【酒店高參】減少集團預訂管道的傭金可以降低業主的成本， 從而讓掛牌萬豪或希爾頓變得更有吸引力， 這對業主和消費者都有影響。
目前酒店行業的多維度多業態的資源整合不僅給酒店業帶來了變革， 還讓OTA、旅遊代理商和會展商這類群體最先感受到了行業變革帶來的壓力！
Travel agents and meeting planners are becoming the latest group to feel the pressure from hotel industry consolidation.
首先是萬豪國際集團已經決定開始削減集團酒店眾多管道的預訂傭金，
A decision by Marriott International, with Starwood Hotels in its fold now, to cut group hotel commissions was soon followed by Hilton Worldwide. Both companies will reduce commissions on North American group hotel bookings to 7 percent, from 10 percent, demonstrating that hotel chains won’t be afraid to put pressure on travel agents and meeting planners in the future. It will also likely mean increased costs for corporations and groups that hold events at hotels as agents and planners pass on costs to them as they grapple with the commission cuts from hotels.
萬豪負責數字分銷、收入管理和全球銷售的全球高管Brian King表示:“我們希望確保(這項政策)它是公平合理的， 而且我們認為這是正確的(行動)。 ”“有一些傳聞說傭金將被削減至零， (但這肯定不是一個好的選擇)……任何時候一個商業模式的變化,(代理商和會展商)都需要調整他們的業務,但同樣我們也鼓勵他們進入一個新的或者說更透明的商業規劃模式。 ”
“We want to make sure we have [a policy] that is fair and equitable, and we felt this is the right [move],” Brian King, Marriott International’s global officer of digital, distribution, revenue management, and global sales, told Skift. “There was some rumor going around that commissions would be cut to zero, [but that was never an option]… any time a business model shifts, [agents and planners] need to recalibrate their business, but by the same token we’re also encouraging planners to move to a different, [more transparent] planning model.”
King認為新政策的推出是由於消費者對酒店新產品的消費壓力， 以及酒店業主需要降低成本的原因。 當然， 與代理商、管道商保持牢固的關係依舊是非常重要的， 即使新的商業模型必須允許業主投資新的會議空間， 並探索以更低的成本分配會議空間的新方法。
King characterized the new policy as the result of pressure from consumers for new meeting product and from owners for reduced costs. Retaining strong relationships with agents and planners was also a priority, even if the model had to shift to allow owners to invest in new meeting spaces and explore new ways to distribute meeting space at a lower cost.
這種變化已經對整個行業都產生了極大影響， 包括對OTA、旅行代理商、會展商以及許多其他大旅遊行業的人。 這讓我們看到了世界最大的幾家酒店集團對行業生態系統的影響有多大。
This has serious implications for online booking sites, travel agents, meeting planners, and many others across the travel industry. Let’s take a look at what increased pressure on the ecosystem from the world’s biggest hotel companies will really mean for the industry.
The Hotel Owner Effect對酒店業主的影響
最新的酒店集團預訂管道的傭金削減政策已經直接影響了全球各大酒店集團的運營策略。
The latest commission cuts on group hotel bookings are directly related to how global hotel chains now operate.
萬豪和希爾頓其實自持自建的酒店並不多。 事實上， 萬豪和希爾頓重要收入更多來自於他們的品牌使用費、委託管理和特許經營模式等商業策略， 甚至這還降低了酒店的實際盈利能力， 削減了酒店每年的實際收入。
Marriott or Hilton own almost no hotels. In fact, they have become brand and franchise companies, making money off fees and a cut of flagged hotel revenue among other things.
這就讓萬豪和希爾頓開始從靠擁有或運營市場上最成功的酒店來獲利， 轉變為向酒店所有者和經營者提供最具價值的品牌。
This has resulted in a shift from owning or operating the most successful hotels in any given market to offering the most value to hotel owners and operators under one of their brands.
例如，萬豪國際最近提交的財務報告顯示，它在北美只有8家酒店。這種輕資產模式已經逐漸形成運營標準，而造成萬豪現在的輕資產商業模式的重要原因可以追溯到2008年金融危機之後的旅遊衰退帶來的影響。
Marriott International, for example, only owns eight hotels in North America, according to its latest financial filings. This asset-light approach gradually has become nearly standard and can trace its roots to the decline in travel after the 2008 financial crisis.
減少集團預訂管道的傭金可以降低業主的成本，從而讓掛牌萬豪或希爾頓變得更有吸引力，這對業主和消費者都有影響。過去幾年裡，鼓勵旅行者直接在酒店網站上預訂的努力也有類似的效果和目的。
Reducing commissions on group bookings reduces costs for owners, making the prospect of holding a deed for a Marriott or Hilton property more attractive. Efforts over the last few years to encourage travelers to book directly on the hotels’ websites has had a similar effect.
但還有一個問題:折扣。按照慣例，一些代理商和會展商們會協商降低團體預訂的房費。這些折扣就侵蝕了酒店的本就不多的利潤空間。那麼為什麼很多企業會議和活動的支出在上升，而酒店集團的營業利潤卻保持不變?
But there is another issue: discounting. It’s customary for planners to negotiate reduced room rates for group bookings. These discounts erode the profit margin for hotels. Why then is meeting and events spending on the rise, while hotel group business profit remains flat?
一些業內人士認為這是酒店集團自身造成的。美國旅行社協會的首席執行官Zane Kerby表示，這真的很有趣，第一家酒店提供30%的折扣去獲得客源，然後付10%的傭金（再加上其他費用），卻導致44%的用戶得不到優質服務。但是，Zane在這場戰鬥中顯然有些雞蛋裡頭挑骨頭：“但對我來說，(根據這個理由，削減傭金給協力廠商)並沒有多大意義，因為他們提供的是集團貼現率，而且一直在上升。”
Some think it’s a mess of the hotel chains’ own making.“It’s really interesting to me that first hotels offer a 30 percent discount to get groups, and then pay the 10 percent commission [plus other fees], causing a 44 percent disadvantage serving groups,” said Zane Kerby, CEO of the American Society of Travel Agents, who obviously has a bone to pick in this fight. “But to me, [cutting commissions to third-parties under this rationale] doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, because they’re the ones offering the group discount rate and it’s been rising.”
通過讓業主輕易贏得利潤，並在這一過程中拒絕代理商等群體的壓榨，酒店集團可以清楚地對當前和未來的業主展示他們的品牌價值和承諾效力。
By allowing owners to walk away with increased profit and shafting the middlemen in the process, hotel chains can clearly demonstrate their value, and commitment, to current and prospective owners.
這一點很重要，因為萬豪目前已擁有30個品牌，這也給其業主帶來了一個新問題。過去，如果某地已經有了一家萬豪酒店，那麼對第二家萬豪的投資是有限制的，大量的同質品牌可能導致投資了萬豪萬怡酒店的業主要和萬豪雅樂軒的業主進行區域競爭。
This is important because Marriott’s now-30 brands pose a new problem to its owners. It used to be that there were restrictions on placing a second Marriott hotel in a market where one was already present. But the glut of similar brands means a hotel owner may build a Courtyard by Marriott property only to end up with an Aloft competing with them just down the street.
這就減少了每家酒店的房間夜數，降低酒店收入。業主們也會更加擔心，因為集團旗下同品牌競爭必然會讓每一家酒店的市場增長都極為困難，甚至會破壞集團和酒店的直訂計畫和品牌忠誠計畫的價值。
This reduces the number of room nights sold by each hotel, and owners are upset because it’s more difficult to grow in a market when you’re competing against brands from your own company. It erodes the value provided by direct booking campaigns and loyalty programs, as well.
這是萬豪和希爾頓尋求削減成本而不是精簡和鞏固品牌的一個主要原因。他們經營的酒店品牌越多，就越能賺到更多由品牌使用和特許經營等模式帶來的利潤，而這並沒有顧忌到業主投資品牌之間的競爭，甚至很多時候是在傷害業主利益。
This is one major reason why Marriott and Hilton are looking to cut costs instead of streamline and consolidate their brands. The more hotel brands they franchise out, the more money they make regardless of the increased competition among the brands that hurts owners.
Rising Costs成本上漲
雖然不是每個人都同意這歸結於所有權問題。酒店過去有會議策劃人員來處理預訂和策劃會展;現在這些工作都逐步外包給了協力廠商策展公司或會場採購組織、以及各種各樣可處理小團隊會展的線上預訂網站。
Although not everyone agrees that it comes down to ownership issues. Hotels used to have meeting planners on staff to deal with the booking and planning of events; this process has become outsourced to a variety of third-party planners, venue sourcing organizations, and now a variety of online booking sites for small group events.
“價值鏈從一邊轉向另一邊，而對成本的關注則成為焦點問題”，美國酒店行業權威諮詢機構Kalibri Labs的首席執行官Cindy Estis Green表示:“酒店為同樣的業務支付了更多的費用，原本利潤就相對微薄的團隊業務也出現了成本激增。業務沒有提升，費用卻成雙倍甚至三倍增長。
“The value chain swung from one side to the other, and a focus on cost became much more of a spotlight issue,” said Cindy Estis Green, CEO of Kalibri Labs, a hotel benchmarking firm. “Hotels have been paying more for the same business, there’s been a spike in costs for relatively flat group business. They’re getting the same business and having to pay double or triple for it.”
Estis Green估測，彌漫在行業生態系統的緊張氣氛已經持續了五年多。
In Estis Green’s estimation, tension has been building up in the ecosystem for more than five years.
Kalibri Labs最近發佈了一份報告，分析了酒店為團隊業務支付的費用。該公司的分析發現，那些規模較大的酒店獲得團隊業務收入最多，但同時在團體和會議業務中所支付的成本占比也最大。
Kalibri Labs recently released a report crunching the numbers on the costs hotel pay for group business. Its analysis found that larger hotels, which generate the most group business revenue, pay the largest cost as a percentage of group revenue for groups and meetings business.
Cost as a % of Group Room RevenueIndependent (200 rooms)7.80%Medium/Small Chain (300 rooms)8.80%Big Brand (500 rooms)16%
例如，萬豪國際最近提交的財務報告顯示，它在北美只有8家酒店。這種輕資產模式已經逐漸形成運營標準，而造成萬豪現在的輕資產商業模式的重要原因可以追溯到2008年金融危機之後的旅遊衰退帶來的影響。
Marriott International, for example, only owns eight hotels in North America, according to its latest financial filings. This asset-light approach gradually has become nearly standard and can trace its roots to the decline in travel after the 2008 financial crisis.
減少集團預訂管道的傭金可以降低業主的成本，從而讓掛牌萬豪或希爾頓變得更有吸引力，這對業主和消費者都有影響。過去幾年裡，鼓勵旅行者直接在酒店網站上預訂的努力也有類似的效果和目的。
Reducing commissions on group bookings reduces costs for owners, making the prospect of holding a deed for a Marriott or Hilton property more attractive. Efforts over the last few years to encourage travelers to book directly on the hotels’ websites has had a similar effect.
但還有一個問題:折扣。按照慣例，一些代理商和會展商們會協商降低團體預訂的房費。這些折扣就侵蝕了酒店的本就不多的利潤空間。那麼為什麼很多企業會議和活動的支出在上升，而酒店集團的營業利潤卻保持不變?
But there is another issue: discounting. It’s customary for planners to negotiate reduced room rates for group bookings. These discounts erode the profit margin for hotels. Why then is meeting and events spending on the rise, while hotel group business profit remains flat?
一些業內人士認為這是酒店集團自身造成的。美國旅行社協會的首席執行官Zane Kerby表示，這真的很有趣，第一家酒店提供30%的折扣去獲得客源，然後付10%的傭金（再加上其他費用），卻導致44%的用戶得不到優質服務。但是，Zane在這場戰鬥中顯然有些雞蛋裡頭挑骨頭：“但對我來說，(根據這個理由，削減傭金給協力廠商)並沒有多大意義，因為他們提供的是集團貼現率，而且一直在上升。”
Some think it’s a mess of the hotel chains’ own making.“It’s really interesting to me that first hotels offer a 30 percent discount to get groups, and then pay the 10 percent commission [plus other fees], causing a 44 percent disadvantage serving groups,” said Zane Kerby, CEO of the American Society of Travel Agents, who obviously has a bone to pick in this fight. “But to me, [cutting commissions to third-parties under this rationale] doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, because they’re the ones offering the group discount rate and it’s been rising.”
通過讓業主輕易贏得利潤，並在這一過程中拒絕代理商等群體的壓榨，酒店集團可以清楚地對當前和未來的業主展示他們的品牌價值和承諾效力。
By allowing owners to walk away with increased profit and shafting the middlemen in the process, hotel chains can clearly demonstrate their value, and commitment, to current and prospective owners.
這一點很重要，因為萬豪目前已擁有30個品牌，這也給其業主帶來了一個新問題。過去，如果某地已經有了一家萬豪酒店，那麼對第二家萬豪的投資是有限制的，大量的同質品牌可能導致投資了萬豪萬怡酒店的業主要和萬豪雅樂軒的業主進行區域競爭。
This is important because Marriott’s now-30 brands pose a new problem to its owners. It used to be that there were restrictions on placing a second Marriott hotel in a market where one was already present. But the glut of similar brands means a hotel owner may build a Courtyard by Marriott property only to end up with an Aloft competing with them just down the street.
這就減少了每家酒店的房間夜數，降低酒店收入。業主們也會更加擔心，因為集團旗下同品牌競爭必然會讓每一家酒店的市場增長都極為困難，甚至會破壞集團和酒店的直訂計畫和品牌忠誠計畫的價值。
This reduces the number of room nights sold by each hotel, and owners are upset because it’s more difficult to grow in a market when you’re competing against brands from your own company. It erodes the value provided by direct booking campaigns and loyalty programs, as well.
這是萬豪和希爾頓尋求削減成本而不是精簡和鞏固品牌的一個主要原因。他們經營的酒店品牌越多，就越能賺到更多由品牌使用和特許經營等模式帶來的利潤，而這並沒有顧忌到業主投資品牌之間的競爭，甚至很多時候是在傷害業主利益。
This is one major reason why Marriott and Hilton are looking to cut costs instead of streamline and consolidate their brands. The more hotel brands they franchise out, the more money they make regardless of the increased competition among the brands that hurts owners.
Rising Costs成本上漲
雖然不是每個人都同意這歸結於所有權問題。酒店過去有會議策劃人員來處理預訂和策劃會展;現在這些工作都逐步外包給了協力廠商策展公司或會場採購組織、以及各種各樣可處理小團隊會展的線上預訂網站。
Although not everyone agrees that it comes down to ownership issues. Hotels used to have meeting planners on staff to deal with the booking and planning of events; this process has become outsourced to a variety of third-party planners, venue sourcing organizations, and now a variety of online booking sites for small group events.
“價值鏈從一邊轉向另一邊，而對成本的關注則成為焦點問題”，美國酒店行業權威諮詢機構Kalibri Labs的首席執行官Cindy Estis Green表示:“酒店為同樣的業務支付了更多的費用，原本利潤就相對微薄的團隊業務也出現了成本激增。業務沒有提升，費用卻成雙倍甚至三倍增長。
“The value chain swung from one side to the other, and a focus on cost became much more of a spotlight issue,” said Cindy Estis Green, CEO of Kalibri Labs, a hotel benchmarking firm. “Hotels have been paying more for the same business, there’s been a spike in costs for relatively flat group business. They’re getting the same business and having to pay double or triple for it.”
Estis Green估測，彌漫在行業生態系統的緊張氣氛已經持續了五年多。
In Estis Green’s estimation, tension has been building up in the ecosystem for more than five years.
Kalibri Labs最近發佈了一份報告，分析了酒店為團隊業務支付的費用。該公司的分析發現，那些規模較大的酒店獲得團隊業務收入最多，但同時在團體和會議業務中所支付的成本占比也最大。
Kalibri Labs recently released a report crunching the numbers on the costs hotel pay for group business. Its analysis found that larger hotels, which generate the most group business revenue, pay the largest cost as a percentage of group revenue for groups and meetings business.
Cost as a % of Group Room RevenueIndependent (200 rooms)7.80%Medium/Small Chain (300 rooms)8.80%Big Brand (500 rooms)16%