Rate Parity

Is rate parity still relevant given COVID 19?

Distribution has become ever more transparent as we enter our second year of the pandemic. Gone are the days of travel agents booking solely on the GDS – instead, agencies have hired younger staff more used to booking online and companies have implemented self-booking tools that incorporate OTAs into their feed. The solution is to ensure your B2B rates are contractually tight, that dynamic pricing is implemented where possible, and channels are optimized based on their audience and on broadening opportunity. Read more below on ways to drive opportunity – which always requires practicing rate parity.

Watch recorded webinars on rate parity & wholesaler redistribution! More coming soon.

Previous webinar recordings:

2021:

Breakout: Revenue Strategy in an Uncertain World Part 1. Kathleen Cullen and Rhett Hirko of Preferred Travel Group address ways to consider business mix and acquisition costs to drive profitability.

Breakout: Revenue Strategy in an Uncertain World Part 2. Rhett Hirko and Kathleen Cullen present tactics to drive revenues through consideration of marginal costs, distribution and resource allocations.

2019:

Rate Parity and Wholesaler Distribution in the Americas

Rate Parity and Wholesaler Distribution in Asia Pacific

Rate Parity and Wholesaler Distribution in Europe

Rate Parity and Wholesaler Distribution in India, Middle East and Asia

Watch the full recording of Chief Tease Charlie Osmond in conversation with Product Manager Grace Santos-Murphy discussing Booking.basic and the measures OTAs have been taking to combat the issue of undercutting by wholesale rates. (40 minutes)

An understanding of travel agency and corporate self-booking tools, how rates are distributed to them from various sources – and how the traveler is offered the lowest of a vast combination of rates. (15 minutes)

(2020) Read the fine print about the Expedia Revive and Recovery Program - be careful with what you agree.

(2019) The 'rogue' OTA channel is getting squeezed - lessons learned from Amoma's business behavior and its insolvency.

(2019) The hotel distribution landscape is a lot like an Ikea store layout.

(2019) This short article identifies key issues and provides easy to understand solutions to reduce the disparity of unwanted rates online.

(2019) Hoteliers discuss how they are addressing challenges in rate management, such as raising rates and achieving rate parity across distribution platforms.

(2019) A comprehensive look at rate parity from its origins to its current legal status around the world.

(2018) This article discusses the issues with these two new initiatives by Expedia and Booking.com: Expedia's Add-On Advantage and Booking.basic.

(2018) The scale of the wider 'wholesaler problem' and whether there's anything hoteliers can do to combat it before their out-of-parity rates appear on OTAs.