Hundreds of travel and tourism professionals showed for Connect Travel’s recent virtual roundtable to join ten top professionals from global industry leader Hotelbeds to discuss the current state of business and the outlook for the near-term future. The team from Hotelbeds (along with their contact information) included:
Alice Kilpatrick – Sourcing – Regional Manager Southeast USA, Hotelbeds, alice.kilpatrick@hotelbeds.com
Bill Chambers – Regional Manager Rest of West, Hawaii & Canada, bill.chambers@hotelbeds.com
Renata Cenni – Regional Manager SouthWest, renata.cenni@hotelbeds.com
Jules Pandise – Strategic Account Manager for North American Sales, Hotelbeds, julia.pandise@hotelbeds.com
Ruben Mordan – Area Contract Manager – South East, Hotelbeds, ruben.mordan@hotelbeds.com
Aline Magalhaes – Area Yield Manager – Northeast US, Hotelbeds, aline.magalhaes@hotelbeds.com
Roberta Chiappero – Area Yield Manager SouthWest, roberta.chiappero@hotelbeds.com
Jayne Stones – Head of Sourcing USA and Canada, Beyond the Bed|Hotelbeds, j.stones@hotelbeds.com
Phil White – Head of Sourcing Theme Park & Cruises, Beyond the Bed | Hotelbeds, p.white@hotelbeds.com
Joseph Sheller – Head of Partner Marketing, joe.sheller@hotelbeds.com
Moderating the program for the roundtable was Shari Bailey, vice president, Connect Travel general manager, Connect Travel Events. Following is a list of the key takeaways one got from the roundtable discussion.
Top Takeaways
1. Bookings Trends: Hotelbeds and Beyond the Bed see domestic travel recovering first with decreased passenger focus on primary destinations. International travel has been heavily focused on Summer 2021. Here are the key booking takeaways:
• The average ADR decline for most US destinations is 25% in 2020 & 2021.
• Most re-bookings are for June/July or later for 2021.
• Safety and Cleanliness is a top priority. In fact, 76% of all Hotelbeds bookings are made at “Safe2Stay” designated properties.
2. Product Trends: Data show secondary and tertiary destinations growing at a faster pace, bypassing top destinations. Beyond the Bed has seen an increased demand for outdoor activities and private tours. As Domestic content becomes more important than ever before, Hotelbeds is working to include new properties, activities, transfers, and tours in their portfolio.
3. Value: Consumers are looking now more than ever at VALUE across all hotel star ratings and activity options. Create early booking promotions, lead-in pricing, fee reductions, and refundable pricing.
4. Marketing: Hotelbeds is dedicated to fueling the recovery through partner and destination marketing. Redesigned co-op options based on booking trends will allow you to participate.
5. Connect: Hotelbeds wants to hear from you. Destination updates, new products and programs, flexibility and availability guidelines, and safe and clean guidelines are important to them. Equally important, they are committed to keeping their partners up-to-date on their suite of programs to aid in recovery.
Check out the full Hotelbeds presentation here.
