The demise of Roomkey makes people wonder if a Hotel-owned OTA is viable.
Hospitality & Online Travel Tech Consultant Max Starkov initiated a discussion on the question and eight experts expressed their viewpoints.
Simone Puorto, founder & CEO of Travel Singularity, said we keep confusing the tool (OTAs) with the strategy (a proper plan) and, until we keep mixing the two, there's no easy way out.
Larry Mogelonsky, Managing Director Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited, likened a hotel-owned OTA to having cart before the horse. Instead, he said an OTA buys a hotel brand is more likely.
Max Starkov commented that building a hotelier-owned OTA is a hotelier's pipe dream. The OTAs are constantly evolving and will continue to do so. Consumers have always been in need of marketplaces.
