Marriott and Expedia’s battle over commissions could trigger industry-wide overhaul
The hotel distribution space could be in for a massive shake-up as talks over fees between Expedia and Marriott are said to be in their final stages.
Last week, a financial analyst said the pair were negotiating a new commission rate, which could ripple through the entire industry as other large hotel chains look to flex their muscles.
Hotel industry analysts say it’s a good time for Marriott, and possibly others, to be negotiating, given the strong business environment of recent years.
Phocuswright analyst and hospitality specialist Robert Cole says the hotel industry in the United States has seen nine consecutive years of increases in revenue per available room, which is driving Marriott to “lock in lower OTA compensation terms” before any downturn in economic fortunes.
In addition, Marriott has a significant size advantage after its acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 2016.
He points to other dynamics at play, including the desire from large hotel groups to attract independent hotel owners as franchisees who might be lured by lower OTA fees.
It’s not all one-sided, however, as Expedia also has its own leverage and will be seeking concessions from Marriott.
Strengths on both sides
The “frenemy” relationship between hotels and their OTA partners is ongoing, but hotels acknowledge the distribution reach and, says Cole, the “low-risk business model” they get from the likes of Expedia, Booking.com and TripAdvisor.
He adds that the member-only pricing discounts and direct campaigns launched by many hotel companies about three years ago have failed to significantly shift the needle in terms of direct bookings.
Phocuswright’s 2018 US Online Travel Overview reveals online hotel supplier-direct bookings increased 11 percent, but that OTA-sourced online business increased ten percent.
Cole says: “Hotel bookings are still migrating from offline to online channels, so a portion of the hotel online growth was a merely a channel shift from offline hotel-direct channels to online hotel-direct channels.”
Add to that the Phocuswright forecast, which says hotel bookings via OTAs will continue to grow, amounting to a 25 percent share by 2022, compared to hotel-direct bookings which are likely to decline, which adds a further possible bargaining chip for OTAs.
Placement and competitive landscape
Additional factors to be taken into consideration include how the search rankings of Marriott properties on Expedia might be affected if lower fees kick in. OTAs have sophisticated algorithms in place to determine search ranking and therefore can control what is displayed.
The consensus is that a change in economics is in the cards, with pressure on all sides, but that an agreement will be reached.
Cole says: “I don’t expect any radical changes to the core nature of the agreement, or an impasse where the two blow up the deal. Each party wants to get a deal done, and somewhere, there will be terms that neither is wholly pleased with, but can live with.”
He, and others, believe other hotel groups will be watching closely and follow suit in trying to negotiate a reduction in fees.
Max Starkov, founder and director of HEBS Digital, says the Marriott-Expedia negotiations “are ushering the major hotel chains-OTA relationship into a brave new world.”
He also points to Marriott’s strength and the positive business cycle and adds Expedia’s reliance on the North American market as well as the large hotel chains, for room nights as bargaining chips in the ongoing discussions.
Starkov believes that in return Marriott might have to concede elements such as last room availability, which he says are often closed to OTAs when chains think they can sell their rooms direct.
He describes ten percent as the “sacred” commission level that Marriott will get to, but there are other elements the hotel giant will also have to give up.
Among those are full-content access and a move away from the common room types he says OTAs get access to today. Hotel loyalty points for bookers, usually the preserve of direct channels, via OTA channels, could also be on Expedia’s wishlist.
The final outcome: lower commission levels, according to Starkov.
The OTAs are becoming ubiquitous travel marketplaces, fully integrated into the hospitality industry fabric, similar to Amazon in the retail industry.
“They will have full access to inventory, LRA, loyalty points. In the future, they will open their platforms to the major hotel chains to open their branded stores: Marriott Store on Expedia, Hilton Store on Booking.com, etc.”
In a statement Expedia says “general terms” have been agreed while an extension has been signed to “finalise the legal details of the contract.”
Marriott has not responded to requests for comment.
See original article here:
https://www.phocuswire.com/marriott-expedia-commission-negotiations
