ROCKVILLE, MD—July marked the first time in history Brand.com exceeded the share of hotel room nights booked through every other channel, as shown by the Kalibri Labs’ Hotel Industry Performance Overview. Brand.com produced 26.1% of all room nights booked in July, compared to the next largest channel of property direct at 24.1%. This trend away from property direct has sustained its swift pace and is continued evidence of the evolution in consumer booking behavior.
The percentage of guests who are loyalty program members continues its rapid rise, up 6% year-over-year (YOY) to 53.9% of all room nights booked at hotels with active loyalty programs.
Booking costs per room night increased slightly in July (+1.6%) but have marginally decreased year-to-date (-1.7%) when compared to the same period in 2018.
New York City hotels continue to struggle with room rate (ADR) growth despite high occupancies. Even with occupancies in the market of 85%, guest paid ADR declined slightly (-2.45% YOY).
“The shift away from property direct bookings has created a virtual ‘horse race’ between Brand.com and OTA, both vying for demand share growth,” Cindy Estis Green, CEO & co-founder of Kalibri Labs. “Brands continue to double down on their loyalty programs to maintain the relationship with their customers with an eye towards keeping booking costs in check.”
