It’s what every Caribbean hotel wants more of: direct business. That means when consumers forego larger online travel agent options like Expedia and go right to the hotel website. It means a deeper relationship between customer and hotel, and, more importantly, commission-free revenue for the property.
But how do you do it? That’s the focus of the first-ever Direct Booking Summit, which is being presented by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association during its Caribbean Travel Marketplace conference in Antigua next month.
The event runs May 22 at the Sandals Grande resort, a one-day deep-dive aimed at providing the “tools, insights and strategies to drive more direct bookings and long-term profitability,” according to a statement from the CHTA provided to Caribbean Journal.
The event begins with a survey of the direct booking landscape, followed by a series of high-level panels: best practices for repeat bookings, leveraging attractions and cultural attractions, improving hotel websites and managing relationships with wholesalers, among others.
That’s along with a look at rate parity and other revenue strategies, using social media, crisis management and a view to future trends in this ever-changing industry.
The CHTA says there are a trio of primary reasons to attend: maximizing revenue and profitability, staying ahead of industry trends and, of course, networking.
There are a total of 17 different time slots. You can find more on how to attend by contacting [email protected].
