How is the triple difference in hotel prices booked through different channels caused?

The triple difference in hotel prices between different channels may be due to the fact that the guests saw the confidential reserve price negotiated between the agent and the hotel.

Li Qiang, an insider of a medium-sized and large-sized agency company headquartered in the south of China, pointed out that because there are many suppliers (agents) on each online travel platform, the hotel prices on different platforms may be different, but the agents will "chase after the price", so it is difficult to distance the price and the price difference will not be particularly large.

"(3 times difference) is a rare case." Li Qiang said that individual agents may have different pricing strategies on holidays, but it is unlikely on weekdays. "Li Qiang continued, ordinary hotels differ by tens of dollars, while some high-star hotels differ from 4 yuan to 5 yuan in a reasonable range, because some platforms are not competitive at the high end, so the price difference will be relatively large.

On the other hand, Li Qiang mentioned that for agents, the price of the platform will not be limited, but it cannot exceed the price of the hotel front desk. "Because consumers will synchronize. For example, when the guest arrives at the front desk of the hotel and finds that I am selling expensive, if we complain, we have to make up the difference. "

Li Qiang told reporters that the agent has to pay about 1% to 12% commission to the online travel platform, just like the hotel, and also pay a "deposit". "For example, if there is a problem with the order placed by the guest, it should be deducted from the deposit to make up for the loss of the guest." Li Qiang continued to point out that these "problems" that need to deduct the deposit include user cancellation, room problems, hotel price adjustment and so on.

Shen Li, an insider of an agency in Shanghai, told reporters another possibility. "I'm afraid there's a step behind." Shen Li said that the exceptionally low price seen by the guests may be the bottom price negotiated between the agent and the hotel, and this bottom price needs to be kept secret from the guests.

In view of the price that guests bought on the platform at three times the reserve price, Shen Li pointed out: "It doesn't have the price highlighted in the roulette wheel (mechanism)."

Shen Li explained that at present, the mechanism for displaying hotel prices on online travel platforms is generally "roulette mechanism", that is, the prices of multiple, possibly hundreds of agent suppliers are concentrated in inventory and displayed in a "roulette system", and the display space is limited. Therefore, if agents want their own prices to be displayed, the first condition is to be better than the prices directly collected (directly purchased) on the platform.

the second condition is that if the price is the same as that of direct purchasing, the policy is superior to that of direct purchasing. For example, direct purchasing includes one breakfast, so the agent's same price includes two breakfasts.

"Only under such circumstances will you have a chance to be shown. Therefore, it is a particularly unwise choice for everyone to blindly raise the price. " Shen Li pointed out that generally speaking, there is only one situation in which the agent will adjust the price higher, that is, there is no room in the agent's hand.

"We will try it. For example, I don't have a hotel room in my hand that day, so I need to close the room. However, in this way, it may lead to a decline in the platform's evaluation of my confirmation rate, so in order not to let my confirmation rate decline, I will adjust the price very high, so that the price in my hand will not be displayed in the roulette wheel, or even if it is presented, it will not be booked, because we judge from common sense that guests will compare prices. "

Shen Li explained that because the online travel platform regards the service indicators of suppliers very highly, it requires suppliers to have a higher data compliance rate than direct mining. "For example, the product confirmation rate of direct platform mining is 95%, while the product confirmation rate of suppliers is required to reach 97%." Shen Li said, "Everyone has their own KPI assessment, and it is so difficult to survive."

Li Qiang also feels aggrieved: "Our (agent's) gross profit is actually very low. Normally, we signed a cooperation with the hotel, but we will eventually put it on the platform. In fact, most of the profits are collected by the platform. Unless we talk to the hotel about booking a batch of rooms and promise to complete a certain amount of sales, we can get a lower discount, but the risk is also greater. First, we need cash flow because we have to pay in advance before settlement; Secondly, if I can't sell that much in the end, the promised sales will still be given to the hotel, and the remaining rooms will have to be sold at a higher price. "

However, Li Qiang stressed that even so, the room price will not increase too much. "Because if my pricing is too high, and the prices of hotels at the same level around me are relatively low, consumers will not pay the bill."

the booking price of hotels in different platforms and channels is 3 times different

On July 1st, Mr. Yu (pseudonym), who came to Shanghai to travel with his baby, booked a room at the W Hotel on the Bund in Shanghai for one night on the Meituan platform. The room type showed a magnificent view of the Bund of 46 square meters, and the price was 9,559 yuan (RMB, the same below) for one night. However, after Mr. Yu checked in, the price he saw on the guest registration form showed only 298 yuan/night.

"Because many hotels are well described, I think it's worth the price, and I have no doubt that yesterday was a special day." Mr. Yu was shocked when he saw that the list said 298 yuan. Subsequently, when Mr. Yu asked the hotel and the US delegation to check out, he was rejected and was "kicked".

"The hotel said that you booked it in Meituan, and the hotel can't return it; The US delegation said that the price was put up by a third party (agent), and it could be contacted and negotiated. Later, it was said that it would be refunded to 1 yuan and 2, yuan later. " Mr. Yu said that the difference between the price and the price paid was too big to accept.

what are the above references? Upstream news-the price of booking hotels through different channels is three times worse? The inside story of the survival of the hotel industry