMinder’s tools help your team effortlessly suggest upgrades and upsell services, creating memorable guest interactions that drive repeat business.

The guest-centric approach to ancillary revenue
Pablo’s book shows how personalized, emotional experiences drive guest spending. SiteMinder’s technology allows you to tailor offerings to individual preferences, ensuring guests are more likely to indulge in value-added services.

Why SiteMinder is the perfect partner for your ancillary revenue strategy

As an Expert Partner with SiteMinder, Pablo Torres is not just a consultant; he’s a strategic ally who helps hoteliers leverage SiteMinder’s full suite of features to achieve long-term profitability. Whether it’s integrating dynamic pricing for room upgrades or creating personalized guest experiences, SiteMinder’s platform supports hoteliers in implementing the strategies outlined in Pablo’s book.

With SiteMinder’s easy-to-use platform, you can integrate and manage all your revenue-generating services in one place, making it simpler to track performance and optimize your efforts. SiteMinder’s cloud-based solutions offer real-time updates, enabling you to make quick, data-driven decisions that positively impact your bottom line.

A future-ready approach to ancillary revenue

As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, the focus on ancillary revenue is only going to grow. Hotels that succeed in maximizing these streams will set themselves apart from the competition. Pablo’s book and his partnership with SiteMinder offer the roadmap for success, helping hotels future-proof their revenue strategies.

We’re proud to work with Pablo Torres, an Expert Partner at SiteMinder, and together, we aim to help hotels navigate the ever-changing landscape of hospitality and unlock their full revenue potential.

Ready to take your hospitality revenue strategy to the next level? Discover actionable insights and expert strategies in Mastering Ancillary Revenue by Pablo Torres. Don’t miss out on unlocking your property’s full potential—purchase the book today and start transforming your revenue approach!

Buy the book here

Villa Varosh perfectly balances efficiency and guest experience with SiteMinder’s platform

Chandni Mandlik — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 03:08:37 +0000

Nestled in the heart of Ohrid’s Old Town and surrounded by historic Macedonian churches, Villa Varosh seamlessly blends tradition with modern comfort. This newly renovated apart-hotel offers guests the perfect balance of vibrant local experiences and serene relaxation.

Ideally located, Villa Varosh offers easy access to cultural landmarks, dining, and beaches while providing a peaceful retreat. The property features eight uniquely designed apartments, most with spacious balconies overlooking Ohrid Lake and the Old Town. Each apartment includes premium amenities such as air conditioning, heating, luxurious beds, complimentary Wi-Fi, private bathrooms, and in-room tea and coffee facilities.

Whether guests are visiting for a short getaway or an extended stay, Villa Varosh ensures a rejuvenating and memorable experience.

Table of contents

Leveraging technology for seamless operations

To deliver an exceptional guest experience and optimise daily operations, Villa Varosh relies on SiteMinder’s innovative platform for distribution, bookings, guest engagement, and website management.

“SiteMinder’s channel manager is highly customisable and significantly streamlines our operations,” said Slavica Burnazovska, owner of Villa Varosh.

“With connections to numerous distribution channels, our reach has expanded substantially. The platform’s built-in analytics provide valuable insights that enable us to make data-driven decisions to enhance our business strategy.”

Simplifying distribution with SiteMinder

“The connection with Channels Plus is simple and efficient. All amenities, images, and rates are configured in one place, and the information is seamlessly distributed across various channels. This eliminates the need to manually update multiple platforms, saving us valuable time,” explained Slavica.

Furthermore, SiteMinder’s booking engine facilitates a seamless direct booking and payment process, ensuring a frictionless experience for both guests and the property’s team.

“We have been using Demand Plus since we began with SiteMinder, as it has significantly increased our exposure on platforms like Google, TripAdvisor, and Trivago. This enhanced visibility has resulted in a substantial increase in direct bookings, reducing our reliance on third-party OTA’s.”

Another integral part of Villa Varosh’s success is Guest Engagement, a feature that enhances communication and personalises the guest experience.

“Guest Engagement has been invaluable. The automation options have streamlined communication, allowing us to efficiently connect with guests via email and SMS. This ensures we cater to guests in their preferred manner,” Slavica explains.

To further enrich the guest experience, Villa Varosh has integrated QR codes in every room, providing easy access to a digital guest directory.

“The directory offers essential information, including details about our services, recommended local attractions, and dining options. Additionally, the feedback and survey tools integrate seamlessly with TripAdvisor, contributing to a noticeable increase in our online reviews,” she added.

A flawless online presence and operational excellence

Villa Varosh has also benefited from SiteMinder’s website builder, which ensures a professional and user-friendly online presence. The website integrates effortlessly with the booking engine, remains optimized for SEO, and offers easy navigation for prospective guests. Regular updates are simple to implement, allowing the property to maintain a fresh and engaging digital presence.

With SiteMinder’s comprehensive platform, Villa Varosh has significantly improved its online visibility, operational efficiency, and guest satisfaction.

“Thanks to SiteMinder, we have been able to streamline our workflow and focus more on creating a personalized experience for our guests,” said Slavica. “The platform’s ease of use and automation capabilities have saved us valuable time, allowing us to enhance our services and maintain high standards.”

By using SiteMinder’s platform to its full potential, Villa Varosh continues to thrive, offering an unparalleled hospitality experience while optimizing operations and expanding its reach in the competitive accommodation industry.

Innovative insurance for hoteliers: How the BeSafe and SiteMinder partnership drives revenue and guest satisfaction

Mark Dawson — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 23:47:19 +0000

In today’s competitive hospitality landscape, staying ahead means embracing change. The partnership between BeSafe Group and SiteMinder offers innovative insurance solutions that help hoteliers boost revenue, streamline operations, and enhance guest satisfaction. With technology and personalised insurance products, this collaboration simplifies the hotelier’s role in managing bookings and cancellations while giving guests more flexibility and peace of mind.

Here’s everything you should know about how these powerful platforms work together.

Table of contents

Boost revenue and enhance guest experience with seamless integration

BeSafe, founded in 2017, specialises in developing cutting-edge insurance solutions tailored to the hospitality sector. Their flagship product, BeSafe Rate, is an integrated insurance platform designed to streamline the booking process. BeSafe Rate allows hoteliers to offer insurance during the booking process, providing flexibility and protection for guests while helping hotels capture more prepaid bookings.

The integration with SiteMinder’s platform creates a seamless connection between hoteliers and the insurance service, allowing hotels to offer BeSafe’s product directly through their booking engines. With SiteMinder’s reach and ease of use, this integration becomes an attractive option for hotels looking to maximise revenue and enhance guest satisfaction. By offering personalised insurance rates to travellers, hotels are able to cater to a wider range of guest needs, creating a more flexible and guest-friendly booking experience.

“As hoteliers increasingly look for ways to drive direct bookings, our partnership with SiteMinder helps maximize revenue while ensuring a seamless and enjoyable guest experience,” says Edoardo Montagnoli, Partnership Manager at BeSafe. “We’re excited to offer this integration to hotels worldwide, making insurance as simple as booking a room.”

With the ability to provide tailored coverage for different guest types and seasons, BeSafe Rate offers unique benefits. For example, properties can adjust coverage to meet local market needs or special events, further improving revenue potential.

Simplify operations and eliminate manual tasks

In an industry where operational efficiency is paramount, managing cancellations and refunds can often become a cumbersome, manual process. The partnership between BeSafe and SiteMinder is a game-changer for hoteliers, as it automates these traditionally labor-intensive tasks. By integrating insurance options directly into the booking engine, hotels can now reduce the time spent handling cancellations and refund requests, allowing staff to focus on other essential areas of guest service.

BeSafe’s platform is designed to be intuitive and easy to implement. Hoteliers benefit from a quick, automated process that requires no ongoing manual management. Once integrated, BeSafe handles the bulk of insurance and cancellation processes, from booking insurance to processing refunds.

“The simplicity of our platform allows hotels to save time and reduce administrative costs,” says Montagnoli. “We’re not just providing an insurance product, but an entire system that reduces the workload for hotel staff and helps improve their bottom line.”

By eliminating the manual effort required in handling cancellations, hotels can increase operational efficiency. Additionally, BeSafe’s transparent, automated refunds are processed within seven days, ensuring a faster, more positive experience for guests and helping hoteliers build stronger relationships with their customers.

Better management, less work

What if you could boost your hotel's efficiency and revenue while also reducing your workload? Our smart hotel platform helps you do exactly that.

Learn more

Real success: How BeSafe boosts hotel performance

BeSafe’s positive impact is not just theoretical. The partnership’s real-world success is clearly evident in the results experienced by properties like VOIhotels, a prestigious hotel chain with properties across Italy and other regions. After implementing BeSafe Rate across 16 of their properties, VOIhotels saw a remarkable 97% of prepaid reservations come directly from their website, which significantly boosted their revenue from direct bookings.

“By offering BeSafe’s insured rates, we were able to expand our reach and grow our direct bookings,” says Angelo La Riccia, Chief Commercial Officer at VOIhotels.

“This partnership has provided us with a flexible and customizable insurance product that enhances both our revenue and guest satisfaction.”

For VOIhotels’ VRetreats brand, the results were even more striking: a 190% year-over-year growth in bookings. With BeSafe Rate incorporated, guests had the assurance of insurance coverage, which in turn increased their willingness to make prepaid bookings, further strengthening VOIhotels’ position in the luxury hospitality market.

“BeSafe Rate has been transformative for us,” La Riccia continues. “It has simplified the booking process, made our guests feel more confident about their bookings, and ultimately contributed to our revenue growth.”

This success story illustrates how BeSafe’s solution helps hoteliers achieve both short-term operational efficiency and long-term revenue growth. The ability to provide insurance options directly in the booking flow, paired with the platform’s user-friendly integration, helps ensure that hoteliers can see immediate results.

The future of hospitality insurance: Growth and innovation

As the partnership between BeSafe and SiteMinder continues to evolve, the focus is on expanding into new global markets while continuing to enhance product offerings. BeSafe is integrating advanced AI features into its platform, particularly in the area of refund processes. These AI-driven solutions are aimed at further automating customer service tasks and making the refund process even faster and more transparent.

“Looking ahead, we are excited to continue improving our platform with more personalised offerings, like parametric insurance coverage,” says Montagnoli. “We’re also working on expanding into new regions, including the UAE, Mexico, and the French Antilles, ensuring our solutions meet the unique needs of hoteliers across the globe.”

In addition to expanding its global reach, BeSafe is focused on developing insurance products tailored to specific challenges faced by the hospitality industry, such as weather-related disruptions or flight cancellations. By creating customisable, on-demand coverage, BeSafe is helping hoteliers offer the flexibility that today’s travelers expect.

“Our mission is to provide solutions that not only enhance operational efficiency but also meet the evolving needs of both hoteliers and their guests,” says Montagnoli.

“We’re committed to continuing to innovate and stay ahead of industry trends.”

Why this partnership matters: A game-changer for hoteliers

For hoteliers seeking to simplify operations, boost direct bookings, and increase revenue, the BeSafe and SiteMinder partnership is a game-changer. By offering seamless integration of insurance options during the booking process, hoteliers are able to provide guests with peace of mind while also securing prepaid bookings that reduce revenue loss due to cancellations.

The ability to access BeSafe’s platform through SiteMinder’s booking engine means that hoteliers can enjoy a smooth, automated process with minimal intervention required. With no upfront costs and a commission-based model, BeSafe’s offering is an attractive and scalable solution for hotels of all sizes, whether they’re independent properties or large chains.

By integrating advanced insurance solutions into their booking engine, hoteliers are able to stand out in a competitive market, build stronger relationships with guests, and protect their revenue stream from booking cancellations.

Demand for Easter accommodation climbs 16.8%: SiteMinder

fidel.pamintuan@siteminder.com — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 07:00:58 +0000

Sydney, Australia – Hotel bookings for the 2025 Easter holiday have risen by 16.8% compared to the same period last year, shows new data from SiteMinder, the world’s leading hotel distribution and revenue platform. The data, comparing bookings at the same properties across nine markets 30 days before Easter in both 2024 and 2025, reveals not only stronger demand but travellers securing their accommodation earlier and increasingly looking beyond their home countries.

As at 18 March, SiteMinder’s data shows that, over the five-night holiday period, these properties have each already received 3.35 more bookings on average, compared to Easter 2024. Spain leads this growth with 6.75 additional bookings per property, followed by Portugal with a 4.75 average increase.

Two-thirds of hotels secure higher rates, led by Portugal and Spain

The data reveals contrasting trends in Average Daily Rate (ADR) across markets. Two-thirds of analysed destinations are seeing ADR growth for the Easter period, with Portugal and Spain again leading with a 13.7% and near-8% increase, respectively.

North American and UK markets show declining rates, with Mexico recording an 11% decrease, US rates down 3.41%, and the UK showing a 2% reduction year-on-year.

Travellers get their diaries organised further in advance

Booking lead time has increased from an average of 87 days in 2024 to 96 days in 2025, a rise of 9.63%, as confidence remains strong and travellers make plans further in advance. Stays in Portugal have been booked the furthest ahead at 105 days, while France has the shortest booking window at 85 days among the markets analysed. Italy has recorded the largest percentage increase in lead time at 15.51%, followed by the United States at 13.43%.

Shorter stays and more international guests

While booking volumes and lead times are increasing, the average stay length for Easter 2025 has declined by 3.43%, dropping from 2.33 to 2.25 days globally. Only Italy and Australia have recorded modest increases in length of stay, with gains of 1.53% and 1.46%.

This shift is occurring alongside changes in traveller origins. When comparing completed stays from Easter 2024 with current bookings for Easter 2025, all analysed markets except Australia are seeing a rise in the proportion of international guests. Italy and France demonstrate the most dramatic shifts, with Italy’s international guest percentage increasing from 58.53% of actual stays in 2024 to 76.58% of current bookings for 2025, while France has jumped from 48.88% of 2024 stays to 67.97% of current bookings for the coming Easter.

“With Easter falling later this year than in 2024, we’re not just seeing stronger travel demand—we’re seeing travellers rethink how they plan,” says James Bishop, VP of Ecosystem and Strategic Partnerships at SiteMinder. “Earlier bookings and a rise in international travel are shaping this year’s trends, with the later holiday creating more favourable conditions in many regions. But flexibility remains key—historically, domestic travellers tend to book closer to arrival, meaning the final guest mix and pricing dynamics could still evolve in the coming weeks.”

Looking further ahead, booking data for the early May public holiday period reveals bright spots in several markets, with Germany leading the way at +14.40% growth, year-over-year. Portugal and Mexico also show positive momentum with modest booking increases. Like Easter, advance planning for the holiday period is trending upward, with Mexico seeing a 13.09% extension in its booking window and Italy a 12.67% increase.

Media enquiries
Maria Cricchiola
+61 2 9056 7415
media@siteminder.com

Investor information
Paul Wong
+61 411 889 876
investor.relations@siteminder.com

Co-existence: the OTA-led defence against an AI takeover

fidel.pamintuan@siteminder.com — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 23:03:30 +0000

It’s no secret that the AI revolution has arrived, and the online hotel distribution sector has already adapted to the first ripple effects.

But OpenAI’s Operator, launched earlier this year, revived concerns about the lifespan of long-standing industry players in the wake of new technologies.

The AI agent not only reads data, but can also interact with a browser.

This means in addition to generating travel recommendations and plans, Operator can make bookings, only asking users to take over for tasks that require login and payment details, or to solve CAPTCHAs.

Adding to the momentum, Perplexity recently partnered with fintech platform Selfbook and Tripadvisor to bring hotel bookings directly into its AI-powered ‘answer engine’ – another clear sign that agentic AI is on the rise.

Currently, Online Travel Agents (OTAs) are still the biggest drivers of hotel booking revenue, having withstood and adjusted to decades of technological advances – including mobile, a revolution that many thought would leave OTAs behind and instead has seen them use to further their competitive advantage.

Yet new tools like Operator and Perplexity raise questions.

Does the advent of AI agents signal the beginning of the end for third-party bookings, or are we simply entering a new phase in the evolution of online hotel distribution? And, how can other key industry players, particularly hotels, learn from the action OTAs have already taken?

Glimpse into the AI-led future

As with any industry where multi-layered intelligence is key to achieving the ultimate goal of personalisation, data is king in travel.

For this reason, revenue managers and OTAs analyse a range of past, present and future factors to sell the right rooms at the right times, at the right prices, to the right guests.

So when looking for their next stay, today’s guests are offered broadly personalised options largely based on the type of traveller profile they fall into, according to their demographic’s general preferences.

AI tools like Operator could take things a step further and tailor accommodation offers to suit each individual guest, thanks to the large pool of data at AI’s disposal and the technology’s ability to analyse and act on all of that information quickly.

Even with this potential, Simone Puorto, founder of consulting firm Travel Singularity and AI-powered start-up Rebyū, does not believe AI tools will make OTAs obsolete.

But he can imagine a world where OTAs transform to become data hubs from which AI agents would draw information, leading the hotel industry into a new era of “hyper-personalisation”, led by both OTAs and revenue managers.

“With more information, what you could do is create a rate for [Guest A], then create a rate for [Guest B],” Puorto says. “This will become more than revenue management. I think it will become traveller management – you will really optimise for that specific person rather than just try to create boxes [to sort them into].”

In addition to guest profiles splintering from demographics into individuals, Puorto expects an upcoming explosion of AI-powered tools will further fragment the travel industry’s tech stack offerings in the short-term.

This would compound pre-existing industry issues, with hotels already facing the challenge of trying to connect data across a throng of sometimes-incompatible OTA and other third-party systems.

But this won’t be the case forever.

Puorto predicts the natural accumulation of closures and mergers of AI tools will eventually result in a more centralised travel tech ecosystem.

Founder and CEO of Catala Consulting, Thibault Catala, expects the technologies could even morph into a single form of AI.

“I do believe the opportunity in the next few years will not be about fragmentation, but centralisation, of data,” Catala says. “And AI will allow this because that would be the only [thing able] to handle that amount of data and to be able to identify those different systems, which humanly is currently not possible.”

Slow on the tech uptake

Puorto points out we already live in a hyper-personalised world.

Think of Netflix or Amazon; no two homepages are exactly alike, as the companies target customers with suggestions for products that will interest them most as individuals rather than as members of demographic groups.

But apart from OTAs, which have proven to remain at the forefront of new tech adoption and increased personalisation, the rest of the travel industry lags behind.

Catala estimates the vast majority of hotels, particularly those on the smaller scale of the market, are unaware of the tools and technologies already at their disposal.

“I’m blown away every day by the state of the technology in the hospitality industry,” he says. “Even people reading [this] blog are quite advanced, because they are aware of revenue management.

“To talk about a system, to talk about connection, AI and so on, that seems super-duper advanced compared to the real state of the market. So for me, the biggest opportunity in the next few years, it’s education; increasing awareness of tools, best practices and so on.”

Optimising for AI

As travel hurtles towards an AI-centric environment, OTAs are working fast to accommodate the technology and have a significant head start.

So, how can they improve even further, and how can hotels catch up? First, consider all options with an open mind.

Digital transformation consultant Howard Phung says: “Many hotels, especially traditional operators, are risk-averse and reluctant to cede control to AI, particularly in areas like pricing and guest interactions.”

Compounding the reluctance to move on with new technology is the practical difficulty of adopting that technology, with Phung, like Puorto, emphasising the fragmented state of the industry.

“Many hotels still operate on legacy systems that don’t easily integrate with modern AI solutions,” he says. “Unlike industries with standardised tech stacks, hospitality tech is fragmented, requiring custom APIs and middleware for AI adoption.”

“However, AI doesn’t need a perfect ecosystem to be impactful. It will adapt to the fragmentation by working within existing tools, leveraging cloud-based integrations, and offering modular AI capabilities that don’t require a complete tech overhaul,” Phung adds.

To smooth the road for AI, an Agent Experience (AX) website audit is in order, according to Puorto. He says with the tech moving from search engines to “do engines” as AI agents are now capable of acting on a guest’s behalf, there needs to be greater understanding of how these agents work in order to optimise websites as necessary. Beyond OTAs, this is especially relevant for hotel websites, which remain a significant source of direct booking revenue for properties.

It follows, then, that AX Optimisation (AXO) may eventually surpass SEO in importance.

Catala says it was enough to be among the first 10 results of a Google search page in the past. Looking ahead, an AI agent may only present guests with a single recommendation, customised according to its in-depth knowledge of the guest.

Luckily, AXO and SEO share many common values: just as broken links are not good for SEO, neither are they for AXO, Puorto explains. Likewise, meta titles and descriptions are equally important for human user and AI agent experiences.

But some adjustments still need to be made for both hotel and OTA websites.

For example, Puorto says the use of CAPTCHA may need to be reviewed, as AI agents cannot solve the tasks. Agents also dislike pre-contracted static rates, instead preferring real-time inventory.

And although minimalistic website design is trending right now, AI agents “love to read”, Puorto says.

“It could be a good idea to start getting a little more text on your website,” he says. “I was completely against that before. Nobody’s reading blog pages on hotel websites… but [AI] agents, yeah, why not?

Puorto adds, “Probably we will see a return to a little more ‘90s design, just because [AI] agents, they don’t freaking care if it’s beautifully designed. They want the information.”

Travellers still prefer a human touch

Hotels do not adopt shiny new technology just based on trends, Phung says; they adopt it when it has proven to solve a problem.

In terms of AI, he says hotels are seeking tools that enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the guest experience.

“The industry sentiment is cautiously optimistic – hotels are open to AI but want to ensure it is secure, scalable, and easy to integrate without disrupting operations,” Phung says.

Whether or not hotels adopt up-and-coming tools, the strength of AI’s future grip on online hotel distribution will be determined by the extent to which guests are willing to abandon older technology and platforms to embrace the new.

And this is where OTAs have the advantage.

In 2024, SiteMinder research found OTAs were still the biggest drivers of total revenue for hotels. SiteMinder also found travellers are hesitant to adopt a fully AI-centric hotel model, with only 1 in 10 agreeing the technology should do it all.

OTAs have proven to be resilient and adaptable to decades of technological advances.

“Booking a hotel in 2002 and booking a hotel now, it’s not that different if you want to do it online,” Puorto says.

“Nothing big really changed.”

Much of the enduring popularity of OTAs can be attributed to the simplicity of browsing and booking on their websites. And instead of a favourite hotel or brand, Catala says many travellers are instead loyal to a particular OTA.

But that does not mean accommodation providers can rely solely on OTAs to gain them new and repeat guests.

“That’s very important to think about the way people find [out] about us, but at the end of the day, the relationship, the experience, the connection … that’s human-to-human,” Catala says.

“That’s what will differentiate [you from] someone who is relying only on OTAs and doesn’t care about the guest.

“But that’s up to you to make sure you go to the check in, you go to the reception and you connect with your loyal guests. You talk to them, you have your own communication program, marketing activities to reach out to those guys.”

Evolve now to avoid to avoid future extinction

While AI agents like Operator could theoretically bypass OTAs by offering hyper-personalised booking experiences, Phung, like Puorto, does not see OTAs disappearing anytime soon.

Instead, he says, AI will likely strengthen OTAs in several ways.

“Rather than being a death knell for OTAs, AI is more likely to encourage them to become more innovative, faster, and more automated distribution channels,” Phung says.

“The future isn’t about OTAs disappearing – it’s about AI-powered travel experiences that blur the lines between direct and third-party bookings.”

But in order to be strengthened, not eaten, by AI, Catala says the technology needs to be embraced correctly by OTAs and revenue managers.

He warns those who only focus on the old status quo may disappear, while those who evolve and build more diverse expertise by experimenting with new technologies will stay competitive.

Several major OTAs are fully onboard and already years into investing in an AI-led future. Companies like Booking.com and Priceline have partnered with Operator. They, alongside other OTAs like Kayak, Expedia and Ixigo, have developed onsite AI programs which further personalise services for customers – something most hotels cannot afford to do at the same level.

Meanwhile, revenue managers could be in a more precarious position than OTAs; Catala says some people in the industry expect the role of revenue manager could disappear in the next five years, either being replaced by AI or integrated into other positions.

How revenue managers adapt to new technology will mean everything for their future.

Just like OTAs, Puorto says it could serve revenue managers well to start working hand-in-hand with AI agents. He predicts revenue managers who have a good understanding of the market could become sought-after as consultants and trainers for AI agents.

But even in the age of AI, it is important to remember human connection goes a long way.

“Those kinds of tasks [like reporting on pricing] can be automated by AI with more accuracy,” Catala says.

“But the strategic elements, the experimentation elements, the influence, the communication, that’s something which AI cannot do.

“We are still operating not in [business-to-business], but in [human-to-human].”

Hotel entertainment: Ways to elevate guest experience

Dean Elphick — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 23:44:14 +0000

What is hotel entertainment?

Hotel entertainment refers to the activities, systems, and services that enhance a guest’s stay by offering enjoyment, relaxation, or engagement, either in-room or on the property.

It’s a broad category that covers everything from in-room entertainment systems, such as smart TVs, streaming services, and interactive displays, to live shows, recreational activities, and themed events hosted on-site. The aim is to make the stay more enjoyable, encouraging guests to spend more time and money at the hotel and leave with positive memories.

This blog will explore all the options available to your hotel and how you can make sure guests are entertained at your property.

Table of contents

Why hotel entertainment is important for hotel guests

When done well, entertainment transforms a visit from ordinary to extraordinary. Whether it’s streaming a favourite show, joining a rooftop event, or attending a live performance, these moments create lasting impressions. Guests remember how a hotel made them feel, and entertainment often sets that tone.

It also drives results. A study on floating hotels in Luxor found that entertainment programs significantly increased guest satisfaction and repeat visits. Another report shows 45% of travellers now expect on-demand entertainment during their stay.

Maximise guest satisfaction with SiteMinder

Personalise entertainment, streamline bookings, and deliver memorable guest experiences - all from one platform.

Learn more

How hotel room entertainment enhances guest experience

Gone are the days when a few basic TV channels would cut it. Now, travellers expect smart TVs, streaming options, and the ability to cast from their own devices. In fact, research shows that free-to-guest TV and high-speed internet are two of the most valued in-room features for both business and leisure travellers.

These little touches also help you stand out. In markets where everyone’s offering similar rooms and rates, the hotels that nail the guest experience, right down to how people relax in their rooms, are the ones that get noticed. That’s where in-room entertainment becomes more than just a perk. It’s a reason to leave a great review, come back again, and recommend your place to friends.

Best hotel entertainment ideas to elevate guest experience

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to entertaining guests but the right mix of tech and experiences can turn a stay into something special. Here are some ideas to help you stand out and give guests something to talk about.

Hotel in-room entertainment systems

Guests have high expectations when it comes to tech, especially in the room where they’re winding down. The right in-room setup doesn’t just entertain, it makes the stay feel easy and tailored to their preferences.

Smart TVs

Smart TVs are now the baseline, but it’s the content access that really matters. Giving guests the ability to log in to Netflix, Hulu, or watch on-demand movies means they can pick up where they left off at home. Whether it’s binge-watching a favourite series or watching something new, the experience feels personal and familiar.

Voice-activated control

Some hotels are taking it a step further with voice-activated room controls. Guests can adjust lighting, play music, or even set the room temperature—all hands-free. It’s a small detail, but it makes the experience feel intuitive and modern, especially for tech-savvy travellers.

VR headset

For those looking to offer something truly unique, VR headsets are gaining traction. These can give guests access to immersive games, virtual workouts, or even 360° tours of local attractions. Imagine arriving in a new city and exploring its landmarks virtually before stepping out. It’s a mix of convenience and novelty that guests won’t forget.

Hotel entertainment packages

For wellness-focused travellers, spa and entertainment add-ons like guided meditation sessions, sound baths, or in-room yoga streaming can turn a stay into a full recharge. These extras appeal to guests looking for relaxation beyond the spa, and help position your hotel as a place to unwind in both body and mind.

For those in premium rooms or suites, all-inclusive streaming and gaming bundles are another way to elevate the experience. Think unlimited access to movies, shows, and even gaming services. Families, in particular, appreciate the option to keep kids entertained with minimal fuss, especially on rainy days or quiet evenings.

Then there’s the option to customise entertainment packages around specific moments. A romantic movie night setup with a projector and snacks for two, or a kid-friendly bundle with games, movies, and activity kits, can help make a stay feel special. It’s these little touches that stick in a guest’s mind and often lead to glowing reviews.

Hotel entertainment tickets

Travellers often look for things to do beyond the hotel and that’s where ticketed entertainment can add serious value. Offering bundled ticket options for local concerts, theatre performances, or popular attractions helps guests get more from their stay without the hassle of planning. It also positions your hotel as a helpful, local expert and not just a place to sleep.

VIP tickets

Some properties take it a step further with VIP access to hotel-exclusive performances. This could be priority seating at an on-site music night or meet-and-greet opportunities with performers. It creates a sense of exclusivity and gives guests something they can’t get elsewhere.

Local partnerships

There’s also huge potential in partnerships with nearby theme parks, museums, and cultural events. By securing special rates or fast-track entry for your guests, you add tangible value to their booking. It’s particularly appealing to families and tourists trying to make the most of a short visit, and it encourages guests to book directly rather than through third-party sites.

Hotel entertainment shows

Live shows on-site can transform a quiet evening into a highlight of a guest’s trip. Even better, they give people a reason to stay on the property, enjoy the atmosphere, and engage with your hotel beyond the room.

Live music

Many hotels run weekly live music events, from laid-back jazz nights in the bar to upbeat performances by local bands. Some host stand-up comedy nights, offering a relaxed, social vibe that appeals to both solo travellers and groups. These regular events create a sense of energy and community, something guests often remember fondly.

Dinner theatres

For something more immersive, interactive dinner theatre adds another layer. Think themed mystery nights, live storytelling, or performances where guests become part of the show. It’s a different kind of entertainment. One that blends food, fun, and memory-making all in one.

Local dance performances

And if your hotel is in a culturally rich area, folk performances, traditional dance, or local storytelling offer guests a deeper connection to the place they’re visiting. These shows not only entertain but help guests feel like they’re experiencing something authentic and unique.

Tech-powered hotel entertainment systems

AI is already changing how guests engage with in-room systems. AI-driven content recommendations suggest movies, music, or games based on guest preferences, much like streaming services at home. Paired with a virtual concierge, guests can easily request room service, book activities, or get local tips without picking up the phone.

Some properties are taking things further with augmented reality (AR). Guests can use their phones or in-room tablets to explore hotel amenities, unlock hidden AR features around the property, or even take virtual tours of nearby attractions. It adds a sense of discovery, especially for families or travellers looking for something different.

Visual entertainment is evolving too. Digital walls in lobbies or rooms can display rotating art, local history, or even guest-generated content like photos or reviews. It creates a dynamic, ever-changing environment that feels alive and connected to both the hotel and the surrounding community.

How to choose the right hotel entertainment options for guests

Not every guest is looking for the same experience and that’s why the best entertainment options are the ones tailored to who’s walking through your doors. Understanding the types of hotel guests you serve is the first step in offering entertainment that truly adds value.

Business travellers

Business travellers often want to unwind without straying far from productivity. Think business lounges with live music in the evenings or coworking spaces where they can catch up on work while enjoying a relaxed atmosphere. In-room streaming that feels seamless also helps them decompress after meetings or travel.

Leisure travellers

Leisure travellers tend to look for something more social or immersive. Wine tastings, rooftop events, or VIP access to local attractions can add that extra spark to their stay. Offering ticket bundles or curated entertainment packages shows you’re thinking about their overall experience and not just their room.

Families

Families often need options that engage everyone. Activity zones, game rooms, or interactive shows give kids something to look forward to and give parents a break. In-room gaming bundles or access to family-friendly movies also go a long way.

The key is to match your entertainment offerings with your guests’ needs and adjust as your guest mix changes across seasons or events. When done well, entertainment doesn’t just keep guests happy. It encourages them to stay longer, spend more, and come back.

With SiteMinder, you can manage bookings, personalise guest services, and offer tailored packages that suit every kind of traveller. Whether you’re streamlining operations or elevating the guest experience, it’s all about giving you more control and giving guests more reasons to return.

Hotel gym: Guide for hotel owners and managers

Dean Elphick — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 02:44:59 +0000

What is a hotel gym?

A hotel gym is a dedicated space within a hotel where guests can maintain their fitness routine while travelling. It typically includes a mix of cardio machines like treadmills and stationary bikes, free weights or resistance training equipment, and sometimes more specialised offerings like yoga mats or rowing machines. Some hotel gyms are compact and serve basic fitness needs, while others rival full-service fitness centres with personal trainers, spa services, and group classes.

The goal is simple—help guests stay active and feel at home, even while travelling.

For hotel owners, the value of a gym isn’t just in the equipment. It’s in the perception of care and convenience you offer guests. Whether someone’s squeezing in a quick workout before a meeting or unwinding after a long travel day, your gym can make the difference between a good stay and a great one.

In this blog, we’ll show you how you can turn your hotel gym into a win for your guests, your staff, and your business.

Table of contents

Why hotel gyms matter for guests

Today’s guests aren’t just looking for a bed—they’re looking for experiences that match their lifestyle. Fitness is a big part of that for many travellers, whether they’re on a business trip or a weekend getaway. A well-equipped gym gives guests the chance to stick to their routine, and that kind of consistency matters to many. It’s about helping them feel comfortable and taken care of, even when they’re far from home.

The rise of wellness-focused travel has also raised the bar. Guests now expect more than just a treadmill in a small room. They’re looking for thoughtful amenities that support their health goals—think clean spaces, modern equipment, and perhaps even extras like wellness snacks.

For hotels, this presents an opportunity. A gym isn’t just another amenity—it’s a way to boost guest satisfaction and set your property apart. It can drive repeat bookings, attract health-conscious travellers, and generate revenue through memberships or partnerships. Investing in your gym means investing in the kind of experience that today’s guests actively seek out.

Effectively manage your hotel gym with SiteMinder

Promote, manage, and upsell your gym with ease using SiteMinder’s smart platform.

Learn more

How do hotel gyms work

Hotel gyms are typically reserved solely for hotel guests, but how they operate can vary widely between properties. Some are open 24/7 with keycard access, while others operate during set hours with staff oversight, and many are publicly accessible – with a paid membership.

Operating hours

Most hotel gyms are accessible early in the morning until late at night, as these are times that align with when guests are likely to fit in a workout. Properties catering to business travellers may opt for round-the-clock access, especially if guests are arriving from different time zones. A workout is a common solution to overcoming jet lag, after all. In those cases, secure keycard entry and surveillance systems help maintain safety without needing a full-time attendant.

Rules and policies

From a management perspective, gym rules are essential for safety and liability. Common policies include age limits, proper attire, equipment usage, and hygiene standards like wiping down machines after use.

The key here is to make it as easy as possible to know and follow the rules. Posting clear signage and offering basic supplies like disinfectant wipes and towels makes it easier for guests to comply, and helps keep the space clean and inviting.

Amenities

Beyond equipment, small touches can make a hotel gym stand out. Water stations, fresh towels, and mirrors are expected. Some properties go a step further with wellness extras like yoga mats, foam rollers, or even virtual fitness classes. It’s these details that show you’re thinking about the guest experience. These seemingly small, unique extras can be the difference between a returning guest and a one-off stay.

How to design a hotel gym

Designing a hotel gym is about making the most of your space, budget, and guest needs. Every hotel, and thus every hotel gym, is unique, but there are some core guidelines to follow for an initial foundation:

Hotel gym equipment

Start with versatile, durable equipment that suits a variety of fitness levels. Cardio machines like treadmills and stationary bikes are staples. Add free weights, resistance bands, and functional training tools like medicine balls or TRX systems to cater for nearly every need.

Individual hotel guests may only visit a few times, perhaps only once, during their stay, so you don’t have to invest in elaborate, extremely specific equipment. It pays to purchase high quality, commonly used, familiar equipment.

Hotel gym membership

Having a hotel gym open to the public can create a steady revenue stream; great for those slower seasons, with the bonus of making sure your investment continues to generate cash flow all year round. Consider flexible membership packages that appeal to nearby residents or business travellers who visit regularly. Bundling gym access with spa or wellness services adds more value. If you don’t have your own services here, consider partnering with a nearby business that does.

Hotel gym reviews

Online reviews offer insight into what guests value—and what they don’t. Cleanliness, equipment maintenance, and service are recurring themes. Addressing these areas can turn an average rating into a glowing one. Encourage satisfied guests to leave reviews through simple reminders or incentives.

Hotel chains with the best gyms

Some hotel brands are leading the way when it comes to fitness offerings. These examples can offer inspiration for your own setup, whether you’re working with a small space or aiming to develop a full wellness centre.

Westin Hotels & Resorts

Westin Hotels & Resorts has made fitness a core part of their guest experience. Many properties feature spacious workout areas, Peloton bikes, and in-room fitness gear. They also offer a gear lending program so guests can borrow workout clothes and shoes.

Equinox Hotels

Equinox Hotels, located in New York City, takes fitness to another level. Guests have access to a massive, high-end gym, group classes, personal training, and wellness services like cryotherapy. It’s a great example of how premium fitness amenities can become a brand hallmark.

IHG

Even Hotels, by IHG, cater specifically to health-conscious travellers. Each room includes fitness zones with equipment and guided workout videos. Their on-site gyms are modern and open 24/7, with a focus on functional training.

Hyatt’s

Hyatt’s StayFit gyms aim to make wellness accessible, with 24-hour fitness centres, modern equipment, and health-focused dining options. Many properties also feature partnerships with local fitness studios.

Hotel reservations manager: Job description and responsibilities

Dean Elphick — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 00:58:06 +0000

What is a hotel reservations manager?

A hotel reservations manager oversees the entire booking process at a hotel. This includes handling inquiries, managing bookings, confirming reservations, and resolving issues or discrepancies. Their job is to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and a smooth experience for guests—all while complying with hotel policies and procedures.

For hotel owners, the value of this role goes beyond daily operations. A skilled reservations manager can directly influence your revenue by ensuring your rooms are always accurately represented across booking channels, minimising missed opportunities due to errors or delays. For example, during peak travel periods, an efficient reservations manager using a modern property management system (PMS) can swiftly allocate room blocks for group bookings or special events, maximising occupancy without overbooking.

Additionally, they play a key role in ensuring that your hotel responds quickly to potential guests, which is a crucial factor in securing bookings in a competitive market. With the support of tools like SiteMinder, reservations managers can manage high volumes of inquiries efficiently, allowing your hotel to capture more revenue while delivering a seamless booking experience.

What does a hotel reservations manager do?

While the general manager oversees all hotel operations, a reservations manager focuses specifically on the booking process. They manage reservations, ensure room availability is up to date, and support front desk operations, playing a critical role in guest satisfaction and hotel profitability.

What is the reservation department in a hotel?

The reservation department is responsible for managing all incoming bookings. It acts as the bridge between guests and the hotel’s operations, helping to optimise occupancy rates and minimise errors. The reservations manager leads this department, ensuring smooth coordination with other teams like front office and housekeeping.

In this blog, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the role of a hotel reservations manager, including the most crucial duties and skills required.

Table of contents

Why are hotel reservation manager jobs important?

Mistakes in reservations, such as double bookings, incorrect room allocations, or missed confirmations, can lead to unhappy guests, reputational damage, and lost revenue. For hotel owners, these issues are not just operational headaches – they impact your bottom line.

A skilled reservations manager plays a crucial role in preventing such costly errors. By maintaining an organised, efficient system and managing high volumes of inquiries effectively, they ensure a seamless booking experience for guests and staff alike. This is especially critical during peak seasons when the stakes are high and demand is unpredictable.

Technology is key to supporting this role. Tools like SiteMinder’s channel manager allow your reservations manager to update room availability and rates across all booking platforms instantly, eliminating the risk of overbookings and ensuring every room is sold at the right price. With automated systems in place, your team spends less time on manual data entry and more time on strategic tasks – such as analysing booking trends or upselling premium rooms.

More bookings, less effort

Empower your reservations manager with SiteMinder’s automation, real-time insights, and seamless integrations - designed to boost efficiency and drive revenue.

Learn more

How to be a hotel reservations manager

To succeed in this role, a reservations manager must combine technical skills with a guest-first mindset. Here are the essential skills every successful reservations manager needs:

Essential reservation manager skills

Attention to detail: Accuracy in bookings prevents errors and overbookings. Even small mistakes can lead to room shortages or guest dissatisfaction, so a keen eye for detail is critical. Tools like SiteMinder’s channel manager help by updating availability across all booking sites automatically, reducing manual errors.
Strong communication: Clear, prompt responses to guests and staff are crucial. Whether managing booking inquiries or coordinating with housekeeping, effective communication ensures smooth operations. Using a centralised PMS enables quick access to booking details and guest preferences, improving internal coordination and guest interactions.
Tech-savviness: Comfort with reservation software and booking platforms boosts efficiency. A tech-savvy manager can leverage automation tools to streamline repetitive tasks. SiteMinder’s booking engine simplifies the process of capturing direct bookings and allows for easy integration with your website and PMS, reducing time spent on manual entries.
Problem-solving: Quick thinking helps resolve booking issues and guest concerns. Whether managing last-minute changes or addressing overbooking scenarios, having access to real-time data from tools like Dynamic Revenue Plus empowers managers to make informed, rapid decisions that maintain guest satisfaction.

Key hotel reservations manager responsibilities

A reservations manager’s tasks go beyond simply confirming bookings. They play a vital role in driving hotel success through the following responsibilities:

Management of bookings

They handle all bookings across direct and third-party channels, ensuring room availability is up to date and overbookings are avoided. Efficiently managing OTAs and direct bookings is key to maintaining high occupancy rates.

With SiteMinder, your reservations manager can automate these updates in real time, drastically reducing manual workload and eliminating costly booking errors. This allows them to handle large volumes of bookings – especially during peak seasons – without compromising accuracy or speed.

Rate management

Working with revenue managers, they help implement dynamic pricing strategies that ensure your room rates are competitive and aligned with current market demand. Accurate and timely rate updates across all booking channels are essential for maximising revenue and avoiding price discrepancies that could hurt your reputation or lead to lost bookings.

SiteMinder’s Dynamic Revenue Plus takes rate management to the next level by automating pricing decisions based on real-time data like occupancy trends, booking pace, and local events. For instance, if there’s a sudden surge in demand due to a local festival or convention, you’ll be able to instantly adjust your rates to capitalise on this opportunity without requiring manual input from your team. This kind of automation not only saves time but ensures your hotel remains competitive and profitable, no matter the market conditions.

Customer service

Reservation managers often serve as the first point of contact for your guests, setting the tone for the entire stay experience. Their ability to provide prompt, friendly, and accurate service builds trust and drives positive first impressions. This responsiveness isn’t just about customer satisfaction – it plays a direct role in securing bookings and encouraging repeat stays.

In a competitive hospitality market, speed and accuracy in responding to booking inquiries can make the difference between winning or losing a guest. The right booking engine empowers your reservations manager to respond instantly by automating confirmations and streamlining the booking process. For example, when a guest books through your website, they receive immediate confirmation and secure payment processing without delays or manual steps. This experience reflects professionalism and reliability, helping to increase conversion rates and guest loyalty.

Coordinate with departments

They liaise with front office, housekeeping, and revenue teams to ensure room readiness, special requests, and accurate reporting. This coordination is essential for delivering a smooth guest experience and optimising internal workflows.

For instance, when a guest modifies their booking or requests an early check-in, your reservations manager needs to quickly communicate these updates to housekeeping and front desk teams. With SiteMinder’s integration capabilities, changes made in the PMS or booking engine are automatically shared across departments, eliminating the need for manual updates or follow-up calls.

This real-time visibility ensures that everyone is on the same page, which not only reduces operational friction but also allows your team to deliver a seamless experience for every guest. In a busy hotel environment, this kind of efficiency can lead to faster room turnovers, higher guest satisfaction, and better use of staff resources.

Reporting

Generating reports on booking trends, occupancy rates, and guest preferences helps inform marketing and operational decisions. For hotel owners, these reports are not just data—they’re a window into your hotel’s performance and potential areas for growth.

A reservations manager equipped with the right reporting tools can provide valuable insights that guide rate strategies, promotional offers, and staff planning. For example, if the data shows a consistent dip in occupancy during mid-week periods, you can work with your marketing team to run targeted promotions or adjust rates accordingly.

SiteMinder’s integrated reporting features allow your reservations manager to track performance across all booking channels in one place. Real-time data on booking sources, guest demographics, and rate performance enables quicker, smarter decisions that support revenue growth. Instead of spending hours compiling data manually, your team can focus on strategy by using insights to stay ahead of market trends and optimise occupancy year-round.

Tools to empower a hotel reservation manager duties

With the right tools, the right reservations manager can work more efficiently and effectively:

Property management system (PMS): acts as a digital front desk, centralising operations and simplifying day-to-day tasks like check-ins, check-outs, and housekeeping coordination.
Channel manager: automates inventory and rate updates across all your booking platforms in real time, helping avoid overbookings and ensuring pricing consistency.
Booking engine: encourages direct bookings through your website, improving guest relationships and reducing reliance on third-party channels.
Revenue management system: provides data-driven insights to guide pricing strategies and forecast demand, boosting profitability.
Payment processing: ensures seamless, secure transactions for guests and reduces administrative workload for your staff.
Channels Plus: expands your reach effortlessly with optimised channel performance, helping you access new markets and increase visibility.
Dynamic Revenue Plus: combines real-time automation with deep revenue insights, enabling smarter decisions that maximise room revenue.

Managing reservations doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right tools and team, you can turn this role into a powerful driver of revenue and guest satisfaction.

Hotel keyless entry: A guide to digital accommodations

Dean Elphick — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 00:25:51 +0000

What is hotel keyless entry?

Hotel keyless entry systems let guests unlock their rooms without using a traditional key card. Instead, access is granted through technology like mobile apps, Bluetooth, QR codes, or biometric recognition. The goal? To make check-in smoother, enhance security, and offer a more modern, convenient stay.

There are a few common types of keyless entry in hotels. Some use a mobile app that sends a digital key directly to a guest’s smartphone. Others provide a code guests can enter on a keypad. Some systems go a step further, allowing guests to unlock their room with a fingerprint or voice command. All of these systems connect to the hotel’s property management system (PMS), keeping access secure and easy to manage.

This shift away from plastic key cards isn’t just about looking high-tech. It’s about removing friction from the guest journey. When guests can skip the front desk and head straight to their room, everyone wins – especially when time is tight or arrival is late at night.

In this blog, we’ll break down what you need to know about keyless entry, the benefits it brings, and the best ways to implement it at your hotel.

Table of contents

Why hotel keyless entry is necessary for hotels

Keyless entry solves the real problems that hotels deal with daily including long check-in lines, lost key cards, and overworked staff.

At busy times, the front desk can become a bottleneck. Guests queue, staff scramble, and frustrations build on both sides. Keyless entry lets guests skip the wait and go straight to their rooms, improving the arrival experience from the moment they step in.

That matters because guest satisfaction is closely tied to wait times. One study found satisfaction scores can drop by 50% if check-in takes just five minutes longer than expected.

Physical key cards also carry ongoing risks and costs. They’re easy to lose or copy, and replacements add up. A keyless system gives each guest secure, personalised access linked to their reservation, which updates automatically if plans change.

Guests are also looking for this kind of convenience. Nearly 80% say they’re open to staying at hotels with fully automated check-in options, including mobile keys. That’s a clear signal that expectations have shifted.

Simplify keyless entry with SiteMinder

Seamlessly connect your keyless entry system through SiteMinder’s ecosystem to automate access with every guest stay.

Learn more

Digital key for hotels: How does it work?

There’s more than one way to offer keyless entry, and the best systems give hotels flexibility to choose what fits their operations—and what guests are most comfortable with. Here’s a look at some of the most common types of digital keys being used today:

Smartphone or mobile keys

Guests download the hotel’s app and receive a digital key when their room is ready. Using Bluetooth, the app communicates with the door lock, allowing access with a tap or swipe. This is one of the most popular options, especially for travellers who prefer managing everything from their phones.

Keypad access

Instead of an app, guests receive a unique PIN code to enter on a keypad. It’s a simple, reliable option that doesn’t require smartphone access or internet connectivity, which can be useful for properties in areas with limited mobile coverage.

Biometric keyless entry

Some high-end hotels are experimenting with fingerprint or facial recognition systems for room access. These add an extra layer of security and convenience, though they require more advanced hardware and may raise privacy concerns for some guests.

QR code-based entry

Guests receive a QR code by email or text, which they scan at the door to unlock it. This option works well for contactless check-in and can be especially useful for short stays or self-service properties.

Voice-activated entry

Still emerging, voice control allows guests to unlock doors via a smart speaker or mobile assistant. While not widespread yet, it hints at the future of hands-free access in hospitality.

Each method connects back to the hotel’s property management system (PMS), ensuring real-time control over access and better visibility for staff. From a guest’s perspective, it’s all about choice and convenience—having different ways to access their room, depending on their preference and situation.

What are the benefits of hotel keyless entry for guests?

Today’s travellers expect more from their hotel experience, including how they access their room. Keyless entry meets these expectations by offering the kind of convenience, security, and flexibility that guests have come to rely on in other parts of their digital lives.

No physical key risk

Plastic key cards are easy to lose, especially when guests are juggling luggage or heading out for the day. With digital keys, access stays secure on the guest’s phone. If the phone is lost, access can be quickly revoked and reassigned, removing the stress (and cost) of key replacements.

Remote monitoring

If a guest switches rooms or extends their stay, staff can adjust access remotely in seconds. There’s no need to visit the front desk or wait for a new key. Digital keys also track access, so staff know exactly when and where doors are unlocked—adding a layer of security and transparency.

Reassurance for the guest

Knowing that access is personal and controlled builds trust. Unlike key cards, which can be copied or used after checkout if not returned, digital keys expire automatically. Guests feel safer, especially solo travellers or those in unfamiliar cities, knowing their room is secure.

Less travel stress

Guests often arrive tired, late, or in a rush. Having to wait in line just to collect a key adds unnecessary friction. Keyless entry lets them walk in, unlock the door with their phone, and relax—no delays, no paperwork, just a smoother start to their stay.

Better digital experience

Many guests book online, check-in digitally, and manage their stay through a hotel app. Digital keys complete that experience. In fact, 46% of travellers now consider mobile key solutions an important part of their on-property experience. Offering this feature shows your hotel keeps pace with modern expectations.

Staff saving time

Less time spent reissuing keys or fielding front desk queues means staff can focus on service that guests truly value—like handling special requests or providing local recommendations. It improves efficiency and morale behind the scenes, while guests enjoy smoother interactions.

Extra revenue

With digital access managed through a hotel’s app, there’s a chance to promote spa appointments, room upgrades, or late check-out offers during the stay. These well-timed nudges can increase spend per guest without being pushy or intrusive.

Key features to look for in hotel keyless entry systems

Not all keyless entry systems are created equal. The right solution needs to fit your hotel’s operations, integrate with your existing tech, and make life easier for both guests and staff. Here are a few essential features to look for when evaluating your options.

Useful integration

A keyless entry system should connect seamlessly with your property management system (PMS), booking engine, and guest messaging tools. This ensures real-time updates, accurate room assignments, and smooth communication – all without manual input or delays. For example, when a guest checks in online, their digital key should activate automatically without staff intervention.

Good onboarding system

Your guests shouldn’t need a manual to access their room. Look for a provider that offers intuitive guest onboarding—whether that’s through a simple app download, an email with access instructions, or both. The process should be quick, clear, and supported by customer service if needed. For staff, the system should come with easy training and responsive support to get everything running smoothly from day one.

Hotel games room: Increase revenue & guest satisfaction

Dean Elphick — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 03:25:52 +0000

What is a hotel games room?

A hotel games room is a dedicated space where guests can relax, unwind, and enjoy a variety of entertainment options—without ever leaving the property. Depending on the size and style of the hotel, these spaces might include arcade machines, pool tables, board games, video game consoles, or even immersive virtual reality (VR) setups.

But a games room isn’t just about having fun – it’s about engagement. The more time guests spend enjoying your hotel’s amenities, the more memorable their stay becomes. And that positive experience can translate into stronger reviews, more repeat visits, and greater word-of-mouth referrals.

In this blog, we’ll break down the benefits of a hotel games room and how your hotel can effectively design, build, and market a games room as part of your everyday experience package.

Table of contents

Why hotels should consider a games room

Modern travellers are seeking experiences as much as they are seeking a place to stay. Whether it’s families wanting more ways to spend time together, solo guests looking for ways to unwind, or business travellers craving downtime, expectations have shifted. A hotel games room taps directly into these needs, delivering memorable experiences that guests will talk about long after check-out.

A well-designed games room can:

Increase guest satisfaction by offering unexpected value.
Encourage longer stays as guests find more reasons to linger.
Drive repeat bookings and positive reviews from guests who had a standout experience.
Differentiate your property from competitors, especially in crowded markets.

There’s also the practical benefit of keeping guests on-site. Instead of seeking entertainment elsewhere, they’re spending time, and potentially money, within your property. From food and beverage sales to paid access or packages, a games room can open new revenue streams as well as boost loyalty.

In fact, hospitality research highlights that unique and personalised amenities are a key driver of guest satisfaction and retention—helping properties stand out in a competitive market.

Make your games room a bookings driver through SiteMinder

Showcase your hotel’s games room to more guests and turn entertainment into revenue with SiteMinder.

Learn more

How a hotel with games room can drive more bookings

Guests today are looking for value in their stay, and when they see entertainment options on-site, it often tips the scale in your favour.

Positive experiences in shared spaces like games rooms often lead to glowing reviews, which are key drivers for future bookings. The J.D. Power 2023 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) Study found that staff service garners the highest level of satisfaction among all guest experience factors measured, highlighting the importance of excellent guest experiences to drive bookings.

Family travellers, digital nomads, and business guests love game rooms. For families, it’s a lifesaver—keeping kids entertained without needing to leave the property. Digital nomads and business travellers often seek out spaces to relax after work hours. A games room provides that perfect middle ground: casual, social, and relaxing. It becomes a shared space for connection, helping you appeal to a wide range of guests.

Hotels are leveraging games rooms in marketing and loyalty programs. Properties that highlight their games rooms in booking platforms, social media, and guest communications often see increased engagement. Some even run events—like game nights or tournaments—that create buzz and drive repeat visits.

Ultimately, a games room helps your hotel stand out. It’s a point of difference in a competitive market and a feature that adds tangible value to the guest experience, encouraging more bookings from both new and returning guests.

How to design a profitable hotel games room

Adding a games room to your hotel is one thing—designing it to drive profit and guest satisfaction is another. The most successful games rooms strike a balance between smart design, the right game mix, and opportunities to monetise. Here’s how to make yours work for your space and your guests.

Key elements of a successful hotel games room

Choosing the right games

Your game selection should reflect your guests. Families may enjoy arcade games and board games. Solo travellers and couples might gravitate towards pool tables, console gaming, or VR experiences. Variety is key, but quality matters too—invest in durable, easy-to-maintain equipment.

Emerging technologies like VR and AR are also becoming more common in hospitality, offering immersive experiences that wow guests and create social media-worthy moments. Integrating modern technology can increase guest engagement and satisfaction.

Optimising space & design

Not every hotel has room for a sprawling arcade. But even small properties can create inviting spaces with thoughtful design. Consider lighting, acoustics, and flow—make sure games don’t disrupt nearby rooms or public areas, and create a space that feels separate and special.

Tech-driven experiences

Use smart reservation systems to manage games room access, contactless payment options for added convenience, and loyalty program integrations to reward frequent users. This not only improves the guest experience but can also provide valuable usage data.

Hotels that personalise experiences using guest data report higher satisfaction and increased loyalty. Hospitality software allows you to track guest preferences and deliver tailored offerings, whether it’s recommended games or targeted promotions.

Best ways to monetise a hotel games room

While a games room enhances guest experience, it can also contribute directly to your hotel’s bottom line. The key is to strike the right balance between offering value and creating revenue opportunities.

Paid access vs. Free guest perks

Some hotels offer unlimited access to their games room as part of the room rate, creating a sense of added value. Others charge for entry or individual games—think arcade token systems or day passes. The right approach depends on your brand positioning and target guests.

Including access as a free guest perk can boost satisfaction and encourage longer stays, especially for families. Paid access, on the other hand, can open a new revenue stream. You might also explore tiered options—free access for basic games, with premium experiences like VR or tournaments available at an extra cost.

Event & package promotions

Hosting game nights, esports tournaments, or private bookings can generate both buzz and bookings. These events not only attract guests but can also draw in local visitors, giving you another source of revenue.

Sponsorships & partnerships

Teaming up with local businesses or gaming brands can enhance your games room offerings at little to no cost. Consider sponsorships for tournaments, co-branded events, or even equipment partnerships that provide you with games in exchange for brand visibility.

This approach not only reduces your overhead but also offers marketing benefits, helping you tap into new audiences.

Hotel games room success stories (Examples & case studies)

Some hotels have gone all-in on the games room experience. For instance, The Magic Games Hotel in Spain features retro gaming consoles in themed rooms and a dedicated entertainment zone for guests of all ages, becoming a destination in its own right.

Hotel games room trends: What’s next for guest entertainment?

Games rooms are no longer just about arcade cabinets and pool tables. Forward-thinking hotels are tapping into emerging technologies and trends to offer standout experiences that drive bookings and loyalty.

The rise of VR and AR gaming

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are reshaping how guests engage with hotel spaces. Immersive VR stations or AR-enhanced games create memorable, high-impact experiences that are ideal for social media sharing—helping hotels reach wider audiences organically.

A report by Hospitality Technology magazine notes that properties incorporating VR and AR gaming have seen increased guest engagement and higher overall satisfaction scores, particularly among younger demographics and tech-savvy travellers.

Eco-friendly gaming

As sustainability becomes a priority for many travellers, hotels are exploring eco-conscious gaming options. From energy-efficient machines to sustainably sourced board games and digital gaming solutions that reduce physical waste, these choices show a commitment to responsible hospitality.

Not only do these practices align with your guests’ values, but they can also lower operational costs and contribute to your hotel’s environmental goals.

The future: AI-powered gaming, the metaverse, and gamified loyalty

Looking ahead, we’re likely to see AI-powered gaming assistants that tailor experiences to individual guest preferences, metaverse hotel lounges where guests can socialise virtually, and gamified loyalty programs that reward guests for participating in hotel activities.

By staying ahead of these trends, hotels can future-proof their offerings and appeal to experience-driven travellers who prioritise innovation and engagement.

14 West Boutique Hotel streamlines distribution and revenue with SiteMinder’s platform

Dean Elphick — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 02:59:52 +0000

Nestled just 200 steps from the shimmering Pacific Ocean, 14 West Boutique Hotel in Laguna Beach offers an exquisite blend of modern comfort and coastal charm within two unique buildings; North and South.

The property provides visitors with a home-away-from-home experience that embraces the local lifestyle. The North building features rooms with contemporary design and convenient in-suite kitchenettes, providing guests with the convenience of a home-like setting. The South building presents a traditional hotel atmosphere influenced by modern Spanish design, offering a classic yet sophisticated lodging experience.

Situated within a short stroll to Laguna Beach’s pristine shores, diverse dining establishments, and vibrant art scene, 14 West Boutique Hotel serves as the perfect gateway to experience the quintessential Southern California lifestyle.

Whether travellers are planning a brief getaway or an extended retreat, 14 West Boutique Hotel offers an invitation to be immersed in the serene beauty and cultural richness of Laguna Beach.

SiteMinder had the chance to speak with Operations Manager Samuel Ajibade, who oversees distribution, website management, and additional operational functions.

“I oversee distribution of our hotel rooms across all distribution channels and manage the hotel website,” Samuel explained. “We were one of the first customers to use Channels Plus,” he added, highlighting the property’s commitment to embracing innovative solutions.

Optimized workflows and increased productivity

14 West Laguna Beach Hotel chose SiteMinder to manage 68+ rooms efficiently, which also enabled them to increase their share of direct bookings.

Manually managing bookings across multiple platforms was consuming valuable time that was taking focus away from the property’s guests.

“It gave us an avenue to use a channel manager built specifically for the hotel industry,” Samuel explained. What impressed Samuel the most was how SiteMinder brought disparate systems together into one single platform.

“All these things were then streamlined, which has been hugely beneficial to us,” he reflected, appreciating how the previously fragmented booking and management processes had been unified into a single, efficient workflow.

Maximized revenue streams

In 2024 alone, West Boutique Hotel saw a surge in bookings through SiteMinder’s platform, securing 1,271 reservations and drawing 611 potential guests to its listing via Demand Plus. By seamlessly connecting with SiteMinder’s booking engine, the hotel enhanced its visibility and conversion rates, fully leveraging the platform to turn more lookers into bookers.

For Samuel, the direct booking functionality with Google Hotel integration stands out as the most valuable feature.

“Being able to display our direct booking rates on Google has proven invaluable for our business,” he explains. This integration has significantly increased the hotel’s revenue, allowing potential guests to book directly without intermediaries.

“Revenue and booking volumes have increased since the adoption of Channels Plus.” Samuel explains.

Samuel relies heavily on SiteMinder’s booking performance reports. These comprehensive insights allow the team to identify trends, optimise pricing strategies, and capitalise on emerging market opportunities—transforming data into actionable business intelligence that drives continued growth.

Samuel stated that “the booking performance report provides essential insights that help inform our business decisions.”

Time saved, complexity conquered with Channels Plus

Setting up Channels Plus was a breeze, according to Samuel, and his team at 14 West Laguna Beach Hotel immediately saw a real shift in how they manage their daily tasks. Instead of negotiating separately with each distribution channel and going back and forth about commission rates, they now have a simpler system.

“Channels Plus is equally impressive, allowing us to list our hotel rooms across multiple platforms without the tedious process of creating and managing separate accounts on each platform. It has helped us reduce administrative tasks and it’s super practical and functional,” he explained.

This change freed up the team’s time, letting them concentrate on what matters—creating better guest experiences rather than getting stuck with paperwork.

The accessibility of Channels Plus has opened doors to new distribution opportunities. The platform’s user-friendly process has encouraged Samuel to venture beyond familiar booking partners, leading to experimentation with channels that might have otherwise seemed challenging to implement. This increased willingness to explore new distribution channels has contributed to a more diverse and robust booking strategy.

“Our pricing strategy will always be different for each channel, that is a must,” Samuel said.

This consistent approach reflects a deliberate choice to maintain stability in their distribution channels, suggesting that once effective channels are identified, the property focuses on optimising these established pathways.

Tapping into new markets, new opportunities and more revenue

Simplifying distribution through SiteMinder’s platform didn’t just streamline operations; it opened up new market opportunities. By making it easier to connect with guests across multiple channels, the hotel expanded its reach and strengthened its competitive position.

“The more channels you have, the better your online presence,” noted Samuel. Samuel added that the volumes will keep increasing with time. “As long as you are visible in other channels, you will get a booking when the time comes.”

This success stems from the property’s expanded reach to two new channels thanks to Channels Plus, Hopper and Traveltino, which generated ten additional reservations. In fact, Samuel’s strategy is to connect to all available channels, maximising the hotel’s digital footprint across the distribution landscape.

14 West Boutique Hotel has also leveraged Demand Plus to enhance its direct booking strategy. “By featuring our property on major metasearch platforms like Google Hotel Ads, Trivago, and TripAdvisor, we’ve seen a notable increase in direct bookings,” Samuel shares. “This exposure has allowed us to reach guests who prefer booking directly, improving our occupancy rates.”

This multi-channel approach has not only diversified the guest mix but also strengthened overall revenue streams, creating a sustainable growth model for the property.

What is Visito and what does it do?

Dean Elphick — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 22:56:31 +0000

What is Visito?

Visito is a conversational AI platform designed specifically for the hospitality industry. It helps properties engage with guests across popular messaging channels like WhatsApp, Instagram, and SMS. With Visito, properties can automate over 90% of incoming guest questions, improving guest satisfaction while reducing staff workload.

Hotels in over 15 countries already use Visito, supporting guests from more than 140 countries worldwide. By simplifying communication and enhancing the guest experience, Visito allows hotels and rental properties to focus more on hospitality while cutting down on operational overhead.

This blog will break down what Visito does, how it works, and why it’s becoming the go-to AI solution for modern hospitality brands.

Table of contents

What does Visito do?

Visito transforms guest communication for hotels by automating bookings, support, and marketing through messaging apps. It acts as a virtual concierge, answering common questions, sharing booking links, promoting special offers, and even upselling services – without staff intervention.

Unlike traditional booking platforms, Visito doesn’t replace the hotel’s website or booking system. Instead, it enhances the guest journey by making hotel interactions faster, easier, and more personalised.

Visito is built as an AI-first platform and conversational AI is a core part of the product. Unlike old-school chatbots that rely on rigid scripts, Visito’s conversational AI adapts naturally to guest questions and is a lot more intuitive for guests to use.

Visito also integrates seamlessly with property management systems (PMS), channel managers, and booking engines, including SiteMinder’s award-winning distribution and revenue platform.

The integration between Visito and SiteMinder, as well as Little Hotelier (an all-in-one solution for smaller hotels backed by SiteMinder’s technology), allows hotels to drive more revenue and unlock real-time insights, ensuring accurate availability and pricing at all times.

By integrating these two advanced capabilities into their tech stack, hotels can drive higher booking conversions, maximise occupancy, and unleash greater revenue potential effortlessly.

How does Visito support guest messaging across platforms?

Visito makes it easy for hotels to connect with guests across multiple messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, Messenger, and more. Instead of juggling different apps, hotel staff can manage all conversations from a single dashboard.

With AI-powered automation, Visito instantly responds to common questions about bookings, amenities, and hotel policies. It can also share booking links, promote special offers, and upsell services – all within the same conversation. This ensures fast, consistent communication that enhances the guest experience while reducing the workload for hotel staff.

Visito’s platform supports conversations in 50+ languages, making it easier for hotels to assist international travelers. By unifying guest messaging in one place, Visito helps hotels stay responsive, organised, and efficient.

How does Visito help properties increase direct bookings?

Visito helps hotels increase direct bookings by making the reservation process fast, simple, and convenient. When guests ask about availability, the AI immediately shares real-time rates and booking links, guiding them to book directly without ever leaving the conversation.

Beyond answering questions, Visito actively promotes direct bookings by highlighting exclusive offers and upselling premium services. It can also send gentle reminders if a guest shows interest but hasn’t completed their booking.

With the latest AI Bookings product, Visito can now handle the entire booking process – from search to payment – all within one conversation. Guests can check availability, choose a room, and confirm their stay without navigating away from the chat.

By keeping the booking journey within familiar messaging platforms, Visito provides a smooth, user-friendly experience that encourages guests to book directly rather than through OTAs.

What is Visito Voice, and how does it enhance guest engagement?

Visito Voice is an AI-powered phone system that allows hotels to handle guest calls automatically, providing instant, 24/7 support without staff intervention. When a guest calls the hotel, Visito Voice answers in a natural, human-like tone, managing common questions about bookings, amenities, check-in times, and more.

This intelligent phone assistant ensures guests get accurate information without being placed on hold or waiting for a callback. If a call requires human attention, such as a complex booking request, Visito Voice seamlessly transfers the guest to the right team member.

Visito Voice also supports conversations in 50+ languages, making it easy for hotels to communicate with international guests in their preferred language. By automating phone calls, Visito Voice ensures faster responses, improved guest satisfaction, and a lighter workload for hotel staff.

How does Visito transform guest communication for hotels?

Visito transforms guest communication by centralising and automating messaging across popular platforms, all managed in a single Visito inbox. It handles guest inquiries, bookings, and service requests in real time, ensuring fast, consistent responses without adding to staff workload.

One standout feature is Visito’s WhatsApp CRM, which allows hotels to send automated messages throughout the guest journey. The most popular touch-points include after a reservation is made, a couple of days before check-in, and right after check-out to capture guest feedback in real-time.

For hotel staff, Visito simplifies operations by consolidating all guest conversations into one platform. Its AI handles most messages while flagging complex inquiries for human follow-up. The result? Smoother communication, higher guest satisfaction, and more efficient hotel operations.

Songkran grows in international appeal, fuelling surge in hotel bookings: SiteMinder

fidel.pamintuan@siteminder.com — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 00:57:53 +0000

Bangkok, Thailand – Thailand’s Songkran festival has cemented itself as a drawcard for international travellers, with overseas guests now accounting for 86% of scheduled hotel check-ins between 10-17 April. The figure represents a 15 percentage point increase from actual check-ins during the same period last year, reports SiteMinder, the world’s leading hotel distribution and revenue platform.

SiteMinder’s data further reveals that the festival’s international appeal has driven a year-on-year surge in total hotel bookings, rising by as much as 65% in Koh Samui – the resort island location of The White Lotus – 41% in Chiang Mai and 20% in Bangkok.

The increasing momentum in overseas bookings coincides with a widening booking window for check-ins during Thailand’s signature New Year celebration, with foreign guests securing stays in key festival hotspots further in advance. Hotels in Koh Samui have marked the longest average booking lead time at 109 days, reflecting a 33% increase from last year’s 82 days. Similarly, hotels in Phuket have posted a 33% year-on-year rise, extending from 76 days to 100 days, while Bangkok’s lead time has grown by 17%, from 69 days to 81 days.

Additionally, stays at Thailand’s hotels during Songkran week have extended by 7.3% year-on-year – from 2.41 nights to 2.59 nights – underscoring the diverse appeal of the country’s destinations. In Koh Samui, where the longest-staying guests are set to arrive, the average length of stay has increased by 1.5%, from 3.74 nights to 3.80 nights.

Despite the influx of international travellers, hotel room rates have generally slightly dipped during the festival period, with the national average dropping 2.3% year-on-year, from THB 6,742 to THB 6,586. Only hotels in Koh Samui and Phuket are set to witness an increase in average daily rate (ADR), rising by 38.0% to THB 11,073 and 8.1% to THB 5,889, respectively.

“It’s wonderful to see the Songkran festival join other major festivals around the world in bringing significant tourism into the country. The rise in lengths of stay and booking lead times, driven by increasing international arrivals during Songkran, highlight the excitement surrounding Thailand’s biggest festival from a growing audience,” says Supakrit Phansomboon, SiteMinder’s Country Manager for Thailand. “However, the dip in ADR presents a clear opportunity for hotels and accommodation providers to adopt more dynamic pricing strategies and fully capitalise on this rise in demand. With travellers booking further in advance and extending their stays, local hotels are well positioned to revisit their revenue strategies and introduce tailored offerings that appeal to high-spending guests. By doing so, they can ensure that the renewed confidence in travelling during the country’s iconic festival translates into greater profitability.”

Media enquiries
Maria Cricchiola
+61 2 9056 7415
media@siteminder.com

Investor information
Paul Wong
+61 411 889 876
investor.relations@siteminder.com

Hotel Director: Key roles & responsibilities

Dean Elphick — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 04:39:08 +0000

What is a hotel director?

A hotel director oversees the daily operations of a hotel, ensuring everything runs efficiently while delivering a high standard of guest service. They’re responsible for key areas such as staff management, guest satisfaction, and financial performance, all while aligning the hotel’s activities with broader business goals.

The title can vary—some properties use terms like hotel manager, lodging manager, or director of hospitality—but the core responsibilities remain the same. The hotel director sets expectations for service, supports team performance, and ensures the property is meeting its revenue and occupancy targets.

Success as a hotel director hinges on a blend of strategic vision, operational expertise, and interpersonal skills. It’s about how effectively you lead, adapt, and drive results. The best directors align daily operations with long-term goals, keeping guests and staff at the centre of every decision.

What is the highest position in a hotel?

The highest position in a hotel typically depends on the size and structure of the property. In most cases, the general manager or hotel director holds the top operational role, overseeing all departments and ensuring the hotel meets its financial and service goals.

In larger hotel groups or chains, there may be regional directors or corporate executives above the hotel level, responsible for multiple properties. These roles focus more on strategic oversight across locations rather than day-to-day operations.

For independent hotels or smaller chains, the hotel director may report directly to the owner or be the owner themselves, especially in owner-operated models.

Ultimately, the top position is the one with the greatest responsibility for the hotel’s overall performance—both in guest satisfaction and profitability.

Is hotel director the same as hotel owner?

Not necessarily. A hotel director is usually an employee responsible for managing the hotel’s operations, while a hotel owner is the individual or entity that holds legal ownership of the property.

In some cases, especially with smaller or independent hotels, the owner may take on the director’s role and be involved in daily operations. However, in medium to large hotels—or those part of a chain—the owner often delegates operational control to a hotel director or general manager. This allows the owner to focus on investment returns while the director ensures the hotel runs efficiently.

The key difference lies in their responsibilities:

The owner focuses on long-term value and profitability.
The director focuses on day-to-day performance and guest experience.

In this blog we’ll cover everything you need to know about the role of a hotel director, including the most crucial duties and skills required.

Table of contents

Why is hotel director such a crucial role?

A hotel’s success hinges on effective leadership. A capable hotel director ensures smooth operations, consistent guest experiences, and steady revenue growth. Without strong leadership, service standards can slip, staff morale may drop, and profitability can suffer. But with the right person in place, the hotel is better positioned to deliver consistent, high-quality experiences and maintain a competitive edge.

Strong leadership in hospitality directly influences both guest satisfaction and financial performance. Studies show that engaged employees—often the result of supportive management—provide better service, leading to improved guest loyalty and profitability.

Leadership also plays a vital role in staff retention and operational efficiency. Directors who foster a positive workplace culture and encourage innovation not only retain talent but also improve service delivery and adapt more easily to guest needs.

Ultimately, hotel directors are key decision-makers. Their actions shape every part of the guest journey—and the bottom line—by aligning team efforts with strategic goals and responding quickly to challenges on the ground.

Lead your hotel to success with SiteMinder

Run your hotel more efficiently, increase bookings, and make smarter decisions—all from one platform.

Learn more

How to be a successful hotel director

To excel as a hotel director, a strong foundation of experience and education in the hospitality space is essential. Over time, you should look to cultivate a robust skillset encompassing leadership and communication skills, as well as sharp mind for revenue management and general business operations. Above all, you need to understand how important guest satisfaction is and how to achieve it.

It can also be helpful to develop a strategic mindset by constantly analysing global industry trends, technological advancements, and evolving guest preferences.

Director of hospitality: Key responsibilities

Here are key qualities and strategies for success:

Develop a strategic vision

Craft and implement business plans that drive revenue growth and improve guest satisfaction. A clear strategy ensures your hotel stays competitive and appealing to your target market.

Lead and mentor your team

Strong leadership creates a positive workplace culture. Support your department managers, encourage teamwork, and invest in professional development to maintain high service standards.

Ensure financial acumen

Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance. Understanding your numbers helps you make informed decisions and maintain profitability.

Prioritise guest satisfaction

Delivering exceptional service is essential. Set clear service standards and procedures to ensure every guest leaves satisfied—and ready to return.

Embrace operational oversight

Stay on top of daily operations, from compliance with regulations to maintaining brand standards. A well-run hotel builds trust with both guests and staff.

Adopting tools to be a successful hotel director

The right technology helps hotel directors work smarter, streamlining tasks, improving guest experiences, and boosting your bottom line.

At the core of efficient operations is a property management system (PMS), which centralises everything from bookings to housekeeping schedules. This simplifies daily workflows and frees up your team to focus on delivering great service.

To maximise bookings and stay in control of your inventory, channel management tools ensure your room availability and rates are always up to date across every sales channel—avoiding double bookings and missed revenue.

Revenue management software takes the guesswork out of pricing by automatically adjusting your rates based on demand, seasons, and competitor activity. This helps you maximise occupancy while driving higher revenue per room.

Guest engagement platforms improve the experience for every guest, offering personalised communication before, during, and after their stay. These tools help you respond faster to feedback and build lasting relationships.

Finally, data analytics tools give you real-time insights into your hotel’s performance, helping you make informed decisions quickly. Whether it’s tracking occupancy rates or understanding booking trends, you’ll have the information you need at your fingertips.

Role of hotel operations manager: Duties & responsibilities

Dean Elphick — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 00:08:32 +0000

What is a hotel operations manager?

A hotel operations manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day functions of a hotel, ensuring seamless coordination between departments, maintaining high service standards, and optimising overall efficiency. Their role is central to delivering an excellent guest experience while balancing cost control, staffing, and operational workflows.

With the global hotel and resort industry valued at $1.5 trillion in 2023, the demand for skilled operations managers has never been higher. Hotels of all sizes—particularly medium-sized chains—need professionals who can navigate the complexities of modern hospitality, from enhancing guest experiences to managing rising costs. In fact, the employment of lodging managers is projected to grow by 10% from 2023 to 2033, highlighting the increasing need for expertise in hotel operations.

Hotel operations definition

Hotel operations encompass all activities and processes that contribute to the daily running of a hotel. This includes guest services, housekeeping, food and beverage management, maintenance, financial administration, and staff supervision. Effective hotel operations ensure that all these departments work together efficiently to provide a seamless guest experience while optimising costs and revenue.

A well-managed hotel not only improves guest satisfaction but also directly impacts profitability. With occupancy rates projected to increase by 2.5% in 2024 and the average daily rate (ADR) expected to grow by 4.9%, operations managers play a crucial role in adapting to fluctuating demand, controlling expenses, and leveraging the latest technology to stay ahead of competitors.

What does a hotel operations manager do?

The responsibilities of a hotel operations manager extend across multiple areas, ensuring that every aspect of the hotel runs smoothly:

Guest experience: From check-in to check-out, the operations manager ensures guests receive exceptional service. In a highly competitive industry, even small improvements in service quality can lead to higher occupancy rates and repeat bookings.
Staff supervision: The operations manager oversees key departments—including the front desk, housekeeping, and maintenance—ensuring that employees are trained, motivated, and working efficiently.
Budget management: With operating costs rising, managing budgets effectively is crucial. Operations managers must balance cost control with maintaining high-quality services, ensuring that every dollar spent contributes to profitability.
Technology integration: Digital transformation is reshaping hotel operations. Managers who leverage automated booking systems, AI-driven customer service, and data analytics tools can improve operational efficiency and guest satisfaction.
Compliance & safety: Ensuring the hotel meets industry regulations, health and safety standards, and environmental guidelines is a core responsibility. This is particularly important as hotels focus on sustainability and energy efficiency to meet modern consumer expectations.

In medium-sized hotel chains, the operations manager must also adapt to industry trends, leverage data-driven insights, and continuously optimise internal processes to remain competitive.

In this blog we’ll cover everything you need to know about the role of a hotel operations manager, including the most crucial duties and skills required.

Table of contents

Why the role of hotel operations manager is important

A hotel’s success is directly tied to the efficiency of its operations. Whether it’s ensuring rooms are spotless, guests are satisfied, or expenses are under control, the hotel operations manager plays a pivotal role in maximising profitability and maintaining a seamless guest experience.

As the hospitality industry becomes more competitive, operational inefficiencies—whether in staff scheduling, service quality, or cost control—can lead to lost revenue and reduced guest satisfaction. Hotels that operate efficiently are in a stronger position to capitalise on industry growth, adapt to shifting market conditions, and meet evolving guest expectations.

Beyond financial performance, operations managers also influence staff retention and morale. Given that labor shortages continue to challenge the hospitality sector, a well-managed team can be a hotel’s biggest asset.

Hotel operations manager vs general manager

While both hotel operations managers and general managers (GMs) are responsible for overseeing the hotel, their roles differ significantly in scope and focus.

Aspect	Hotel Operations Manager	General Manager
Focus	Day-to-day hotel functions	Overall hotel strategy and performance
Key responsibilities	Managing guest services, staffing, budgeting, and operations	Revenue growth, marketing, brand positioning, and long-term planning
Decision-making level	Tactical, overseeing individual departments	Strategic, working with owners and stakeholders
Financial oversight	Expense control and daily budgeting	Full P&L responsibility, financial forecasting

A hotel operations manager ensures the smooth execution of daily functions, coordinating between departments to deliver a consistent guest experience. In contrast, the general manager takes a broader leadership role, overseeing long-term business strategy, revenue growth, and high-level financial decisions.

For medium-sized hotel chains, operations managers are often the ones implementing the GM’s vision on a practical level. By optimising workflows, handling staffing challenges, and managing costs, they ensure the hotel runs efficiently while keeping guest satisfaction high.

Streamline hotel operations manager duties with SiteMinder

Ready to transform your hotel operations? Take control of your hotel’s efficiency with SiteMinder’s industry-leading platform.

Learn more

Hotel operations manager skills required

To successfully manage a hotel’s daily operations, an operations manager must possess a diverse skill set that balances leadership, financial oversight, problem-solving, and technology adoption. Unlike other hospitality roles that focus on a single department, hotel operations managers coordinate multiple teams, ensuring all aspects of the guest experience run smoothly while keeping costs under control.

The key skills required for a hotel operations manager include:

Leadership & team management: Overseeing staff across various departments, maintaining morale, and ensuring efficiency in daily operations. Strong leadership fosters a positive work culture, which translates into better guest service and lower employee turnover.
Financial acumen: Managing budgets, controlling costs, and monitoring revenue streams to maintain profitability. With rising operational costs, an operations manager must make data-driven decisions to optimise expenses.
Guest experience & service excellence: Ensuring a seamless guest journey, from check-in to check-out. Operations managers play a direct role in maintaining high service standards, handling complaints, and responding to guest feedback.
Problem-solving & crisis management: From overbookings to last-minute staffing shortages, operations managers need to think on their feet and implement solutions that prevent disruptions.
Technology & data proficiency: The ability to leverage hotel management software, analytics tools, and automation is now essential. Hotels that implement smart technology solutions can streamline processes, improve reporting, and enhance the guest experience.
Regulatory & compliance knowledge: Understanding health and safety laws, labor regulations, and environmental guidelines is crucial to keeping the hotel compliant and avoiding legal risks.

Common hotel operations manager interview questions

For hotel owners hiring an operations manager, or for candidates preparing for the role, it’s helpful to know the most common interview questions that assess the necessary skills and experience.

Here are some key questions typically asked in hotel operations manager interviews:

Can you describe a time when you had to handle a difficult guest complaint? How did you resolve it?
What strategies do you use to improve staff productivity and morale?
How do you balance cost control while maintaining high service standards?
What hotel management software and tools have you used?
Tell us about a time when you had to handle an operational crisis. What steps did you take?
How do you stay up to date with industry trends and best practices?

Key hotel operations manager responsibilities

With RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) declining by 7.7% year-over-year and ADR falling by 4.4% in September 2024, hotels face increasing pressure to streamline operations and optimise costs. Effective hotel operations managers play a crucial role in maintaining profitability by ensuring all departments function smoothly while keeping expenses in check.

Manage daily operations

At the heart of a hotel’s performance is how well its daily operations are managed. This includes front desk coordination, housekeeping, maintenance, and food & beverage services. A hotel operations manager ensures each department functions efficiently, with minimal disruptions.

Staff management

With labor shortages often affecting the hospitality industry, hiring, retaining, and upskilling the right staff is one of the biggest challenges for hotel operations managers. Staff turnover can increase operational costs and disrupt service quality, making employee satisfaction and retention a key priority.

Cost management

With operational costs rising, budgeting and expense control are key responsibilities of a hotel operations manager. Poor financial management can quickly erode profitability, especially in a competitive market.

Inventory management

A hotel operations manager plays a crucial role in overseeing inventory control, ensuring that all departments—from housekeeping to food and beverage—have the necessary supplies while keeping costs in check. Effective inventory management directly impacts both guest experience and profitability, preventing shortages that could disrupt service or excess stock that ties up capital unnecessarily.

Servicing guests

Guest satisfaction is the cornerstone of a successful hotel, and a large part of an operations manager’s role involves ensuring exceptional service quality. Guests expect higher service levels to justify premium pricing.

Safety & compliance

Regulatory compliance is non-negotiable in the hospitality industry. Failure to meet safety, health, and legal standards can lead to fines, lawsuits, or reputational damage.

Reporting

Data is a powerful tool for hotel operations managers. Monitoring performance metrics helps identify areas of improvement, track progress, and adjust strategies as needed.

Using technology to assist in hotel operations manager duties

Technology has become an essential tool for hotel operations managers, enabling them to streamline workflows, improve efficiency, and enhance the guest experience. With increasing pressure to optimise costs and maintain service quality, leveraging hotel management software and automation tools has become a competitive necessity rather than a luxury.

A well-equipped operations manager doesn’t just oversee daily tasks—they also implement and manage technology solutions that make those tasks more efficient. From automating reservations and room assignments to tracking staff performance and inventory levels, technology reduces manual workload and provides real-time data for better decision-making.

Some of the most impactful technology solutions for hotel operations managers include:

Property management systems (PMS) – Centralises booking, check-ins, housekeeping schedules, and billing, improving operational visibility.
Channel management software – Ensures room availability and pricing are synced across all booking platforms, reducing overbookings.
AI-Driven customer service tools – Chatbots and automated messaging systems streamline guest communication and reduce front desk workload.
Smart inventory management systems – Tracks stock levels in real time, preventing shortages and minimising waste.
Data analytics & reporting dashboards – Provides insights into revenue trends, guest satisfaction, and staff productivity, allowing managers to make informed decisions.

With hotels that integrate smart technology seeing a significant increase in operational efficiency, operations managers who embrace digital transformation can significantly improve performance. By adopting the right tools, they not only reduce costs and administrative burdens but also free up time to focus on strategic improvements and guest satisfaction.

New Zealand sustainability leader Sudima Hotels adopts SiteMinder as it overhauls technology stack, seeks new efficiencies

fidel.pamintuan@siteminder.com — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 20:52:38 +0000

Sydney, Australia – New Zealand’s Sudima Hotels has adopted SiteMinder, the world’s leading hotel distribution and revenue platform, to drive new efficiencies and elevate the revenue-generating capabilities of its seven premium hotels.

The 25-year-old family business, with more than 1,150 rooms across Auckland, Rotorua, Kaikoura, Christchurch and Queenstown, is using SiteMinder’s platform to reach new guests and streamline its operations, allowing for a more dynamic revenue management strategy across its portfolio.

“Sudima Hotels deeply values the power and reach of SiteMinder’s platform, alongside the company’s commitment to continuous innovation, which will ensure we’re always equipped with the latest tools to stay ahead of the curve,” says Hemal Ghetla, Project Manager and Systems Analyst at Sudima Hotels. “Being able to connect with new audiences as international travel rebuilds is exciting from a revenue perspective, but equally valuable are the efficiencies we’re gaining across our hotels. Distribution tasks that once took hours are now done in minutes, allowing us to respond faster to changes in the market. Soon, we will also incorporate SiteMinder’s payments solution into our technology stack, to automate the complex world of payments, as well as streamline and secure our processes.”

Today’s announcement follows Sudima Hotels’ recent investment in a fleet of eight robots to enhance guest service and efficiency. The group is also New Zealand’s first carbon reduce certified hotel chain, a certification which recognises its commitment to sustainability by measuring, reducing and offsetting carbon emissions.

Bradley Haines, Market Vice President – Asia Pacific at SiteMinder, says, “Sudima Hotels is a proven industry leader committed to embracing innovation and creating new opportunities for growth. It’s exciting for SiteMinder to be part of their journey as they optimise their operations and unlock fresh revenue streams, particularly as New Zealand once again becomes an increasingly attractive destination for travellers throughout Asia and beyond.”

Founded in 2000, Sudima Hotels is an award-winning group that has been recognised for both its sustainability initiatives and its excellence in hospitality.

Media enquiries
Maria Cricchiola
+61 2 9056 7415
media@siteminder.com

Investor information
Paul Wong
+61 411 889 876
investor.relations@siteminder.com

About SiteMinder
SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the name behind SiteMinder, the world’s leading hotel distribution and revenue platform, and Little Hotelier, an all-in-one hotel management software that makes the lives of small accommodation providers easier. The global company is headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangalore, Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London, Manila and Mexico City. Through its technology and the largest partner ecosystem in the global hotel industry, SiteMinder generates more than 125 million reservations worth over A$80 billion in revenue for its hotel customers each year.

Hotel feasibility study: Full guide with examples and costs

Dean Elphick — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 04:44:08 +0000

What is a hotel feasibility study?

A hotel feasibility study is a financial report that assesses the potential success of a hotel business or development project. The aim is to understand whether the hotel will be a sound investment from a profitability perspective.

A feasibility study looks at factors such as the market, location, cost, and potential revenue of the proposed hotel and is typically undertaken by a third-party company or consultant.

In this blog we’ll cover everything you need to know about hotel feasibility studies, including how to create one.

Table of contents

Why is a feasibility study so useful for a hotel?

A feasibility study can be crucial for deciding whether or not you should move forward with your project or not. Without the analysis that a feasibility study brings, you won’t have the level of detail required to accurately assess the financial viability of the hotel.

Neglecting the study could mean that you invest in a business which leaves you in debt or that you miss out on a life-changing chunk of profit.

Essentially, the feasibility study will give you a roadmap of how your proposed hotel will, or could, look once established. Sometimes, you may need to adjust your business plan based on the findings or even look for another opportunity elsewhere if the results are not positive.

It will give you key details such as risks, development costs, potential revenue, preferred target markets, competitor analysis and more.

Take more control of your hotel finances

What if you could boost your hotel's revenue generation and maximise profitability while also reducing your workload? Our smart hotel platform helps you do exactly that.

Learn more

How to get a hotel feasibility study report

When it comes to preparing a feasibility study for a hotel can be difficult to do on your own, since you need a special set of skills and access to key data for analysis.

Typically you’ll need to engage professional companies or consultants to prepare the study and report on your behalf. This is a time consuming process and can often take weeks or months to complete.

Are there templates and samples for hotel feasibility studies?

While you can certainly find templates and sample documents at websites like projectmanager.com, it’s important to remember that hotel feasibility studies are complex reports that require a high degree of specialisation to complete. In this respect, it’s a better option to engage a company dedicated to the hotel industry and experienced in preparing feasibility studies.

Hotel feasibility study companies and costs

Carefully researching companies and costs will help you get the best feasibility study for your hotel. However, you should approach the exercise knowing that it’s an investment.

Exactly how much one will cost depends on the proposed scale of your hotel project, the size of the local market, the amount of data and analysis required, and how highly regarded and experienced your consultant is. However, you can expect to pay anywhere from a few thousand dollars up to as much as $50,000.

So which companies can provide the service for you? Here are some examples of known consultants that you can reach out to:

HVS (Hospitality Valuation Services): A well respected global firm that specialises in feasibility studies, valuations, and market research.
PKF Hospitality Group: An international firm with broad experience covering the hotel, tourism, and leisure sectors.
CBRE Hotels: Offers comprehensive hotel consulting services with access to a vast network of data resources.
JLL Hotels & Hospitality: Similar to CBRE, JLL offers a wide range of real estate services, including hotel consulting.
Hotel & Leisure Advisors (H&LA): A specialised hospitality consulting firm known for detailed analysis and expertise.
Xotels: Provides hotel management and consulting services, including feasibility studies.

While these are some of the most well known companies globally that can facilitate a feasibility study, it’s highly likely that you’ll be able to find a local provider in your region – with intimate knowledge of your specific market already.

Hotel feasibility study example

As an example, let’s say you think you’ve found the ideal location to build a hotel, or discovered an existing building that you believe could make an amazing hotel.

Instead of diving in headfirst after your customary market research, you decide it’s prudent to conduct a feasibility study to determine if a hotel business can truly be a successful investment.

After you contact and agree to hire a consultant, they’ll spend time compiling the following:

Defining the project: Before any further analysis, the type and style of hotel will need to be confirmed, including its proposed size and target market.
Site review: It will need to be known how the property will be accessed, what amenities are nearby, and what the general neighbourhood is like.
Competitor analysis: It’s essential to understand how many competitors the new hotel will have, and what their unique selling points are. What are their strengths and weaknesses and how are they currently performing?
Demand analysis: A hotel needs guests so the study will need to uncover how popular the destination is and how seasonal the travel demand is.
Segmentation: What types of guests are most likely to book a hotel at the site? Is the town/city commonly focused on business travellers or leisure tourists? And how does this relate to who you, as the owner of the project, want to attract?
Costs: You’ll gain an understanding of how much the hotel will cost to develop, as well as the ongoing costs to run the property, market the hotel, maintain the structure, pay staff, and more.
Projections: An estimate will be given in terms of how much revenue the hotel can generate – this might include metrics such as average daily rate or occupancy.
Risks: What challenges and risks are present that could derail the project in the short or long term? This might include risks such as being in a floodzone, for example.

At the end of all this, the feasibility study will assess the overall ROI of the hotel and reach an ultimate conclusion about whether the project is recommended or not.

SiteMinder appoints new chiefs of data, tech to unlock the power of AI, machine learning for hotels

Maria Cricchiola — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 22:00:40 +0000

Sydney, Australia – SiteMinder, an ASX 200 company and the world’s leading hotel distribution and revenue platform, has made two new appointments within its executive leadership team to capitalise on the opportunities opened up by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for the global hotel industry.

One of the appointments involves SiteMinder’s co-founder, Mike Rogers, whose role will evolve from Chief Technology Officer to Chief Data Officer to lead the company’s global data strategy and further its data science capabilities. A disrupter and two-time CIO50, Mike is a technology veteran, having pushed the boundaries of cloud computing since its earliest days and driven innovation to significantly advance the technological capabilities of the then-non-digitalised hotel industry. It is under his technical leadership that SiteMinder pioneered a Software-as-a-Service-based distribution platform for hotels in 2006. SiteMinder’s platform has since evolved to become the most widely-adopted hotel distribution and revenue platform, used by more than 47,000 hotels in more than 150 countries to process more than 125 million online reservations each year. In his new role, Mike will use SiteMinder’s rich data set to drive new innovations.

Another two-time CIO50, Tomas Varsavsky, will join SiteMinder as Chief Technology Officer. Tom has more than 25 years’ experience in technology, including 10 years at REA Group, a property marketing company on the ASX 100. As their Chief Technology and Data Officer, Tom was responsible for providing the technology and data platforms underpinning REA’s products, services and operations. Other businesses he has worked or consulted for include Catch, ThoughtWorks, LonelyPlanet, Insignia, ANZ, National Australia Bank, Cbus Super, and Sensis & Ericsson. As CTO at SiteMinder, Tom will lead and build SiteMinder’s high-performance engineering team, ensuring it has the scale, leadership and skills to continue delivering SiteMinder’s transformative products.

The two appointments come at a pivotal time for SiteMinder, as the company transforms its technology stack into a ‘Smart Platform’, designed to introduce intelligence and automation capabilities to the highly-fragmented hotel industry. In 2023, SiteMinder also embarked on a new mission, to make sophisticated revenue management accessible to every hotel in the world, as the industry grappled with the increasing complexities of the travel sector.

“Mike and Tom’s appointments are a direct response to the convergence we are seeing in technology and data. Ultimately, we know that, today, the most powerful technology in the world, including AI and machine learning, is built off vast amounts of data – which have underpinned SiteMinder’s success to date,” says Sankar Narayan, CEO and Managing Director at SiteMinder. “Mike and Tom will bring our data engineering and tech teams more closely together, to unlock the potential of using one of our most unique and significant assets – our data, the breadth and depth of which is unmatched in our industry. Importantly, they will open new opportunities for innovation and efficiency for hoteliers who lack the time and expertise to drive these capabilities, themselves.”

Media enquiries
Maria Cricchiola
+61 2 9056 7415
media@siteminder.com

Investor information
Paul Wong
+61 411 889 876
investor.relations@siteminder.com

About SiteMinder
SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the name behind SiteMinder, the world’s leading hotel distribution and revenue platform, and Little Hotelier, an all-in-one hotel management software that makes the lives of small accommodation providers easier. The global company is headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangalore, Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London, Manila and Mexico City. Through its technology and the largest partner ecosystem in the global hotel industry, SiteMinder generates more than 125 million reservations worth over A$80 billion in revenue for its hotel customers each year.