In conversation with Shoaib Ali, Zonal Head – Business Development, STAAH India Ltd.

A Sales and Marketing Professional, with more than 14 years of experience in the hospitality space, Shoaib Ali has demonstrated history of working in the travel and tourism industry, particularly in online revenue management, distribution, and technology operations for accommodation providers of all types. Shoaib has also worked in food & beverage industry, MICROS and front office. His strong expertise in hospitality operations is supported by his qualification in hospitality and tourism space.

Hospibuz brings an exclusive interaction with Shoaib Ali, the Zonal Head – Business Development for STAAH, India Ltd. on the big hospitality rebound following its decimation due to Covid-19. Is 2022 the year the hospitality industry over its past the pandemic volatility?

What can accommodation providers expect from 2022? Is a recovery imminent?

After a volatile two years in the travel and hospitality sector, most industry research points towards a recovering demand. According to PWC Hotels Forecast 2021-2022, performance in 2022 is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels, but the signs are encouraging.

Some market segments will recover faster than the others, and this is already seen in 2021. Leisure and domestic travel did well across most countries, driven by pent up demand – what is widely being recognised as “revenge travel”. Stuck inside their homes for months together, people are taking any available ease in restrictions to travel, albeit local (domestic) travel remains the top choice. International border openings worldwide have been unpredictable, and this reflects in low overseas visitors for most destinations.

Business and events bookings, like international travellers, is not likely to bounce back quickly.

A number of factors that directly affect accommodation providers remain outside their control, i.e. consumer confidence, travel restrictions and vaccination rates. However, the last two years has taught hoteliers some valuable lessons that must be applied for them to ride the recovery wave. These include strict health and hygiene guidelines, flexibility in bookings, review of target audience and a strong digital proposition.

What were the top distribution channels for 2021 according to STAAH? What does it mean for hoteliers?

The top performing channels vary across the travel destinations covered in our survey and highlight the broad range of booking choices available to travellers. Key online travel agents (OTAs) such as Go MMT, Booking.com, Agoda, TravelGuru, Expedia and Airbnb continue to rule the roost in most places. It is important to ensure a presence on them for reach.

Airbnb’s popularity is picking up across Asian countries while it continues to be a dominant force in Europe and Australasia. The consumer lean towards independent accommodation as a result of the pandemic could be a contributing factor. People want to avoid crowds.

Another stand-out is the increasing prominence of local and regional distribution channels such as GoMMT, Happyeasygo, HRS and EaseMyTrip as booking choices as a result of restricted international travel and a focus on domestic travel.

With COVID hitting the travel industry hard, how is STAAH growing its customer base in India?

Our performance amidst the ongoing challenges is testament to our technology, its reach and effectiveness, and a passionate customer service team that drives value for our partners.

At a time when hoteliers are increasingly relying on technology to help sell, market, manage and grow their business, our technology with its ease-of-use slots right in. We’ve continued to invest in these last two years into features that will help hoteliers find their way out of this situation. Be it partnerships with regional distribution channels to meet domestic travel surge, dynamic rate management and competitor monitoring for improved commission-free direct bookings or enhanced insights to make better decisions on rates, our technology has been responsive to the market needs. It works and that’s why we have been able to continue to grow partners despite a pandemic.

What does the distribution landscape look like for 2022 and years ahead?

The channel mix, referring to the mediums and platforms used by hoteliers to sell their rooms to consumers, is always in flux. The pre-Covid delicate dynamics between OTAs and

direct bookings is further disrupted. According to a Skift report, initial data shows that in light on reduced demand, both OTAs and direct bookings have grown at the expense of third-party channels such as bed banks and GDS.

The pandemic has taught hoteliers to get more granular about the cost of every distribution channel. However, the need for heads on beds is driving short-term distribution with hoteliers making themselves available on every possible channel. In the longer-term, profitability and market value considerations will need to be more carefully evaluated. This will see another round of channel-mix rationalisation, which may or may not resemble the traditional channel mix that is well and truly out of the window.

Your three top tips for hoteliers navigating through Covid-19 pandemic…

1. Be empathetic. Understand your guests and their changing preferences and respond to them by making the change. Be more vigilant about your health and safety guidelines, be flexible with cancellations and offer deals and discounts that provide value.

2. Stay on top on industry trends. The industry is evolving faster than ever before. Traditional marketing and operational approaches are being discarded for new ones. Stay ahead of the curve by relying on insights, competitor activity, airline activity and various other sources.

3. Use this time to evolve your strategy. Covid-19 has left rooms empty and while you do everything to stay afloat, use this time to do things you’ve always wanted to do, but not had time for. Engage guests online, build organic search and social presence through good content, analyse data and develop strategies for various scenarios.

About STAAH:

STAAH Ltd is a New Zealand-based technology company that specialises in cloud-based channel management and booking engine for accommodation providers of all types, helping them maximise their online revenue. Founded by Gavin Jeddo in 2008, a pioneer in the field of distribution technology, Our rich insights drive profitability while our flexible technology helps build agile accommodation businesses that can quickly adapt to the dynamic hospitality environment.

STAAH works with more than 12,000 properties across 90 countries through its operations in New Zealand, Australia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, UK and Europe.

Visit : https://www.staah.com/

Find out more on how to sell more rooms and maximise your online revenue.