50% of hotels struggle to optimize marketing campaigns in the absence of accurate travel intent

RateGain Travel Technologies Limited (RateGain), a leading provider of AI-powered SaaS solutions for travel and hospitality, announced that the NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality (NYU SPS Tisch Center) and its Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub) Experiential Learning Lab, along with HEDNA and RateGain, released the first edition of The State of Distribution for 2024. The first of its kind report was created with an aim to help leaders with strategic decision-making, prioritizing technology investments, organizational restructuring, and training and education.

Today, more than ever, hotel commercial teams are getting involved in making technology decisions in the organization. While commercial teams in other industries have online communities and benchmark studies to help them make decisions, there has been an absence of defined standards and benchmarks in hospitality technology and this report will address that.

The report created through primary research conducted from December 2023 through May 2024 with representing 11,000+ hotel properties across various regions, is an essential read for commercial teams, students, hotel management companies, and anyone interested in understanding the evolution of the distribution landscape in hospitality.

Few of the insights from the report that can help hoteliers make strategic decisions include:

• Ease of implementation and Clear ROI continue to be the top two factors for deciding on technology solutions

• Investing in technology training is a key area of investment for all types of hotels.  Large chains focus on comprehensive training, mid-size chains on high-impact training for ROI, and independent hotels on maximizing critical systems.

• Tracking intent is a major challenge, with 50% of hotels unable to track intent outside of the hotel website and social media analytics

• Hoteliers are spending 25% of their time on reporting with a majority of them stating it as a key area of increased manual effort

Insights are critical today as plagued by multiple challenges; the industry needed to understand what their peers are doing to give them a direction on where to invest their resources to drive profitability.

Vanja Bogicevic, PhD, the director of the HI Hub Experiential Learning Lab at the NYU SPS Tisch Center, highlighted, “The State of Distribution 2024 report not only empowers hoteliers with the insights needed to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape, but also educates the future workforce with the technology knowledge and benchmarks to face the challenges of tomorrow.”

Peter Strebel, President (Americas) at RateGain, highlighted, “The hospitality industry has evolved tremendously, from manual reservation systems to cutting-edge technology solutions. Yet, one thing remains constant: the need for a comprehensive understanding of distribution challenges faced by hoteliers. That’s why RateGain, in partnership with HEDNA and New York University, has developed a groundbreaking State of Distribution Report.”

Christopher Murdock, HEDNA President and Director of Distribution System Support and Strategy at Accor, stated, “The State of Distribution 2024 report is more than a resource—it’s a strategic tool tailored to empower hoteliers to face current challenges and seize future opportunities. With HEDNA’s hotelier perspective, RateGain’s global reach and data insights, and NYU’s educational excellence, we’re bringing together expertise to educate future leaders and provide invaluable insights into the industry.”