We understand that maintaining price parity with online travel agencies (OTAs) can feel like a game of cat and mouse. These organizations have various tricks up their sleeves that convert lookers into bookers.

Consider OTAs like Booking.com, Expedia or MakeMyTrip (MMT). These OTAs offer hidden discounts which may be lower than the room price on your hotel brand website. For instance, a certain category of room may be priced at $100 on your brand website but the OTA will price it at $90. Booking.com has a Genius programme that offers different member discounts according to the customer’s booking history. Similarly, MMT also provides member-only rates and promo codes (eg: first-time users get a 5-10% discount) behind logins.

OTAs also use remarketing to drive more bookings. For instance, If you had searched for a hotel in Buffalo, New York on Booking.com and did not make a booking, the OTA would solicit you with secret offers via emails to entice you to make a booking. Now, what if your hotel website could implement similar strategies?
 

The Simplotel Advantage:

Simplotel Hotel E-commerce (website builder and booking engine) offers you the following OTA-like features to drive more direct bookings:
 

• Member-only discounts:

  This feature hides the rate from price-comparison tools running online to help the customer cut his cost behind a login.
   

• Promo-code discounts:

  Similar to member-only discounts, promo codes offer hidden discounts to the customer without the need of becoming a member.
   

• Remarketing discounts:

  If the customer now has logged in as a member or has asked for a quote through your website, our Hotel Ecommerce solution also sends them remarketing mailers with discounts to drive more conversions. Hotels can avail this remarketing at no additional cost.