Hotel Linkage Online Kanal Yönetimi Semineri

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Analysis: It’s Expedia Against Everyone Else After Orbitz and Travelocity Deals

Dennis Schaal, Skift

After acquiring Travelocity last month and Wotif in Australia a few months earlier, Expedia Inc. cleaned up a few missing pieces and agreed to acquire Orbitz Worldwide, including Orbitz, CheapTickets, eBookers, and HotelClub in a $1.6 billion cash deal.

The deal would give Expedia Inc. a 75 percent market share among U.S. online travel agencies, according to Phocuswright.

The big four U.S.-based online travel agencies, including Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Priceline.com, have now just become the big two, with CheapOair rounding out the field.And last week during Expedia’s fourth quarter of 2014 earnings call, Expedia Inc. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company would continue to be acquisitive in 2015. “As far as acquisitions go, acquisitions are a part of our game plan,” Khosrowshahi said February 5. “We’ve had a number of acquisitions over the years and I would say that our technology platforms now and our operating practices now are at a different level where we are good at and have a very strong practice at bringing in and consolidating acquisitions and realizing synergies.”

Given the consolidation in the U.S. travel industry, the Expedia-Orbitz deal could trigger a regulatory fight with the U.S. Justice Department or Federal Trade Commission, although Expedia officials in a conference call today played down that possibility.

It won’t just be online travel agency competitors which will be raising eyebrows. The deal makes Expedia-Travelocity-Orbitz even more powerful in negotiating deals with hoteliers around the world.

Related: Expedia Vs. Priceline: Adding up the Acquisitions

Itty-Bitty Expedia

Expedia CFO Mark Okerstrom argued that Expedia Inc., which would now include Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Trivago, eBookers, and eLong, among other brands, is a “small player” in the $1.3 trillion global travel industry, commanding overall market share in the single digits.

According to Euromonitor International, Expedia’s share of the global travel retail market in 2014 would have been 6.3% if Orbitz’ assets are added, compared to Priceline’s 4.9%.

That’s the argument that Expedia will undoubtedly make to regulators. Inferring that there might be a protracted regulatory process, Okerstrom said he doesn’t expect the deal to close until “the back half of the year.”

A spokesperson for the Priceline Group declined to comment when asked whether the company would fight the Expedia-Orbitz deal on antitrust grounds. CheapOair didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

There are also break-up fees for each side if the deal doesn’t go through, although the details on this haven’t been released yet.

Weak Link

Apart from Travelocity, Orbitz Worldwide has been the weakest of the three higher-profile U.S. online travel agencies, struggling to achieve scale as Expedia and the Priceline Group grew much faster.

Many in the travel industry have looked askance at Orbitz Worldwide and its performance in recent years, although things have been improving of late.

Still, it was interesting to hear Expedia officials wax on about what a great company their hoped-for new property is.

Okerstrom said the Orbitz acquisition is different than the Travelocity deal because Orbitz has “actually been managed very well,” adding that Orbitz has a strong tech team and a “unique” set of assets, including the affiliate business, the Orbitz Partner Network.

“This is not an incredibly sick business,” Okerstrom said, referring to Orbitz Worldwide. “This is a pretty darn healthy business.”

Interestingly, Okerstrom called the Orbitz loyalty program, Orbucks, “very interesting.”

Okerstrom made that statement despite the fact that Expedia Inc. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi disparaged the program during a Skift interview in September.

“When we look at the Orbitz program, I wouldn’t call it as much a loyalty program because a loyalty program rewards you for being loyal,” Khosrowshahi said in September. “I think we see the Orbitz program as being more of a cross-sell program. If you buy an air ticket then you have some Orbucks to spend immediately. So it doesn’t necessarily reward loyalty; it rewards cross-sell.”

What’s the Plan?

The plan going forward is that Orbitz Worldwide properties would still operate as separate brands within the Expedia Inc. portfolio, although Orbitz’s hotel inventory would be tied into the Expedia technology platform and Orbitz would be able to market Expedia’s wider array of global hotel properties.

Okerstrom said the acquisition would be a big revenue opportunity because Orbitz would now be able to offer hotel rooms at “our economics.”

Talking financials, Okerstrom said Expedia would be able to achieve $75 million in synergies from the deal, and Expedia Inc. would generate an additional 75 cents per share in earnings in 2015, depending on when the deal closes.

What’s Next?

Will Orbitz Worldwide CEO Barney Harford, who didn’t speak during Expedia’s conference call about the deal, stay on after the deal closes — if it closes?

An Orbitz Worldwide spokesperson said “there have been no discussions about staffing or personnel matters.”

Expedia plans on keeping the Orbitz brands, which will continue to compete against Expedia’s brands for non-loyal customers, Khosrowshahi said.

Said Khosrowshahi: They will continue “to compete for the toss-up customer.”

Expedia officials obviously don’t feel that getting regulatory approval for the acquisition is a toss-up but that remains to be seen.

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Top Ten Future Boutique HotelsTrends for 2015

Top 10 future boutique hotel trends for 2015 by Piers Brown 

It's hard to believe how quickly our 2014 boutique and lifestyle hotel trends are closing out, and how some predictions still remain as relevant today as 12 months ago - who says we usually have a particularly shiny crystal ball? So, with the turn of the year just around the corner we're again gazing into the future to predict our top 10 'hot' trends in the boutique and lifestyle hotel sector for 2015.

Mobile payments - turn the moment of payment into a moment of delight
Those hoteliers planning to simply accept mobile payments in 2015 will fall behind the curve. Be first to embrace m-payments to facilitate new ways to share and split costs, increase competitive advantage and add a new dimension for hotel guests in the process.

2015 will be the year when mobile payment platforms and tokenisation become commonplace. in the US. Apple Pay saw 1 million cards registered in its first three days after launch in the US and Starbucks now processes 7 million mobile payments a week. In addition, there are forecast to be 450 million mobile payment users by 2017, up from 245 million at the end of 2013.

Bill splitting, and the use of new forms of real-time tools and data to help consumers seamlessly share costs will be the millennial traveller norm. A recent JWT study found that 45% of millennials in the US & UK would like to use their mobiles to split bills with friends and not just for products, but services and experiences too.

Chameleon socialites
There has been a lot of research conducted to gain insights on consumers' social media behaviour patterns and changes in consumers' behaviour are happening continuously. Consumers around the world are constructing their own identities more freely than ever - some adopting different personalities based on the type of device and social network they're engaging with. They perceive the use of different channels as an integral part of their daily lives. Research into social media behaviour reveals that Twitter and Facebook users fall into 12 different social media personality types.

As a result, consumption patterns are no longer defined by 'traditional' demographic segments such as age, gender, location, income, family status and more. It's time to disregard the traditional (and tired) demographic models of behaviour. Yes, younger, affluent hotel guests are still (usually) the earliest adopters of innovations and change - take a look around a 'poshtel' or 'budget chic' hotel lobby and you'll see those guests in droves. But now successful boutique and lifestyle hotels and brands will transcend their initial demographics almost instantaneously with more personalised offerings. It will be interesting to see how recently launched brands looking to penetrate the sector like Vib by Best Western will engage their guests.

Sympathetic pricing
We've seen that hotel guests will embrace spontaneous generosity and rewards for good behaviour, and how hotel brands can step in and provide essential public services. Sympathetic pricing is one more totally practical way to show that hoteliers are in tune and are willing to put their money where their mouth is to engage and drive greater long term loyalty. We're being contentious here, and hotel finance directors please turn your gaze now, but get ready for a wave of imaginative and dare we say it, compassionate hotel discounts that support a shared cause and relieve lifestyle pain points.

Only 30% of global consumers think brands make a sincere commitment towards their customers say Edelman, October 2014. Booking.com's moneyback guarantee and Premier Inn's good night guarantees aren't the most sincere but it's a start - show you care and address an eternal guest concern (price) and link this to a personal or meaningful cause.

Hub community connections
Guests and boutique and lifestyle hoteliers will increasingly feel the need to connect with humanity and the hotel's local environment as we become tired of the incessant bombardment of virtual stimuli - which is distracting in itself, and the pervasive mobile connectedness taking over our lives. Look for accommodations acting like community portals - think post offices; community centres; libraries; pubs, clubs and more host (or hosting groups) variations, introducing guests to popular local experiences that could become part of the hotel's approach to content marketing and story-telling.

Guest-Laning
Expect time-starved guests to demand accelerated physical service options, especially from hotel brands they extend their loyalty towards.

After a year where on-demand startups embracing the power of mobile found favour with guests around the world, where will demands around customer service head next?

More boutique and lifestyle hotel guests - accustomed to total empowerment, will expect those hoteliers that they give a lot of money to, and therefore often spend a lot of time with, to provide an optional fast lane through on-site wait times. And we're not just talking check-in, think the queue at the bar, food and beverage orders, premium dining areas and more, not forgetting how to make profits from these services. Take a look at the Disney experience and how theme parks manage 'guest expectations' to maximise profits and the feel good factor.

Selectively tiered service provision is perhaps more suitable for lifestyle hotels with more space than boutique hotels. Of course it can upset paying customers if handled poorly (paid guest lanes will just draw attention to sub-standard normal guest service). But winning hotel brands will design guest-laning solutions that benefit all customers, even if that's in part by removing the most time-sensitive customers from the 'slow' lanes.

2014 saw Hyatt, Hilton and Starwood hotel chains all test initiatives allowing loyalty program members to check in via their apps and use their mobiles as room keys, in order to avoid queues at the front desk.

Distribution, distribution everywhere and the rise of SoMo
Boutique hoteliers will focus on driving more profitable business from the ever growing selection of distribution channels available. Wary of increases in operating and distribution costs,  look for currently unknown disruptive distribution upstarts and more boutique hoteliers negotiating reduced OTA commissions. Keep an eye on the large behemoths likeAmazon and Apple to disrupt the status quo. Imagine the knowledge and personalisation capabilities these companies now possess. Watch for a heavy social push with Twitter's 'Buy Button' (currently being tested in the U.S). Think of a boutique and lifestyle hotelier's full booking and promotions process on Twitter including payment for a small transaction fee! Facebook looks like it's on the path to becoming a "social search engine" too - who does one rather trust when looking for a boutique hotel for the next trip? The search results we get from Google, the results on TripAdvisor or the comments and check-ins from our Facebook friends at hotels in New York?

Peer2Peer dining
The hosted vacation rental model (think Airbnb and HomeStay - renting unique places to stay from local hosts) has made the natural transition to hosts' kitchens and dining rooms and traveller's unique dining experiences. A number of Peer2Peer dining websites, such asmealtango and eatwith have launched, prompting corporate level companies like Trip Advisor, to jump on the bandwagon. Much like Poshtels, Peer2Peer dining offers tourists a unique and authentic experience, within a budget; with user reviews (for both guests and hosts) and foodie pics providing welcome feedback through the experience.

Hotel brand stands
The democratisation of fairness threatens traditional hotel brands that expect millennial travellers to pay a premium for services elsewhere. With the rise and speed of information and news ubiquity, cutting edge boutique and lifestyle hotel brands will start contentious, painful and necessary conversations, because they know engaging customers is a primary goal as emotionally engaged guests provide a financial premium, regardless of market segment.

Watch hotels and brands closely, and you'd be forgiven for thinking how straight laced they are. There is the odd exception but here's two reasons why in 2015, that strategy couldn't be more misguided.

First, when potential guests are surrounded by a plethora of branded content and conversation, constantly occupying neutral ground means a slow drift into obscurity. Second, many consumers believe hotel brands should speak out.

C'mon boutique and lifestyle hoteliers,  relax those rigid brand standards and focus on something that matters for guests. Here's some inspiration on how some daring brands are already making real, tangible brand sacrifices for people, society and the planet.

Blurring of business and leisure
Bleisurites: They're smart, not trendy and focus on both business and leisure activities while on the same trip. As the lines between business and leisure travellers blur, and the speed of communications and technology improves unabated it's easier and quicker to get things done, and working on the move with mobile is now commonplace. With companies offering a more flexible approach to employee productivity it presents fresh opportunities for hotels to incorporate bleisurites into one's hotel visual story. Consider changing room configurations and amenities that would resonate with them most - how technologically advanced is your hotel to capture this type of traveller for instance?

Robohotel
Don't worry about the odd Terminator nightmare, Robert and Frank, and/or the sci-fi fantasies: many guests will have their first face-to-face encounters with robots in 2015.

Jeff Bezos recently told shareholders that Amazon would have 10,000 Kiva robots by the end of 2014 (from just 1,400 in 2013), and that this could cut fulfillment costs for an average order by 20-40% (Boston Consulting Group, August 2014).

And while lower costs will be the justification for robot proposals told in hotel boardrooms during 2015, smart hotel business will be planning not just how robots might decrease their costs, but how they can also increase guest satisfaction, too.

Draw inspiration from Aloft's hotel robotic butler as an early adopter, and how to use robots to initiate better more reliable, personal and convenient guest services. Remember, this isn't about man v machine. Robolove will free hotels' (human) in-house team from the most repetitive parts of their roles to focus on the more engaging, valuable tasks (that will further increase their satisfaction, and so ultimately that of hotel guests too).

Each opportunity above highlights a key innovation that could see the boutique and lifestyle hotelier delight, surprise and build stronger loyalty with one's guests. Thanks to Trendwatching.com for some inspiration whilst writing.

Küçük Oteller Derneği Winterhalter merkezini ziyaret etti...

Küçük Oteller Derneği Winterhalter merkezi ziyaret etti ( Association of Small Hotels of Turkey realised a visit to Winterhalter Germany )

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Winterhalter Türkiye Temsilcisi Aktürk Ltd.Şti. yönetim kurulu  başkanı Ersin Aktürk Küçük Oteller Derneği başkanı  Ömer Faruk Boyacı ve değerli diğer dernek üyelerin katılımlarıyla Almanya Winterhalter  Merkezine 18.12.2014 tarihinde ziyaret gerçekleştirdi.Grup fabrika ziyaretinde Sn.Peter Huber tarafından karşılandı.

Küçük oteller derneği değerli misafirlerimize ürünlerimiz hakkında eğitim vererek ürün bilinirliğini arttırmak ve ürünlerimiz hakkında  daha geniş bir bilgi sahibi olmalarını sağlamak için  bulaşık makinesi kullanımının elde yıkamaya göre avantajlarını , su, elektirik, zaman ve deterjan tasarrufunu doğru bulaşık yıkamada nasıl etkili olacağı anlatıldı.

Winterhalter & Rational , Küçük Oteller Dernegi üye otel yetkililerini Almanya'da ağırladı...( Small Hotels Association )

Alman sanayi tipi bulaşık makinası firması Winterhalter & Rational , Küçük Oteller Dernegi üye otel yetkililerini Almanya'da ağırladı.

Winterhalter firmasının, Küçük Oteller Derneği ile gerçekleştirdiği proje ortaklığı doğrultusunda, 18- 21 Aralık tarihinde İstanbul otellerinden 25 üye, Almanya'nın Meckenbeuren bölgesine giderek, Winterhalter'in üretim tesislerine ziyarette bulundu. Endüstriyel mutfak sektörünün saygın firması Winterhalter'in üretim fabrikalarını gezen küçük otel sahipleri, Alman kültürü ile yoğrulmuş bu hizmet teknolojilerinin sürdürülebilirlik, inovasyon, pazarlama ve insan gücü kullanımı bağlamlarında farklı uygulamalarını gözlemleme fırsatı buldu. Yine yakın bir bölgede bulunan sanayi tipi fırın markası Rational'i de, ziyaret eden otel sahipleri, sektörde üstün teknolojinin en uç noktalarındaki örneklerini, Rational fabrikasında keyifle beraberce yemek pişirip tadım yaparak deneyimledi.



İlk olarak derneğin İstanbul üyeleri ile yapılan çalışma, üyelere sektörün alanında en ileri teknolojilerini tanıma fırsatı sunması ve üyelerin ortak bir platformda buluşarak bilgi ve fikir paylaşımı yapabilmesi açısından da oldukça faydalı geçti. Fabrika ziyaretlerinin yanı sıra, İsviçre ve Avusturya'nın civar bölgelerine de gezilerde bulunan Küçük Oteller Derneği üyeleri, bu bölgelerin turizm yapısını da deneyimleme ve birbiriyle karşılaştırma fırsatı buldu. Derneğin üyelerinden Village Park Resort & Spa'yı temsilen geziye katılan Münevver Öçalır, Winterhalter firmasının üyelere gösterdiği misafirperverlik ve şeffaf pazarlama tekniklerinin, müşteri ile arasında duygusal bir bağ oluşturmada ve marka bağlılığı yaratmada oldukça etkili bir yöntem olduğunu belirtti. Münevver Öcalır, şunları söyledi:



"Otelcilik sektörünün en önemli ve kontrolü zor maliyetleri hususunda, teknolojinin geldiği noktayı görmek, beni gerçekten büyüledi. İmkansızı, yapmış durumdalar. Fabrikaları gezmenin yanı sıra, farklı ülkelerin mutfaklarını tadarak ve aynı sektörden aynı dili konuşabildiğimiz insanlarla beraber dolu dolu, keyifle geçen, oldukça verimli bir programdı. Bu tarz öğretici ve birleştirici etkinlerin, sektör olarak bakış açımıza kattığı zenginlik tartışılamaz."

Küçük Oteller Derneği Başkanı Ömer Faruk Boyacı ise; gerek sürdürülebilirlik gerekse inovasyon anlamında, sektörün çok ileri bir noktasını temsil eden bu gibi firmaları yakinen gözlemlemenin oldukça önemli olduğunu belirtti. Faruk Boyacı, "Geleceğin teknolojisini yerinde tanıyarak, üretilen değeri deneyimleme fırsatı bulduk. Türkiye'deki eski, köhnemiş iş modellerinin, bu gibi sektörün öncü aktörlerinden öğreneceği çok şey var. Oldukça verimli bir programdı. Dernek olarak sektöre yön veren, doğru firmalarla iş birliği yapmaya devam edeceğiz" diye konuştu.

Paulson & Co. starts new position in Alibaba Group Holding

Paulson took a new position in hedge fund favorite Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (BABA) in the quarter ended on September 30. The position accounts for 0.70% of the fund’s 3Q14 portfolio.

Third Point Partners, Soros Fund Management, and Viking Global, among others have added stakes in Alibaba, which saw its trading debut in September.

Overview of Alibaba

Alibaba is a Chinese e-commerce player. According to the company’s latest F-1 filings, as of 2013, it’s the largest online and mobile commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volumes. Alibaba’s September initial public offering, or IPO, saw an overwhelming response. The stock ended the first day of trading at $93.89—up 38% from the $68 price initially set by the e-commerce giant.

These are some of its major businesses:

• Taobao Marketplace – China’s largest online shopping destination
• Alitrip – a leading online travel booking platform
• Alibaba.com – China’s largest global online wholesale platform for small businesses
• Alibaba Cloud Computing – a provider of cloud computing services to businesses and entrepreneurs
• Ant Financial Services Group – a related company of Alibaba Group that operates Alipay, provides payment or escrow services on its marketplaces through contractual arrangements
• China Smart Logistics, or Zhejiang Cainiao Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. – a 48%-owned affiliate that operates a central logistics information system that connects a network of express delivery companies in China

Alibaba sees intense competition on its home turf in China from Tencent Holdings ADR (TCEHY).

Alibaba buys stake in Beijing Shiji Information Technology

In September, Alibaba bought a 15% stake in Chinese hospitality technology provider Beijing Shiji Information Technology Co. Ltd. for $458.66 million. Alibaba plans to use Shiji’s systems to complement its Taobao travel business and strengthen its position in the travel-booking space.

Shares surge on Singles Day sales figures

Shares of China’s e-commerce giant rose recently after the company said Chinese consumers spent $9.3 billion shopping online on the Singles Day holiday, November 11. Reports also cited Alibaba founder and executive chairman, Jack Ma, who said that Alibaba’s financial services arm, Alipay, “will definitely go public,” and could see a Chinese listing. The company said that during peak Singles Day activity, 2.85 million transactions were processed each minute by Alipay.

China retail marketplaces gross merchandise volume (or GMV) 

For the second quarter of fiscal 2015, Alibaba’s results beat estimates. The company said GMV in its China retail marketplaces increased 49% for the quarter. Also, annual active buyers increased 52% year-over-year. Alibaba saw 217 million monthly active users on its mobile commerce apps in September and $95 billion in mobile GMV for the twelve months ended September 2014.

Revenue grows but margins impacted

Revenue grew 53.7% to $2.74 billion during 2Q15. Net income, however, fell 39% to $494 million, due to share-based compensation charges and increased amortization expenses.

The company’s non-GAAP EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) margin fell to 50.5%, down from 54.4% the previous quarter. The decline was attributed to the consolidation of newly acquired businesses UCWeb and AutoNavi, planned investments in new business initiatives, and increased tactical marketing spending during the September quarter.

Diluted earnings per share were $0.20, while non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) diluted earnings per share were $0.45.

Alibaba reportedly sold $8 billion worth bonds

Recent news reports said Alibaba saw high demand for its $8 billion debt offering. It earlier said it plans to use the net proceeds from the offering primarily to refinance its existing credit facilities. Bloomberg reported Alibaba has seen $57 billion in orders for the offering.

Source: Yahoo Finance