The hotel technology industry alone is broad, complex, and constantly evolving. The hospitality technology industry is even greater. Attempting to make sense of the entire landscape can be intimidating. That was true pre-pandemic and the pandemic has only accelerated the industry’s change on all levels: technological capabilities and adoption, providers’ strategy and operations, and users’ requirements have all been transformed, probably permanently. And, as with any crisis, one of the first things to do is increase exposure for the brand and hotel and the best way to do this is to increase distribution.
Hundreds of hoteliers and industry insiders have made use of our distribution charts in the last six years. As we’re all planning strategy for a post-pandemic world, we wanted to update the chart a third time to reflect all the changes our industry has experienced so that it could be used to inform you and your team’s strategies for 2021 and beyond.
What is the Hospitality Technology Distribution Chart?
So, what is the chart exactly? The Shiji Hospitality Technology Distribution Chart serves as a tool to help visualize the current hotel and hospitality technology landscape, how the various providers fit in, and their relationships with the hotel, the guest, and each other. What originally was designed with just the hotel technology industry in mind has come to showcase the entire hospitality technology landscape.
When the Shiji Insights team started researching how to update the chart, we turned to Shiji Distribution Solutions, who have decades of experience in the space, to get a deeper dive into the hospitality technology partners, vendors, and competitors on the market. So this year’s edition is probably the most comprehensive it has ever been. It doesn’t have everything, mostly because everything can’t fit on one chart.
A takeaway: Corporate travel has seen the most consolidation and shifts since the last edition.
Click below to take a look at the chart, or keep scrolling for our guide that will show you how to read the chart.
How to Read The Hospitality Technology Distribution Chart
The Hospitality Technology Distribution Chart starts from the hotel at the center and expands outwards towards the guest. The chart is organized following the data flow from the hotel towards the guest via the three distribution groups: Online, Travel Agents & Tour Operators, and Meetings & Events. Each ring moving outwards is a level of hospitality technology that builds on the last to reach the guest.
For example, a Property Management System (PMS) connects to a Channel Manager, which connects to an OTA, which then connects to a search engine for advertising, and finally to the guest.
Below are descriptions of each section of the hospitality technology industry, from the inside moving outwards.
Property Management Systems
Property Management Systems store information and are your main hub for your hotel’s data. Everything from your available rooms, to guest data, and much more.
Hotel Distribution Tools
This section is the software used to get the rates, availability, inventory, images, texts, and more channeled out to the various marketplaces (OTAs, GDS, etc.) which help you sell across all channels.
Aggregation Platforms
Insights. Delivered.
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