The major OTAs play an important role in the distribution of hotel offers. In order to benefit from them in the best possible way, you as hoteliers should consider some important aspects. In this article, we focus on the specifics, best practices and other aspects of and about Expedia and give you a brief guide to set yourself up in the best possible way.
What special programs does Expedia offer?
Member deal
Expedia wants to offer the best value to loyal customers through this program. Online, the price is marked as “member price”. The supplier has to offer the minimum discount of 10%. In addition, Expedia allows you to create “Members Only” promotions, this will then adjust the discount accordingly.
Promotions /campaigns
Promotions can be used to advertise periods of low demand. This increases the visibility and the listing. Expedia provides various possibilities. You can set individual promotions with self-selected discounts. With this marketing tool, you can also determine the target group. Here, there is a possibility to activate the promotion only for members or to grant it only for the package offers. In addition, Expedia offers the possibility to participate in advertising campaigns created by Expedia. In order to participate in an advertising campaign, you must register for the campaign. Here, the sales channel usually sets a minimum discount as well as fixed travel and booking dates.
Accelerator
The Accelerator is a special marketing tool from Expedia that allows you to improve your ranking in search results. Your ranking will be improved and you will pay a higher commission to Expedia accordingly. The Accelerator can be set both indefinitely and for specific periods of time.
Travel ads
Travel Ads is a sponsored listing with premium placement in search results. Here you can define who should see the ad and how high the daily budget and pay-per-click should be. You can view the performance of this marketing measure at any time and make appropriate adjustments.
VIP access
The VIP Access program is an exclusive benefit program to which only Expedia’s most successful and top-selling hotels are invited. Participation in the program increases the visibility and allows you to take part in selected marketing activities of the OTA for free. In return, you must provide certain benefits to Expedia’s VIP and Premium guests. Examples of these additional benefits include free parking, free breakfast or similar free services.
Package deals
Expedia also offers packages with flight, hotel room and optional rental car. This gives hotel partners the opportunity to offer the hotel rooms within the packages as well. Here, the channel recommends a certain discount on the rates sold without additional services for the packages.
Automatic rate comparison
This tool compares your online available rates on different digital sales channels. Expedia alerts you in the case that cheaper rates have been found online on other channels and adjusts your rate on Expedia according to the cheapest rate. The traveler is then only offered the lowest price found online.
Best practices – what should hoteliers check regularly?
Live page and content
The live page is the first impression for guests and should be carefully designed. Truthful and detailed information is important, especially star rating, hotel address, description and house rules. The first five pictures should be meaningful and the main photo should be chosen especially carefully. Certificates such as “Travel Sustainable Level” and “Health & Safety Measurements” can be helpful. Rate products and room categories should be reviewed regularly and prices should be monitored. Page placement can be improved with tools such as the Accelerator, Promotions Travel Ads and the other specifics listed above.
Setup
In order to ensure the correct display on the live page, the setup in the extranet must be correct. In any case, the offered rate plans and the room categories should be checked. It should also be checked whether the automatic rate adjustment makes sense and which days are affected by this if it is activated. Because of course the setup is influenced by the adjustments accordingly and not always the transmitted rates are displayed.
Restrictions
Here they should check the deposited cancellation conditions, especially if there are periods with deviating settings here. In addition, this aspect also includes checking the transmission of minimum stays and other restrictions, such as the advance booking window of some installment products. The restrictions can be stored independently in the Expedia Extranet under the menu item “Rooms and rates” and the sub-item “Cancellation conditions”.
What anaylsis options does Expedia provide to hoteliers?
Performance analysis
This tool allows you to analyze past and future trends, bookings and data. It also shows you optimization opportunities. You can compare your performance with that of your competitors. You will find information about the booking behavior of customers, sales reports as well as your performance in terms of visibility and conversion. In addition, they get an outlook regarding future development.
Competitor setup
In order for the analyses to be as meaningful as possible, the most relevant competitors should be selected. A regular check of the competitor settings is recommended in any case, as the hotel market is always changing, but Expedia only allows changes to be made every 15 days.
Revenue management
Here you will find information about your current prices and market demand. The information is intended to help you make informed pricing decisions. Price changes and changes in market demand for the next twelve months are shown. This will enable you to adjust your prices in line with the market and thus optimize your revenue.
