Pegasus Solutions has launched MetaSearch Services, a solution that allows hotels to capture direct bookings from metasearch results. The product, being introduced by Pegasus at ITB Berlin Hall 8.1 stand 111, recently completed beta testing with several major hotel chains during which they achieved a return on investment of up to 5:1 for every US dollar spent. The program is now available to Pegasus’ 90,000 hotel customers worldwide.

With MetaSearch Services, Pegasus increases the revenue opportunity for hotels seeking business through online search by displaying and linking directly to hotel information, rate and availability in metasearch results. The product allows metasearch engines to shop hotels and travel suppliers through Pegasus, but sends the booking directly to the hotel chain or hotel web site.

“Hotels need to be able to reach consumers wherever they choose to shop, whether they prefer to book through on online travel agency or directly with the hotel,” said David Sjolander, vice president of product management, distribution services for Pegasus Solutions. “Our MSS enables hotels to provide consumers with this choice when they elect to conduct price comparisons using metasearch.”

Pegasus, the world’s single largest processor of electronic hotel transactions, currently connects tens of thousands of hotels to the global distribution systems (GDS) and alternative distribution systems (ADS), or online channels, through the UltraDirect® interface. UltraDirect, which has also been dubbed the distribution workhorse, connects metasearch engines to the central reservation systems (CRSs) of most worldwide hotel chains. MetaSearch Services leverages UltraDirect’s real-time access to updated rates and inventory, offering hotels the option to direct the actual booking directly to the hotel or chain site.

“The hotel industry is in the midst of a major transition in terms of the way travel is being distributed, shopped and sold,” added Sjolander. “We’re seeing the market evolve. Hotels require fresh solutions like MetaSearch Services that allow them to compete strategically in today’s market.”

With thanks to Hotel Marketing.com

While you may not be the person that actually does the code for your cusotmer Facebook tabs and applications, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be informed about the new advantages that iframes bring to Facebook Pages. This change has many implications, but lets look at some of the major issues marketers need to understand:

1. Better Design - Using iframes for custom tabs and applications means that marketers can use their own CSS, the code used to determine the design of a webpage, to make custom tabs more consistent with brand guidelines and design. This changes has removed any design limitations that were present in FBML.

2. Better Tracking - Content within an iframe actually resides on your own site, but is displayed on your Facebook Page. Because the content is on your site, you can use your own web analytics and lead tracking software, such as HubSpot. Leveraging your lead tracking and analytics will help you better measure your Facebook marketing efforts and determine most effective tactics for your business.

3. Better Selling - If you are an eCommerce company, then the move to iframes helps you to become better at selling through Facebook. You can now easily add product pages to your Facebook page and create calls-to-action to drive more sales directly through Facebook

Further information can be found on HubSpot

With thanks to HotelMarketing.com

Advancements to Google Places / Maps will further de-emphasize the importance of booking direct. If hotel marketers want to be part of the “Google booking game”, they must completely alter their distribution strategy to spend more money on advertising with Google.

Last week, HotelNewsNow.com’s Stacey Higgins reported live from HSMAI Europe’s Revenue Management & Internet Marketing Strategy Conference, where she listened to a presentation from Nate Bucholz, industry manager at Google. Bucholz’s main takeaway was that Google will not become an OTA, rather the search-engine giant aims to provide a comprehensive, easy-to-use experience for customers searching for hotel rooms.

“We’re not interested in taking consumers’ money directly,” he said. “We’re not going to become an OTA. We want to get the consumer to become a qualified lead.”

While this sounds all well and good for the hotel industry, it may be a little misleading. He’s accurate that Google may not directly conduct booking transactions, but in the end that doesn’t really matter for hoteliers. What really matters is that Google is in no way helping to drive bookings to the hotel website, which we all know is crucial to a successful operating model for the hotel industry. Instead it seems that advancements to Google Places will in fact de-emphasize the importance of booking direct, and, if hoteliers want to be part of the booking game, they must completely alter their distribution strategy to spend more money on advertising with Google. Get the full story on HotelNewsNow.com

With thanks to HotelMarketing.com