欧盟委员会：欧盟酒店住宿分布市场研究_198页_3mb

Summary of Market Study on the Distribution of Hotel Accommodation in the EU (COMP/2020/OP/002)

Core Content

This market study, conducted by Valdani Vicari & Associati, provides an in-depth analysis of the distribution of hotel accommodation in six EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, over the period from January 2017 to May 2021. The report addresses the evolving landscape of hotel distribution, focusing on the role of Online Travel Agents (OTAs), metasearch/price comparison websites (PCWs), and the impact of national laws prohibiting OTA parity clauses, as well as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study also compares distribution practices with the findings of the 2016 European Competition Network (ECN) Monitoring Exercise, highlighting changes in key indicators such as sales channel shares, price and availability differentiation, and commission rates.

Main Research Questions

1. How is hotel accommodation distributed in the EU Member States covered by the study?
2. Do distribution arrangements differ between these EU Member States? If so, what are the reasons for such differences?
3. Have hotel distribution arrangements changed relative to the findings of the 2016 ECN Monitoring Exercise? If so, what are the reasons for such changes?
4. Has the adoption of laws prohibiting OTA parity clauses led to changes in distribution arrangements in the Member States concerned?

Key Findings

1. Distribution Channels

• Hotels in the EU sell accommodation through both online and offline channels, which include:
  • Direct channels: hotel websites, telephone, and walk-in.
  • Indirect channels: OTAs, brick-and-mortar travel agents, and bed wholesalers.
• Independent hotels and hotel chains differ significantly in their distribution strategies:
  • Independent hotels:
    • 48% of sales are through direct channels.
    • 44% of sales are through OTAs.
    • 41% use metasearch websites for advertising.
  • Hotel chains:
    • Sell a smaller share of rooms through OTAs (24%).
    • Generally do not differentiate prices or availability between sales channels.

2. Use of OTAs

• OTAs are a major distribution channel, with the following main platforms:
  • Booking.com
  • Expedia
  • HRS
  • Airbnb
• Independent hotels:
  • 72% use more than one OTA.
  • 80% believe OTAs increase total bookings.
  • 63% believe OTAs increase direct bookings.
• Hotel chains:
  • Most chains do not see OTAs increasing their total bookings.
  • Some chains report that OTAs "cannibalise" direct bookings.

3. OTA Commission Rates

• Basic commission rates for OTAs in the six countries range from 10-20%.
• Effective commission rates (including optional additional fees) are generally 10-20% for independent hotels.
• Hotel chains reported lower basic rates than independent hotels and effective rates up to 10 percentage points higher than basic rates.

4. Price and Availability Differentiation

• Independent hotels:
  • 50% differentiate prices between sales channels.
  • 31% offer lower prices on their own websites than on OTAs.
  • 24% offer lower prices on direct offline channels.
  • 9% differentiate prices between OTAs.
  • 38% differentiate room availability between sales channels.
• Hotel chains:
  • Most do not differentiate prices or availability between sales channels.

5. Metasearch Websites

• 41% of independent hotels and all hotel chains use metasearch engines for advertising.
• TripAdvisor and Trivago are the most commonly used.
• Google Hotel Ads has become increasingly important, with 59.8% of hotels using it in 2019.
• The study found that Google Hotel Ads has become the leading metasearch platform for hotels, followed by TripAdvisor, Trivago, and Kayak.

6. Customer Loyalty Schemes

• Both hotel chains and OTAs operate loyalty programs.
• Hotel chains offer 5-10% room price discounts to loyalty members, which are typically not covered by OTA parity clauses.
• The use of loyalty schemes by hotels has increased since 2017.

7. Differences in Distribution Practices by Country

• Cyprus: Nearly all independent hotels use OTAs.
• Poland: Only about two-thirds of independent hotels use OTAs.
• Belgium: OTAs account for 55% of independent hotel sales.
• Spain: OTAs account for 48% of independent hotel sales.
• Cyprus: OTAs account for 44% of independent hotel sales.
• Austria: OTAs account for 34% of independent hotel sales.
• Switzerland (not included in the study) is not part of the six countries analyzed.

8. Impact of Laws Prohibiting OTA Parity Clauses

• Austria and Belgium have implemented laws to prohibit OTA parity clauses.
• The study found no clear impact of these laws on the use of OTAs, OTA commission rates, or price differentiation.
• The average use of OTAs in Austria and Belgium is 81% and 85%, respectively, similar to the 80% average across all six countries.

9. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

• The pandemic significantly affected hotel distribution:
  • A shift in consumer behavior towards online bookings.
  • Changes in price and availability strategies.
  • Increased reliance on digital marketing and metasearch platforms.

Key Information

• Data Collection:
  • Included CATI interviews, online surveys, and mystery shopping.
  • Covered a sample of independent hotels, hotel chains, OTAs, and metasearch/PCW operators.
• Methodology:
  • Focused on sales channel shares, commission rates, price and availability differentiation, and OTA parity clauses.
• Limitations:
  • Data collection was constrained by the exceptional context of the pandemic.
  • Some data sources were incomplete or not representative of all hotels.

Conclusion

The study provides a comprehensive overview of hotel distribution in the EU, highlighting the growing importance of OTAs and metasearch platforms, the role of loyalty schemes, and the impact of national laws on OTA parity clauses. It also underscores the effects of the pandemic on distribution practices and the relatively stable use of OTAs despite legal restrictions. The findings are crucial for understanding the evolving competitive landscape in the hotel sector and informing future regulatory decisions.