What’s Booking

SiteMinder has unveiled the lists of distribution channels that brought the greatest booking revenue to hotels in 2020 and since the global hotel booking reset began in April.

The lists, which vary across more than 20 of the world’s most established travel destinations, reveal a broader range of consumer choices and a shift away from the consolidation seen in previous years, with 32 instances of distribution channels making their first appearances and 20 instances of distribution channels climbing at least two positions from the prior year.

They annual lists also highlight the sustained growth of direct bookings for hotels, with hotel websites maintaining their top five position in all destinations over the full 2020 year, including in Canada where they ranked as the third-top producer of booking revenue for local hotels. The ranking of hotel websites rose further in more than a third of destinations since April, when hotel bookings dropped to below 10% of 2019 levels as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other key findings included:

• The increased popularity of Airbnb as a distribution channel for accommodation providers, especially since April. Airbnb debuted among the top 12 in nine destinations, rose in Canada and four other destinations over the full year, and surpassed its full-year ranking in 10 destinations since April.
• The strengthening of local and regional distribution channels as a result of restricted international travel. Over the full 2020 year, they comprised around half of the top 12 in each destination and were particularly dominant from the start of the global hotel booking reset.
• The explosion in spontaneous travel, spurred by unpredictable changes in travel restrictions. Lastminute.com and HotelTonight collectively feature among the top 12 lists of nine destinations, including Canada, over the pandemic period.
• The continued relevance of wholesalers, with leading bedbank Hotelbeds among the top 12 in each destination, including Canada, both over the full 2020 year and during the pandemic period.

SiteMinder’s senior director of global demand partnerships, James Bishop pointed out that: “The travel disruptions of 2020 leveled the playing field for many distribution channel providers to demonstrate the unique value they provided to consumers and therefore to hotels.”

Bishop continued: “With international travel restrictions in place and rising cases of coronavirus around the world, many consumers were drawn to local hotel accommodations where the direct hotel website has always performed well, or through local booking channels, which, after an initial slump, saw an uptick from pent-up travel demand.”

And he added: “Many other consumers were drawn to the staycation appeal and perceived security of Airbnb-listed properties. SiteMinder’s lists of the top 12 hotel booking revenue makers are testament to real changes in people’s travel behavior and preferences during this time.”

Bernhard Ballin, regional vice president of the Americas for SiteMinder, added: “This past year in Canada, as a result of the hotel booking reset, we saw the debuts of Americas-headquartered Travelzoo and Getaroom.com, which reflect the newer ways that accommodation is being booked. Consumers have changed. It is therefore critical that hoteliers assess how and where they sell their rooms, and ensure they embrace the distribution channels—global and local, direct and indirect—with proven effectiveness in securing reservations and revenue.”

In Canada, the top 12 hotel booking channels in 2020, based on total gross revenue made for all users of SiteMinder’s platform, were:

Over The Full 2020 Year

1. Expedia Group

2. Booking.com

3. Hotel websites (direct bookings)

4. Airbnb

5. Hostelworld Group

6. Agoda

7. Global distribution systems 

8. Hotelbeds

9. Travelzoo

10. Getaroom.com 

11. Hostelling International

12. HotelTonight

Since The Hotel Booking Reset (April to Dec. 2020)

1. Expedia Group

2. Booking.com

3. Hotel websites (direct bookings)

4. Airbnb

5. Agoda

6. Hostelworld Group

7. Global distribution systems

8. Hotelbeds

9. Getaroom.com

10. Travelzoo

11. Hostelling International

12. HotelTonight

For more, go to www.siteminder.com