The NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and its Hospitality Innovation Hub Experiential Learning Lab, along with HEDNA and RateGain, have released the first edition of their State of Distribution 2024. The report provides a look into how the day-to-day life of commercial teams within hotels is changing given multiple disruptions over the past few years.
Hotel commercial teams are getting involved in making technology decisions in their organization. While commercial teams in other industries have online communities and benchmark studies to help them make decisions, there has been an absence of defined standards and benchmarks in hospitality technology.
The report created through primary research conducted from December through May with more than 140 hotel brands, representing 11,000+ hotel properties across various regions, for the first time captures priorities, challenges and evolving nature of the distribution function across hotels of all sizes.
The report focused on in-depth insights to help the hoteliers answer to the following:
- How are the hotels planning for talent
- Where are hoteliers investing in the next 2-3 years
- What are the commercial teams trying to solve through technology
- Where do the hoteliers want to reduce their manual efforts
- What challenges are the hoteliers facing in acquiring customers
The report provides primary data to give hoteliers insights on where to invest their resources to drive profitability. Over the last four years, the research within the hospitality industry has been focused only on macros impacting travel consumption, travel recovery and change in consumer behavior.
“The State of Distribution 2024 report not only empowers hoteliers with the insights needed to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape, but also educates the future workforce with the technology knowledge and benchmarks to face the challenges of tomorrow,” Vanja Bogicevic, director of the HI Hub Experiential Learning Lab at the NYU SPS Tisch Center, said in a statement.
“The hospitality industry has evolved tremendously, from manual reservation systems to cutting-edge technology solutions,” said Peter Strebel, president (Americas) at RateGain. “Yet one thing remains constant: the need for a comprehensive understanding of distribution challenges faced by hoteliers. That's why RateGain, in partnership with HEDNA and New York University, has developed a groundbreaking State of Distribution Report.”
“The State of Distribution 2024 report is more than a resource—it’s a strategic tool tailored to empower hoteliers to face current challenges and seize future opportunities,” said Christopher Murdock, HEDNA president and director of distribution system support and strategy at Accor. “With HEDNA's hotelier perspective, RateGain's global reach and data insights, and NYU's educational excellence, we're bringing together expertise to educate future leaders and provide invaluable insights into the industry.”