The local hotel industry seeks to improve profitability.
The great social and economic impact that the appearance of large online travel agencies (OTAs) has produced in world tourism is encourage the traditional hotel industry to “upgrade” to keep up with that competition.
In this context, the Federation of Gastronomic Hotel Enterprises of the Argentine Republic (FEHGRA) relaunched the “ReservAR Accommodation” Portal, which has two objectives: improve profitability offer and aid solve marketing digital.
It happens that currently the hotels of the national capital (mostly SMEs) rely heavily on marketing across those platforms and, with this mediation, they lose between 15% and 20% of their profitability.
Only 24% of companies manage to make direct sales without intermediaries. The rest comes through OTAs or travel agencies, when the international average of direct hotel sales is 43%,
For this reason, the sector considers it essential to increase that 24%. The portal’s launch was announced in early 2020, but its rollout has been postponed due to the pandemic.
As explained by Fernando Desbots, president of Fehgra, “The big challenge is to reduce the technological gap. In the country, in 2020, about 60% of the 17,000+ hosting companies they didn’t use digital tools, “he said.
“The Portal is aimed at this segment. It also adapts to establishments that already have their own online sales channels,” he added.
On the other hand, in the midst of the post-pandemic reactivation process, the platform allows you to view each plant’s offer and increase sales.
Desbots explains: “It can be a powerful proposition for our business people, as it can impact the definition of commercial and pricing strategies. We we can’t restock the nights of our rooms. The night that is not sold, is lost. Any channel that generates a new sale is welcome because it helps improve our profitability ”.
In turn, the initiative provides responses to a digital guest, who for health or comfort reasons makes purchases via computer or mobile phone.
“We were experiencing a digital transformation process, which the pandemic has accelerated substantially. We must accompany the entrepreneur on this path ”, added the manager.
How does it work? The ReservAR accommodation portal is national and non-profit. It offers a direct booking engine for each property’s website and Facebook Fan Page and has a booking management system. Fehgra will hold training webinars so that every business owner can get the most out of technology.
Today the offer in this channel is 1,800 hotels, including chains, SMEs and cabin companies, for example. It is ideal for establishments that do not use digital tools, although it is also suitable for establishments that already have their own online channels.
“The only requirement to participate is that they are formally authorized notes Florencia Landívar, director of Fehgra, according to whom the portal contributes encourage formality in the sector. “The next step, according to the directive, is that travel agencies can also book through this platform”.
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Source: Clarin
