ABSTRACT
This chapter provides crucial insight into the strategic implications and practices surrounding distribution channels and hotel marketing. Key issues surrounding price positioning and marketing channel web-content design are presented, emphasizing the importance of ease of consumer use and price-parity across multiple channels. Online travel agency (OTA) growth continues to rise with substantial year on year financial gains and industry consolidation. Shifting trends towards increased mobile and smartphone utilization are dominating the hospitality industry marketplace, requiring distribution channel managers to insure web-content is compatible. Because electronic distribution is so closely linked to evolving technology and consumer tastes, increased levels of investment in systems technology and human capital are highlighted.
