Videos
Cindy Estess Green https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSHjjj3z3YI
This is a discussion of the increased distribution costs in the hotel industry.
Open Table Mobil Pay : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjfAtA495Oc
Open Table serves as a distribution for restaurants. Through their mobil app they provide restaurants with technology that makes their restaurants accessible to consumers. This solution is a low cost technology solution for independent restaurant and povides access to the customer base that Open Table has developed.
Class Exercise
Discuss with the class how they search for hotels and book hotel rooms. How do they use OTAs such as Expedia? Do they book through the hotel or the brand?
Current Material
Liz Weiss, “The Booking Battle: OTAs Break Into the Loyalty Market,” USNEWS.com, August 4, 2014,
http://travel.usnews.com/features/The-Booking-Battle-OTAs-Break-into-the-Loyalty-Market/