Airbnb joins SiteMinder hotel distribution channel revenue list

UK: SiteMinder, a guest acquisition platform for hotels, has revealed that Airbnb and Mr & Mrs Smith have joined the list of distribution channels that brought the greatest booking revenue to hotels in 2020 and since the hotel booking reset in April.

The annual lists point not only to the sustained growth of direct bookings for hotels, but also to a broader range of consumer choices and a shift away from the consolidation seen in the space in previous years. 32 distribution channels made their first appearances in the list and 20 climbed at least two positions on the previous year’s showing.

Other key findings included:

• The increased popularity of Airbnb as a distribution channel for accommodation providers, especially since April. Airbnb debuted among the top 12 in the UK and eight other destinations, rose in five destinations over the full year, and surpassed its full-year ranking in ten destinations since April.
• The strengthening of local and regional distribution channels as a result of restricted international travel. Over the entirety of 2020, they comprised around half of the top 12 in each destination and were particularly dominant from the start of the global hotel booking reset. While local and regional distribution channels such as Off Peak Luxury in the UK have not ranked among the top 12 distribution channels over the full 2020 year, they emerged among the top 12 since April.
• The explosion in spontaneous travel, spurred by unpredictable changes in travel restrictions. Lastminute.com and HotelTonight collectively feature among the top 12 lists of nine destinations, including the UK, over the pandemic period.
• The continued relevance of wholesalers, with leading bedbank Hotelbeds among the top 12 in each destination, including the UK, both over the full 2020 year and during the pandemic period. WebBeds was also among the top 12 in the UK and seven other destinations since April.

James Bishop, SiteMinder’s senior director of global demand partnerships, said: “The travel disruptions of 2020 levelled the playing field for many distribution channel providers to demonstrate the unique value they provided to consumers and therefore to hotels.