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1、Final ReportPrepared byMarket study on the distribution ofhotel accommodation in the EUCOMP/2020/OP/002Competition EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Competition E-mail:comp-publicationsec.europa.eu European Commission B-1049 Brussels Catalogue number Market study on the distribution of hot
2、el accommodation in the EU COMP/2020/OP/002 Final report LEGAL NOTICE The information and views set out in this report are those of the author(s)and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Commission.The Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study.Nei
3、ther the Commission nor any person acting on the Commissions behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.More information on the European Union:https:/european-union.europa.eu/index_en Luxembourg:Publications Office of the European Union,2022 Cat
4、alogue number:KD-07-22-783-EN-N ISBN:978-92-76-56974-9DOI:10.2763/264575 European Union,2022 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.The reproduction of the artistic material contained therein is prohibited.Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions
5、about the European Union.Freephone number(*):00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11(*)The information given is free,as are most calls(though some operators,phone boxes or hotels may charge you).Authors:Davide FinaDuy Huynh-OlesenRoberto SigismondoChristian NeumannDano MeiskePaula RamadaMarket study on the distributio
6、n of hotel accommodation in the EU Table of Contents Abstract.I Rsum.II Abstrakt.III Executive summary.IV Synthse.IX Zusammenfassung.XV 1.Introduction,objectives and scope of the study.1 2.Methodological approach.2 2.1.Task 0:Inception and conceptualisation.3 2.2.Task 1:Desk research to review relev
7、ant literature.3 2.3.Task 2:Collection of data.4 2.3.1.Sub-task 2.1:CATI interviews with hotels.4 2.3.2.Sub-task 2.1:Data collection from hotel chains,OTAs and PCWs.6 2.3.3.Sub-task 2.2:Complementary sources of information.7 2.4.Task 3:Data analysis.8 3.Results of the study.9 3.1.Literature review.9
8、 3.1.1.Overview of hotel distribution practices.9 3.1.2.Benefits and disadvantages of OTAs.16 3.1.3.Use,enforcement and impact of OTA parity clauses.22 3.1.4.Factors impacting hotel room prices.26 3.1.5.Limitations.30 3.2.Data collection from stakeholders.30 3.2.1.Share of hotel accommodation sold t
9、hrough each channel.31 3.2.2.How hotels use OTAs.35 3.2.3.Relative importance of individual OTAs.37 3.2.4.OTA commission rates.38 3.2.5.Room price and room availability differentiation by hotels between sales channels 42 3.2.6.OTA conversion rates(look-to-book ratios)and cancellation rates.47 3.2.7.
10、Use of metasearch websites by OTAs and hotels.47 3.2.8.Use of online advertising by hotels and OTAs.49 3.2.9.Hotels use of bed wholesalers/bed banks.51 3.2.10.Relative cost of sales channels for hotels.51 3.2.11.OTA parity clauses.53 Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU
11、3.2.12.Compliance with and enforcement of OTA parity clauses.56 3.2.13.Use of other measures by OTAs to incentivise hotels to offer favourable room prices and inventory.57 3.2.14.Use of performance/parity scoring by OTAs and display of hotels in OTA search results.59 3.2.15.Use of consumer best pric
12、e guarantees by OTAs and hotels.60 3.2.16.Use of loyalty schemes by hotels and OTAs.60 3.2.17.Commission sharing and room price discounting by OTAs.61 3.2.18.Other consumer-facing and hotel-facing commercial strategies used by OTAs 62 3.2.19.Evidence of recent or expected entry or expansion by platf
13、orms offering price comparison or booking services for hotel or other short-term accommodation,including Google and Airbnb.62 3.2.20.Limitations of the data collection exercise.64 4.Conclusions.65 4.1.Main features of hotel distribution.65 4.1.1.Sales channels relative importance.65 4.1.2.Hotels use
14、 of OTAs.65 4.1.3.OTA commission rates and costs of other sales channels.66 4.1.4.Hotels use of metasearch and online advertising.66 4.1.5.Price(and availability)differentiation between sales channels.67 4.1.6.Loyalty programmes.68 4.2.Differences in distribution arrangements between the study count
15、ries.68 4.2.1.Use of OTAs and other forms of marketing.68 4.2.2.OTA parity clauses.69 4.2.3.Basic and effective OTA commission rates.69 4.3.Changes in distribution arrangements relative to the results of the 2016 ECN Monitoring Exercise.70 4.3.1.The share of hotel accommodation sold offline,online,d
16、irect and indirect.70 4.3.2.OTA commission rates.71 4.3.3.Room price and room availability differentiation between sales channels.71 4.3.4.Use of metasearch websites by hotels.72 4.4.Impact of laws prohibiting OTA parity clauses on hotel distribution arrangements.73 4.5.Impact of the COVID-19 pandem
17、ic on hotel distribution arrangements.75 Annex 1:Bibliography.77 Annex 2:Sampling methodology including Sample of hotels(independent and chains)OTAs and metasearch.83 Sample of independent hotels.83 Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU Data selection.83 Data preparation.
18、84 Sampling approach.89 Sample description.90 Sample of hotel chains.93 Sample of OTAs and PCWs.98 Annex 3:Stakeholder questionnaires.103 Questionnaire to individual hotels:CATI interview.103 Questionnaire to individual hotels:online survey.115 Questionnaire to hotel chains.128 Questionnaire to OTAs
19、.143 Questionnaire to PCWs.160 Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU List of Tables Table 1 Hotel use of OTAs in the six study countries.5 Table 2 Hotel by star rating in the six study countries.5 Table 3 Hotel by customer type in the six study countries.5 Table 4 Hotel b
20、y destination type in the six study countries.6 Table 5 Hotel by size in the six study countries.6 Table 6 Sample of OTAs and PCWs.7 Table 7 Sample of hotel chains.7 Table 8:Overview of Member States with a ban on OTA parity clauses.23 Table 9 Sales channels used in 2021 by independent hotels.31 Tab
21、le 10 Sales channels used in 2021 by all hotels in the sample.32 Table 11 Use of OTAs in 2021 by independent hotels per country.32 Table 12 Independent hotels-share of sales per channel(Jan-May 2021).32 Table 13 Sales channel shares in 2021 by country(independent hotels).33 Table 14 Sales channel in
22、 2021 shares by hotel size(independent hotels).33 Table 15 Use of channel management software by country(independent hotels).34 Table 16 Share of sales through each channel in 2021:comparison of hotel chains and independent hotels.34 Table 17 Effect of using OTAs on total bookings for independent ho
23、tels.36 Table 18 Effect of using OTAs on direct bookings for independent hotels.36 Table 19 Main OTAs used in 2021 by independent hotels by country.37 Table 20 Shares of online sales channels in D-Edge dataset(Spain only)2017-2020.38 Table 21 Lowest average basic commission rate per country over tim
24、e.39 Table 22 Basic commission rate in 2021 reported by independent hotels.39 Table 23 Average basic commission rate in 2021 per country reported by independent hotels.40 Table 24 Average basic commission rate in 2021 reported by independent hotels per OTA.40 Table 25 Average effective commission ra
25、te per country over time reported by the OTAs(hotels only).40 Table 26 Extra services obtained in return for paying higher OTA commission.41 Table 27 Frequency of paying additional OTA commission above the basic rate.41 Table 28 Effective commission rate in 2021 per OTA reported by independent hotel
26、s.41 Table 29 Room price differentiation between sales channels in 2021 by independent hotels.42 Table 30 Types of room price differentiation in 2021 by independent hotels.43 Table 31 Level of room price differences applied by independent hotels.43 Table 32 Independent hotels that price differentiat
27、e between sales channels by country 43 Table 33 Share of hotels that price-differentiate by hotel size(independent hotels).44 Table 34 Reasons why hotels do not price-differentiate between OTAs(independent hotels).44 Table 35 Room price differentiation in 2021 by individual hotels belonging to chain
28、s(mystery shopping).45 Table 36 Frequency of room availability differentiation in 2021(independent hotels).46 Table 37 Room availability differentiation in 2021 by independent hotels.46 Table 38 Average OTA cancellation rates in 2019 by country(based on location of hotel).47 Table 39 Most commonly u
29、sed metasearch websites by independent hotels(2021).47 Table 40.Share of independent hotels that advertise on metasearch/PCWs(2021).47 Table 41 Use of metasearch websites and connectivity providers/channel managers by independent hotels(2021).48 Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodatio
30、n in the EU Table 42 Remuneration model used with metasearch providers(independent hotels,2021).48 Table 43 Share of OTA bookings(accommodations located in the EU)generated by metasearch websites.49 Table 44 Average cost per booking paid by EU accommodation providers,as reported by metasearch operat
31、ors.49 Table 45 Average share of revenue derived from accommodation providers as a%of total metasearch hotel-related revenue.49 Table 46 Search engine/keyword advertising(2021).50 Table 47 Social media advertising(2021).50 Table 48 Share of total sales made through bed wholesalers/bed banks by hotel
32、 size(independent hotels,2021).51 Table 49.Types of parity clauses used by OTAs with independent hotels(2021).54 Table 50 Use of parity clauses by country(as reported by independent hotels,2021).55 Table 51 Does the hotel chain website offer a consumer best price guarantees?.60 Table 52.Does the hot
33、el/chain website offer a customer loyalty scheme?.61 Table 53:Sample of hotel booking platforms.99 Table 54:Sample of metasearch engines/price comparison websites.101 List of Figures Figure 1:Research toolbox.2 Figure 2:Methodological approach.3 Figure 3:Shares of distribution channels in Europe(201
34、3-2019).10 Figure 4:2021 Hotel Technology Market Map.14 Figure 5:Hotel chains average sales through each channel-trend over time.35 Figure 6 Relative cost of sales for direct online channels.52 Figure 7.Hotel chains revenues through OTAs and direct channels and relative cost of sales for direct onli
35、ne channels.52 Figure 8.Share of independent hotels reporting that their OTA contracts contained parity clauses(2021).54 Figure 9.Do OTAs try to incentivise your hotel to offer them favourable room prices or penalise your hotels in case of unfavourable prices?(independent hotels,2021).57 Figure 10.T
36、ypes of incentives and disincentives used by OTAs to obtain favourable room prices(independent hotels,2021).58 Figure 11.Number of claims and total reimbursements made under best price guarantee of the respondent OTAs(2017 2020).60 Figure 12.Share of hotel accommodation sold offline,online,direct an
37、d indirect.65 Figure 13.Types of room price differentiation by independent hotels(2021).67 Figure 14.Use of OTA parity clauses by study country,as reported by independent hotels(2021).69 Figure 15.Basic and effective rates per country in 2021.69 Figure 16:Share of sales per channel for independent/i
38、ndividual hotels:comparison with ECN Monitoring Exercise.71 Figure 17.Price differentiation between sales channels reported by independent hotels 74 Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU Confidential version contains business secrets I Abstract This study provides the Eur
39、opean Commission(Directorate-General for Competition)with up-to-date facts on the sale and marketing of hotel accommodation in the EU,including on changes that have occurred in the period 2017-2021 and the impact of national laws prohibiting the use of parity clauses by hotel booking platforms.The s
40、tudy covers the sales and marketing practices of independent hotels,hotel chains,Online Travel Agents(OTAs)and metasearch/price comparison websites(PCWs)in six EU Member States1.Based on information gathered from stakeholders and a review of relevant literature,the study addresses four research ques
41、tions.First,the study presents the key features of hotel distribution practices,focusing on indicators such as the relative size and costs of sales channels;the commercial relationships between OTAs,PCWs and hotels;offer differentiation between sales channels,and OTA commission rates.Second,the stud
42、y provides an analysis of differences in distribution practices between the study countries,as well as possible reasons for these.Third,the study analyses changes that have occurred in the period since the European Competition Network carried out a monitoring exercise in the hotel sector in 2016.Fou
43、rth,the study examines the impact of laws adopted by Austria and Belgium prohibiting the use of OTA parity clauses.Finally,in view of the exceptional context in which the study has been conducted,it also addresses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on hotel distribution arrangements.1 Austria,Belgi
44、um,Cyprus,Poland,Spain and Sweden Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU II Rsum Cette tude fournit la Commission europenne(Direction gnrale de la concurrence)un bilan factuel des pratiques de commercialisation des hbergements hteliers dans lUE,y compris les changements in
45、tervenus au cours de la priode 2017-2021 et limpact des lois nationales interdisant lutilisation de clauses de parit par les plateformes de rservation htelire.Ltude porte sur les pratiques de commercialisation des htels indpendants,des chanes htelires,des agences de voyages en ligne(OTA)et des mtamo
46、teurs de recherche/comparateurs de prix(PCW)dans six tats membres de lUE2.Sur la base des informations recueillies auprs des acteurs du secteur et dun examen de la littrature pertinente,ltude aborde quatre questions de recherche.Premirement,elle prsente les principales caractristiques de lactivit de
47、 commercialisation des chambres dhtel,en se focalisant sur des indicateurs tels que limportance et les cots relatifs des canaux de vente,les relations commerciales entre les OTA,les PCW et les htels,la diffrenciation des offres entre les canaux de vente,et les taux de commission des OTA.Deuximement,
48、ltude fournit une analyse des diffrences dans les pratiques de distribution entre les pays tudis,ainsi que des raisons possibles de ces diffrences.Troisimement,ltude analyse les changements intervenus depuis la ralisation en 2016 dun exercice de surveillance dans ce secteur par le Rseau europen de l
49、a concurrence.Quatrimement,ltude examine limpact des lois adoptes par lAutriche et la Belgique interdisant lutilisation des clauses de parit par les OTA.Enfin,compte tenu du contexte exceptionnel dans lequel ltude a t ralise,elle aborde galement limpact de la pandmie de Covid-19 sur les pratiques de
50、 distribution dans le secteur de lhtellerie.2 Autriche,Belgique,Chypre,Pologne,Espagne et Sude Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU III Abstrakt Diese Studie liefert der Europischen Kommission(Generaldirektion Wettbewerb)aktuelle Fakten ber den Verkauf und die Vermarktun
51、g von Hotelunterknften in der EU.Dazu gehren auch Vernderungen im Zeitraum 2017-2021 und die Auswirkungen der nationalen Gesetze,die die Verwendung von Parittsklauseln durch Hotelbuchungsplattformen verbieten.Die Studie befasst sich mit den Verkaufs-und Marketingpraktiken von unabhngigen Hotels,Hote
52、lketten,Online Travel Agents (OTAs)und Metasuch-/Preisvergleichs-Websites(PCWs)in sechs EU-Mitgliedstaaten.3 Auf der Grundlage der von den Beteiligten gesammelten Informationen und einer berprfung der einschlgigen Literatur geht die Studie auf vier Forschungsfragen ein.Erstens stellt die Studie die
53、wichtigsten Merkmale der Hotelvertriebspraktiken vor.Der Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf Indikatoren wie der relativen Gre und den Kosten der Vertriebskanle,den Geschftsbeziehungen zwischen OTAs,PCWs und Hotels,der Angebotsdifferenzierung zwischen den Vertriebskanlen und den OTA-Provisionsstzen.Zweitens
54、 bietet die Studie eine Analyse der Unterschiede in den Vertriebspraktiken zwischen den untersuchten Lndern sowie der mglichen Grnde dafr.Drittens analysiert die Studie die Vernderungen,die eingetreten sind,seit das European Competition Network 2016 ein berwachungsverfahren im Hotelsektor durchgefhr
55、t hat.Viertens untersucht die Studie die Auswirkungen der von sterreich und Belgien verabschiedeten Gesetze,die die Verwendung von OTA-Parittsklauseln verbieten.Schlielich werden angesichts des auergewhnlichen Kontextes,in dem die Studie durchgefhrt wurde,auch die Auswirkungen der Covid-19-Pandemie
56、auf die Hotelvertriebsvereinbarungen behandelt.3 sterreich,Belgien,Zypern,Polen,Spanien und Schweden Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU IV Executive summary Objective of the study This study provides the European Commission(Directorate-General for Competition)with up-t
57、o-date facts on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU,including on any changes that have occurred since the Monitoring Exercise conducted by the European Competition Network in this sector in 2016,as well as any changes resulting from national laws prohibiting the use of parity clauses b
58、y hotel booking platforms.The study focuses on the following 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 dist
59、ribution arrangements changed relative to the findings of the Monitoring Exercise carried out in 2016 by the European Competition Network(ECN)?If so,what are the reasons for such changes?4.Has the adoption of laws prohibiting hotel booking platform parity clauses led to changes in distribution arran
60、gements in the Member States concerned?The study covers six EU Member States,namely Austria,Belgium,Cyprus,Poland,Spain and Sweden over the period January 2017 to May 2021 inclusive.It focuses on the sales and marketing practices of the following categories of stakeholders:independent hotels,hotel c
61、hains,Online Travel Agents(OTAs)and metasearch/price comparison websites.Main features of hotel distribution Hotels sell their accommodation through online and offline channels,which can be further divided into direct channels(hotel website,telephone and walk-in)and indirect channels(OTAs,brick and
62、mortar travel agents,bed wholesalers).There are significant differences between independent hotels and hotel chains as regards how they distribute their accommodation.4 Use of OTAs by independent hotels While direct bookings(online and offline)still account for the highest share of independent hotel
63、s sales(48%),OTAs account for 44%of sales.Micro and small hotels(measured by the number of employees)make a higher share of their sales through OTAs than medium-sized hotels.The majority of independent hotels(72%)use more than one OTA.The four main OTAs used by independent hotels in the six study co
64、untries are B,Expedia,HRS and Airbnb.A large majority of independent hotels(80%)consider that using OTAs increases their total volume of bookings.Moreover,63%of independent hotels consider that using OTAs also increases the volume of bookings on their direct sales channels.Use of OTAs by hotel chain
65、s Hotel chains generally use the same range of sales channels as independent hotels,however they sell a smaller share of their rooms through OTAs(24%).4 Unless specified otherwise,all data referred to in this summary relates to 2021.Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU V
66、 5 of the hotel chains that participated in the study consider that using OTAs increases their total volume of bookings.These chains expressed mixed views about the effect of using OTAs on bookings on their direct sales channels.The other hotel chains that participated in the study consider that usi
67、ng OTAs does not increase their total volume of bookings,but rather“cannibalises”bookings from their direct sales channels.OTA commission rates and hotels other sales and marketing costs The study distinguishes between basic OTA commission rates,that is the commission paid by a hotel to be listed on
68、 an OTA and effective OTA commission rates,that is the real rate of commission paid by hotels,taking into account optional additional commissions paid by hotels to obtain extra services(for example,improved visibility on the OTAs website).The average basic commission rate reported by OTAs for the si
69、x study countries was 10-20%6(compared with 10-20%for the EU as a whole).Independent hotels reported paying an average basic commission rate of 10-20%.Independent hotels that choose to pay extra commission to obtain additional services from OTAs reported paying an average effective commission rate o
70、f 10-20%.The basic and effective OTA commission rates reported by hotel chains proved to be difficult to compare,due to differences in reporting methods.Nonetheless,the participating chains reported paying basic commission rates that were on average lower than the basic rates reported by independent
71、 hotels(approximately 10-20%)and most of the chains reported that the effective rates charged by OTAs7 are approximately 0-10 percentage points higher than their basic rates.The study has shown that it is difficult to compare the costs of the different sales channels,not least because not every sale
72、s channel has a cost element that can be directly attributed to each room sold.Whereas the OTAs commission can be identified as the cost of generating a booking via an OTA,there is no direct cost to the hotel when it sells a room to a wholesaler at a reduced price.This also applies to hotel marketin
73、g expenses:marketing expenditure may translate into better visibility and traffic on the hotels website,but there may be no direct link between that expenditure and individual room sales.Use of metasearch engines by hotels and hotel chains 41%of independent hotels and all hotel chains use metasearch
74、 engines to advertise their accommodation.These hotels mention TripAdvisor and Trivago as the most commonly used metasearch websites.However,the literature review indicates that in 2019 Google Hotel Ads was used by 59.8%of hotels,while Trivago and Tripadvisor were used by 54.2%and 50.8%respectively.
75、The survey responses from hotel chains and OTAs also point to the growing importance of Google Hotel Ads.This study therefore finds that the share of independent hotels that advertise on metasearch websites has increased,and that Google Hotel Ads has become the leading metasearch website for hotels,
76、followed by Tripadvisor,Trivago and Kayak.Metasearch operators report that more than%8 of their hotel-related revenue is derived from OTAs and less than%is derived from hotels directly.Room price and room availability differentiation between sales channels More than 50%of independent hotels price-di
77、fferentiate between sales channels.Offering lower prices on the hotel website relative to the prices offered on OTAs is the most common form of price differentiation(31%of hotels).This is followed by price differentiation in favour of the hotels direct offline channels relative to OTAs(24%of hotels)
78、and price differentiation 5 Redacted to protect commercially sensitive information 6 Redacted to protect commercially sensitive information 7 Redacted to protect commercially sensitive information 8 Redacted to protect commercially sensitive information Market study on the distribution of hotel acco
79、mmodation in the EU VI between OTAs(9%of hotels).As regards differentiating between sales channels for room types and room availability,only 38%of independent hotels do this.Hotel chains stated that they generally do not differentiate the prices or room availability they offer between sales channels
80、,though in some cases they allow their member hotels some discretion on this.Customer loyalty schemes Hotel chains and OTAs operate customer loyalty schemes.Hotel chains stated that they offer room price discounts of 5%-10%to customers that join these schemes,and that these discounted prices are gen
81、erally excluded from the scope of OTA parity clauses.Hotel chains said that the share of customers that use loyalty programmes has increased since 2017.OTAs also offer loyal customers discounts.Differences in distribution practices between the study countries The study highlights differences between
82、 the study countries regarding hotels use of OTAs;the share of sales generated by OTAs;the prevalence of OTA parity clauses,and OTA commission rates.Hotels use of OTAs The share of independent hotels that use OTAs varies significantly from country to country.In Cyprus,nearly all independent hotels u
83、se OTAs,whereas in Poland only about two-thirds of hotels do so.Share of sales through OTAs There are also significant differences between the study countries as regards the share of sales made through OTAs.OTAs account for 55%of the sales of independent hotels in Belgium,48%in Spain and 44%in Cypru
84、s.Austrian independent hotels generate the lowest share of sales through OTAs(34%).Use of OTA parity clauses Independent hotels in all the study countries reported that their contracts with OTAs contained parity clauses,however 46%of Swedish hotels reported that their OTA contracts contained these c
85、lauses,whereas only 8%of Cypriot hotels did so.In the other four study countries,between 22%and 28%of hotels reported being subject to OTA parity clauses.OTA commission rates The average effective commission rates reported by the respondent OTAs were higher for and (10-20%)than for the other study c
86、ountries.Changes in distribution practices relative to the results of the 2016 ECN Monitoring Exercise The study results indicate changes in a number of indicators compared to the results of the 2016 ECN Monitoring Exercise.This concerns in particular the share of accommodation sold by independent h
87、otels through OTAs and through direct online channels;levels of room price and room availability differentiation between sales channels by independent hotels,and hotels use of metasearch websites.When comparing the results of the present study with those of the 2016 ECN Monitoring Exercise,it is imp
88、ortant to note that there were differences in the purpose and focus of the two exercises,as well as in their geographic scope and the sampling and data collection methods used.More detail on these differences is set out in the study report.Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in t
89、he EU VII Share of sales per channel There appears to have been a slight increase in the shares of accommodation sold by independent hotels through OTAs and through their direct online channels since 2016.9 Room price and room availability differentiation between sales channels As regards room price
90、 differentiation between sales channels,the most common form of price differentiation reported by independent hotels in 2021,as in 2016,is to offer lower prices on the hotel website than on OTAs.This form of price differentiation was applied by 40%of hotels in 2016,but this fell to 31%of independent
91、 hotels in 2021.As regards price differentiation between OTAs,21%of hotels applied this form of price differentiation in 2016,but this share fell to 9%of independent hotels in 2021.As regards room availability differentiation,19%of independent hotels reported that they favour their direct online sal
92、es channels with better room availability,compared with 30%of hotels in 2016.And 11%of independent hotels differentiated availability between OTAs,as compared with 31%in 2016.As regards hotel chains,the majority reported that they do not differentiate between sales channels either for room prices or
93、 for room availability;this was also the case in 2016.Use of metasearch websites by hotels 41%of independent hotels advertise on metasearch websites,as compared with 30%of hotels in 2016.Impact of laws prohibiting OTA parity clauses on hotel distribution practices Two out of the six study countries(
94、Austria and Belgium)have adopted sector-specific laws prohibiting OTA parity clauses.The Austrian law came into force in 2016 and the Belgian law in 2018.The study examined whether these laws have led to changes in these two countries compared to the other study countries for the following indicator
95、s:hotels use of OTAs;their share of sales through OTAs;OTA commission rates;price differentiation by hotels across sales channels;hotels use of metasearch,and OTAs use of parity clauses.In general,it was not possible to detect any clear impact of the laws on any of these indicators.Hotels use of OTA
96、s It does not appear that the prohibition of OTA parity clauses in Austria and Belgium is associated with a greater or lesser use of OTAs by hotels.The level of use of OTAs is similar in both countries(81%and 85%)and the average level of use of OTAs across all six study countries is 80%.Share of sal
97、es through OTAs Nor is there any clear trend in the share of sales generated through OTAs in Austria and Belgium relative to the other study countries:Austrian hotels reported making an average of 35%of their sales through OTAs and this share was 55%for Belgian hotels,whereas the average share of sa
98、les through OTAs for hotels in all six study countries was 44%.OTA commission rates.OTAs reported a stable or slightly decreasing trend for their average basic and effective commission rates across all the study countries in the period 2017-2021,but the levels and trends observed for Austria and Bel
99、gium do not appear to differ significantly from those reported for the other study countries.9 It should be noted that in the present study the main hotel sample contained only independent hotels,whereas in the 2016 ECN Monitoring Exercise the main hotel sample also included a small share of individ
100、ual hotels belonging to chains.Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU VIII Room price differentiation by hotels In countries where OTA parity clauses are prohibited,it might be expected that hotels would have a greater tendency to offer lower prices on their direct online
101、sales channels than on OTAs.Across the six study countries,31%of independent hotels reported applying this type of price differentiation.This share was higher for Belgium(40%),though not as high as for Spain(45%),and in Austria the share was close to the general average(33%).Hotels use of metasearch
102、 There is no significant difference between Austria and Belgium,on one hand,and the other study countries,as regards the share of metasearch operators revenue that is derived directly from hotels(rather than from OTAs).This share has over the period 2018-2020 for all the study countries except Swede
103、n.OTAs use of parity clauses The use of parity clauses by OTAs,as reported by independent hotels,varies between countries,but there is no meaningful difference in the trend for Austria and Belgium compared with the other study countries.23%of Austrian and 28%of Belgian independent hotels reported th
104、at their OTA contracts contained parity clauses,in line with the average for all the study countries(27%).Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hotel distribution practices The disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hotel industry has been highlighted throughout this study,by all categories
105、of stakeholder.The data collection exercise highlighted that both hotels and OTAs experienced a sharp reduction in gross bookings,room nights booked,total revenues,net income and cash flow from operations.Some hotel chains considered that the pandemic has impacted them more severely than OTAs,as the
106、 recovery of the travel industry has so far been driven mainly by leisure,as opposed to corporate travel.Contrary to OTAs,some hotel chains heavily rely on business customers.Another impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that was confirmed by the data collection exercise is increased demand from traveller
107、s for flexible booking options from hotels and OTAs.Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU IX Synthse Objectif de ltude Cette tude fournit la Commission europenne(direction gnrale de la concurrence)un bilan factuel des pratiques de commercialisation des hbergements htelier
108、s dans lUE,y compris les changements intervenus depuis lexercice de surveillance ralis par le Rseau europen de la concurrence dans ce secteur en 2016,ainsi que les changements rsultant des lois nationales interdisant lutilisation de clauses de parit par les plateformes de rservation dhtels.Ltude se
109、focalise sur les questions de recherche suivantes:1.Comment lhbergement htelier est-il distribu dans les tats membres de lUE couverts par ltude?2.Les modalits de distribution diffrent-elles entre ces tats membres de lUE?Si oui,quelles sont les raisons de ces diffrences?3.Les modalits de distribution
110、 des htels ont-elles chang par rapport aux conclusions de lexercice de surveillance men en 2016 par le Rseau europen de la concurrence(REC)?Si oui,quelles sont les raisons de ces changements?4.Ladoption de lois interdisant les clauses de parit des plateformes de rservation dhtels a-t-elle entran des
111、 changements dans les modalits de distribution dans les tats membres concerns?Ltude couvre six tats membres de lUE,savoir lAutriche,la Belgique,Chypre,la Pologne,lEspagne et la Sude sur la priode allant de janvier 2017 mai 2021 inclus.Elle se concentre sur les pratiques de vente et de marketing des
112、acteurs suivants:les htels indpendants,les chanes htelires,les agences de voyages en ligne(OTA)et les sites de mtamoteurs de recherche/comparateurs de prix.Principales caractristiques de la distribution htelire Les htels vendent leur hbergement par le biais de canaux en ligne et hors ligne,qui peuve
113、nt tre diviss en canaux directs(site web de lhtel,tlphone et accs direct)et indirects(OTA,agences de voyages traditionnelles,grossistes en lits).Il existe des diffrences importantes entre les htels indpendants et les chanes htelires en ce qui concerne la manire dont ils distribuent leur hbergement.1
114、0 Utilisation des OTA par les htels indpendants Alors que les rservations directes(en ligne et hors ligne)reprsentent toujours la part la plus importante du chiffre daffaires des htels indpendants(48%),les OTA reprsentent 44%des ventes.Les micro et petits htels(mesurs par le nombre demploys)ralisent
115、 une part plus importante de leurs ventes par le biais des OTA que les htels de taille moyenne.La majorit des htels indpendants(72%)utilise plus dune OTA.Les quatre principales OTA utilises par les htels indpendants dans les six pays tudis sont B,Expedia,HRS et Airbnb.Une grande majorit dhtels indpe
116、ndants(80%)considre que le fait dutiliser des OTA augmente le volume total de leurs rservations.De plus,63%des htels indpendants 10 Sauf indication contraire,toutes les donnes mentionnes dans cette synthse concernent lanne 2021.Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU X cons
117、idrent que lutilisation des OTA augmente galement le volume des rservations sur leurs canaux de vente directe.Lutilisation des OTA par les chanes htelires Les chanes htelires utilisent gnralement le mme ventail de canaux de vente que les htels indpendants,mais elles vendent une part moins importante
118、 de leurs chambres par le biais des OTA(24%).11 des chanes htelires qui ont particip ltude considrent que lutilisation des OTA augmente leur volume total de rservations.Ces chanes ont exprim des avis mitigs quant leffet de lutilisation des OTA sur les rservations dans leurs canaux de vente directe.L
119、es autres chanes htelires qui ont particip ltude considrent que lutilisation des OTA naugmente pas leur volume total de rservations,mais cannibalise plutt les rservations de leurs canaux de vente directe.Taux de commission des OTA et autres cots de vente et de marketing des hotels Ltude fait la dist
120、inction entre les taux de commission de base des OTA,cest-dire la commission paye par un htel pour tre rfrenc sur une OTA,et les taux de commission effectifs des OTA,cest-dire le taux de commission rel pay par les htels,compte tenu des commissions supplmentaires facultatives payes par les htels pour
121、 obtenir des services supplmentaires(par exemple,une meilleure visibilit sur le site web de lOTA).Le taux de commission de base moyen dclar par les OTA pour les six pays tudis tait de 10-20%12(contre 10-20%pour lensemble de lUE).Les htels indpendants ont dclar payer un taux de commission de base moy
122、en de 10-20%.Les htels indpendants qui ont choisi de payer une commission supplmentaire pour obtenir des services additionnels auprs des OTA ont dclar payer un taux de commission effectif moyen de 10-20%.Les taux de commission de base et effectifs des OTA dclars par les chanes dhtels se sont avrs di
123、fficiles comparer,en raison des diffrences dans les mthodes de dclaration.Nanmoins,les chanes participantes ont dclar payer des taux de commission de base qui taient en moyenne infrieurs aux taux de base dclars par les htels indpendants(environ 10-20%)et la plupart des chanes ont dclar que les taux
124、effectifs appliqus par OTAs13 taient suprieurs denviron 0-10 points de pourcentage leurs taux de base.Ltude a montr quil est difficile de comparer les cots des diffrents canaux de vente,notamment parce que chaque canal de vente na pas un lment de cot qui peut tre directement attribu chaque chambre v
125、endue.Alors que la commission de lOTA peut tre identifie comme le cot de la gnration dune rservation via une OTA,lhtel na aucun cot direct lorsquil vend une chambre un grossiste un prix rduit.Cela sapplique galement aux dpenses de marketing des htels:les dpenses de marketing peuvent se traduire par
126、une meilleure visibilit et un meilleur trafic sur le site web de lhtel,mais il peut ny avoir aucun lien direct entre ces dpenses et les ventes de chambres individuelles.Utilisation des mtamoteurs de recherche par les htels et les chanes htelires 41%des htels indpendants et toutes les chanes htelires
127、 publient leurs offfres dhbergement sur des mtamoteurs de recherche.TripAdvisor et Trivago sont les mta-moteurs de recherche les plus utiliss par ces htels.Toutefois,daprs lanalyse documentaire,59,8%des htels ont utilis Google Hotel Ads en 2019,et 54,2%et 50,8%des htels ont utilis respectivement Tri
128、vago et Tripadvisor.Limportance croissante de 11 Information commerciale sensible 12 Information commerciale sensible 13 Information commerciale sensible Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU XI Google Hotel Ads ressort galement des rponses des chanes htelires et des OTA
129、lenqute.Cette tude conclut donc que la part des htels indpendants qui publient leurs offres sur les mtamoteurs de recherche a augment et que Google Hotel Ads est devenu le mtamoteur de recherch le plus utilis par les htels,suivi par Tripadvisor,Trivago et Kayak.Les oprateurs de mtamoteurs de recherc
130、he indiquent que plus de%14 de leurs revenus lis lhtellerie proviennent des OTA et que moins de%proviennent directement des htels.Diffrenciation du prix et de la disponibilit des chambres entre les canaux de vente Plus de 50%des htels indpendants pratiquent la diffrenciation des prix entre les canau
131、x de vente.La forme de diffrenciation des prix la plus frquemment utilise consiste offrir des prix plus bas sur le site web de lhtel que sur les sites des OTA(31%des htels).En deuxime place vient la diffrenciation des prix en faveur des canaux de vente directe hors ligne de lhtel(24%des htels),suivi
132、e par la diffrenciation entre les OTA(9%des htels).En ce qui concerne la diffrenciation des canaux de vente pour les types de chambres et la disponibilit des chambres,seuls 38%des htels indpendants le font.Les chanes htelires ont dclar quelles ne diffrencient gnralement pas les prix ou la disponibil
133、it des chambres quelles proposent entre les canaux de vente,bien que dans certains cas elles laissent une certaine marge de manuvre leurs htels membres cet gard.Programmes de fidlisation des clients Les chanes dhtels et les agences de vente au dtail proposent des programmes de fidlisation de la clie
134、ntle.Les chanes dhtels ont dclar quelles offrent des rductions sur le prix des chambres de 5%10%aux clients qui adhrent ces programmes,et que ces prix rduits sont gnralement exclus du champ dapplication des clauses de parit des OTA.Les chanes htelires ont dclar que la part des clients qui utilisent
135、des programmes de fidlit a augment depuis 2017.Les OTA proposent galement aux clients fidles des remises.Diffrences dans les pratiques de distribution entre les pays tudis Ltude constate des diffrences entre les pays tudis en ce qui concerne lutilisation des OTA par les htels,la part des ventes gnre
136、s par les OTA,la prvalence des clauses de parit des OTA et les taux de commission des OTA.Utilisation des OTA par les htels La part des htels indpendants qui utilisent les OTA varie considrablement dun pays lautre.Chypre,presque tous les htels indpendants utilisent les OTA,alors quen Pologne,seuls d
137、eux tiers des htels environ le font.Part des ventes ralises via les OTA Il existe galement des diffrences significatives entre les pays tudis en ce qui concerne la part des ventes ralises par le biais des OTA.Les OTA reprsentent 55%des ventes des htels indpendants en Belgique,48%en Espagne et 44%Chy
138、pre.Les htels indpendants autrichiens ralisent la part la plus faible des ventes par le biais des OTA(34%).Utilisation de clauses de parit par les OTA Les htels indpendants de tous les pays tudis ont dclar que leurs contrats avec les OTA contenaient des clauses de parit,mais 46%des htels sudois ont
139、dclar que leurs 14 Information commerciale sensible Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU XII contrats avec les OTA contenaient ces clauses,alors que seulement 8%des htels chypriotes taient dans ce cas.Dans les quatre autres pays tudis,entre 22%et 28%des htels ont dclar t
140、re soumis des clauses de parit imposes par les OTA.Taux de commission des OTA Les taux de commission effectifs moyens dclars par les OTA qui ont particip ltude taient plus levs en et en (10-20%)que dans les autres pays tudis.Changements dans les pratiques de distribution par rapport aux rsultats de
141、lexercice de surveillance ECN 2016 Les rsultats de ltude indiquent des changements dans un certain nombre dindicateurs par rapport aux rsultats de lexercice de surveillance du REC de 2016.Cela concerne notamment la part dhbergement vendue par les htels indpendants par le biais des OTA et par les can
142、aux directs en ligne;les niveaux de diffrenciation du prix et de la disponibilit des chambres entre les canaux de vente par les htels indpendants,et lutilisation par les htels des mtamoteurs de recherche.Lorsque lon compare les rsultats de la prsente tude ceux de lexercice de surveillance du REC de
143、2016,il est important de noter quil existe des diffrences dans lobjectif et lorientation des deux exercices,ainsi que dans leur porte gographique et les mthodes dchantillonnage et de collecte de donnes utilises.De plus amples dtails sur ces diffrences sont exposs dans le rapport dtude.Part des vente
144、s par canal Il semble que les parts dhbergement vendues par les htels indpendants par lintermdiaire des OTA et par leurs canaux directs en ligne aient lgrement augment depuis 2016.15 Diffrenciation du prix et de la disponibilit des chambres entre les canaux de vente En ce qui concerne la diffrenciat
145、ion du prix des chambres entre les canaux de vente,la forme la plus courante de diffrenciation des prix signale par les htels indpendants en 2021,comme en 2016,est entre leur canal de vente en ligne direct(le site web de lhtel)et les OTA.Cette forme de diffrenciation des prix tait applique par 40%de
146、s htels en 2016,mais ce chiffre est tomb 31%des htels indpendants en 2021.En ce qui concerne la diffrenciation des prix entre les OTA,21%des htels ont appliqu cette forme de diffrenciation des prix en 2016,mais cette part est tombe 9%des htels indpendants en 2021.En ce qui concerne la diffrenciation
147、 de la disponibilit des chambres,19%des htels indpendants ont dclar favoriser leurs canaux de vente directe en ligne avec une meilleure disponibilit des chambres,contre 30%des htels en 2016.Et 11%des htels indpendants ont diffrenci la disponibilit entre les OTA,contre 31%en 2016.En ce qui concerne l
148、es chanes htelires,la majorit a dclar ne pas diffrencier les canaux de vente,que ce soit pour le prix des chambres ou pour leur disponibilit;ctait galement le cas en 2016.Utilisation des mtamoteurs de recherche par les htels 41%des htels indpendants font de la publicit sur les sites de mtamoteur de
149、recherche,contre 30%des htels en 2016.15 Il convient de noter que dans la prsente tude,lchantillon principal dhtels ne contenait que des htels indpendants,alors que dans lexercice de surveillance 2016 du REC,lchantillon principal dhtels comprenait galement une petite part dhtels individuels apparten
150、ant des chanes.Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU XIII Impact des lois interdisant les clauses de parit des OTA sur les pratiques de distribution des htels Deux des six pays tudis(lAutriche et la Belgique)ont adopt des lois sectorielles interdisant lutilisation des cla
151、uses de parit par les OTA.La loi autrichienne est entre en vigueur en 2016 et la loi belge en 2018.Ltude a cherch savoir si ces lois ont entran des changements dans ces deux pays par rapport aux autres pays de ltude pour les indicateurs suivants:lutilisation des OTA par les htels;la part de leurs ve
152、ntes ralise par le biais des OTA;les taux de commission des OTA;la diffrenciation des prix par les htels entre les canaux de vente;lutilisation des mtamoteurs de recherche par les htels,et lutilisation des clauses de parit par les OTA.En gnral,il na pas t possible de dtecter un impact clair des lois
153、 sur lun de ces indicateurs.Lutilisation des OTA par les htels Il ne semble pas que linterdiction de lutilisation des clauses de parit par les OTA en Autriche et en Belgique soit associe une utilisation plus ou moins importante des OTA par les htels.Le niveau dutilisation des OTA est similaire dans
154、les deux pays(81%et 85%)et le niveau moyen dutilisation des OTA dans les six pays tudis est de 80%.Part des ventes ralises via les OTA Il ny a pas non plus de tendance claire dans la part des ventes gnres par les OTA en Autriche et en Belgique par rapport aux autres pays tudis:les htels autrichiens
155、ont dclar raliser en moyenne 35%de leurs ventes par le biais des OTA et cette part tait de 55%pour les htels belges,alors que la part moyenne des ventes par le biais des OTA pour les htels des six pays tudis tait de 44%.Taux de commission des OTA .Les OTA ont fait tat dune tendance stable ou lgremen
156、t dcroissante pour leurs taux de commission moyens de base et effectifs dans tous les pays tudis au cours de la priode 2017-2021,mais les niveaux et les tendances observs pour lAutriche et la Belgique ne semblent pas diffrer significativement de ceux signals pour les autres pays tudis.Diffrenciation
157、 du prix des chambres par les htels Dans les pays o lutilisation des clauses de parit par les OTA est interdite,on pourrait sattendre ce que les htels aient davantage tendance proposer des prix plus bas sur leurs canaux de vente directe en ligne que sur les OTA.Dans les six pays tudis,31%des htels i
158、ndpendants ont dclar appliquer ce type de diffrenciation des prix.Cette proportion tait plus leve en Belgique(40%),mais pas autant quen Espagne(45%),et en Autriche,la proportion tait proche de la moyenne gnrale(33%).Utilisation de mtamoteurs de recherche par les htels Il ny a pas de diffrence signif
159、icative entre lAutriche et la Belgique,dune part,et les autres pays tudis,en ce qui concerne la part du chiffre daffaires des oprateurs de mtamoteurs de recherche qui provient directement des htels(plutt que des OTA).Cette part a sur la priode 2018-2020 pour tous les pays tudis,lexception de la Sude
160、.Utilisation des clauses de parit par les OTA Lutilisation de clauses de parit par les OTA,telle que rapporte par les htels indpendants,varie selon les pays,mais il ny a pas de diffrence significative dans la tendance pour lAutriche et la Belgique par rapport aux autres pays tudis.23%des htels indpe
161、ndants autrichiens et 28%des htels indpendants belges ont dclar que leurs contrats avec les OTA contenaient des clauses de parit,ce qui correspond la moyenne de tous les pays tudis(27%).Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU XIV Impact de la pandmie de COVID-19 sur les pra
162、tiques de distribution des htels Limpact perturbateur de la pandmie de COVID-19 sur lindustrie htelire a t soulign tout au long de cette tude,par toutes les catgories de parties prenantes.Lexercice de collecte de donnes a mis en vidence que les htels et les OTA ont connu une forte rduction des rserv
163、ations brutes,des nuites,des revenus totaux,du revenu net et des flux de trsorerie dexploitation.Certaines chanes htelires considrent que la pandmie les a touches plus durement que les agences de voyages,car la reprise de lindustrie du voyage a jusqu prsent t principalement tire par les loisirs,par
164、opposition aux voyages daffaires.Contrairement aux OTA,certaines chanes htelires dpendent fortement de la clientle daffaires.Un autre impact de la pandmie de COVID-19,confirm par lexercice de collecte de donnes,est la demande accrue des voyageurs pour des options de rservation flexibles de la part d
165、es htels et des OTA.Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU XV Zusammenfassung Das Ziel der Studie Diese Studie liefert der Europischen Kommission(Generaldirektion Wettbewerb)aktuelle Fakten ber den Vertrieb von Hotelunterknften in der EU,einschlielich aller nderungen,die s
166、eit der vom European Competition Network in diesem Sektor 2016 durchgefhrten Beobachtungsstudie eingetreten sind.Auerdem werden alle nderungen aufgezeigt,die sich aus den nationalen Gesetzen zum Verbot der Verwendung von Parittsklauseln durch Hotelbuchungsplattformen ergeben.Die Studie konzentriert
167、sich auf die folgenden Forschungsfragen:1.Wie werden Hotelunterknfte in den untersuchten EU-Mitgliedstaaten vertrieben?2.Unterscheiden sich die Vertriebsstrukturen zwischen den EU-Mitgliedstaaten?Wenn ja,was sind die Grnde fr diese Unterschiede?3.Haben sich die Vertriebsregelungen fr Hotels im Vergl
168、eich zu den Ergebnissen der 2016 vom European Competition Network(ECN)durchgefhrten Beobachtungsstudie verndert?Wenn ja,was sind die Grnde fr diese Vernderungen?4.Hat die Verabschiedung von Gesetzen,die Parittsklauseln fr Hotelbuchungsplattformen verbieten,zu nderungen bei den Vertriebsvereinbarunge
169、n in den betreffenden Mitgliedstaaten gefhrt?Die Studie deckt sechs EU-Mitgliedstaaten ab,nmlich sterreich,Belgien,Zypern,Polen,Spanien und Schweden im Zeitraum von Januar 2017 bis einschlielich Mai 2021.Sie konzentriert sich auf die Verkaufs-und Marketingpraktiken der folgenden Kategorien von Akteu
170、ren:unabhngige Hotels,Hotelketten,Online-Reisebros(OTAs)und Metasearch-/Preisvergleichs-Websites.Hauptmerkmale des Hotelvertriebs Hotels verkaufen ihre Unterknfte ber Online-und Offline-Kanle,die sich weiter in direkte Kanle(Hotel-Website,Telefon und persnliche Vorsprache)und indirekte Kanle(OTAs,st
171、ationre Reisebros,Unterkunftsgrohndler)unterteilen lassen.Es gibt erhebliche Unterschiede zwischen unabhngigen Hotels und Hotelketten hinsichtlich der Art und Weise,wie sie ihre Unterknfte vertreiben.16 Nutzung von OTAs durch unabhngige Hotels Whrend Direktbuchungen(online und offline)nach wie vor d
172、en grten Anteil am Umsatz unabhngiger Hotels ausmachen(48%),entfallen 44%des Umsatzes auf OTAs.Kleinst-und kleine Hotels(gemessen an der Anzahl der Mitarbeiter)machen einen hheren Anteil ihres Umsatzes ber OTAs als mittelgroe Hotels.Die Mehrheit der unabhngigen Hotels(72%)nutzt mehr als einen OTA.Di
173、e vier wichtigsten OTAs,die von unabhngigen Hotels in den sechs Untersuchungslndern genutzt werden,sind B,Expedia,HRS und Airbnb.Eine groe Mehrheit der unabhngigen Hotels(80%)ist der Ansicht,dass die Nutzung von OTAs ihr Gesamtbuchungsvolumen erhht.Darber hinaus sind 63%der unabhngigen Hotels der An
174、sicht,dass die Nutzung von OTAs auch das Buchungsvolumen ber ihre direkten Vertriebskanle erhht.16 Sofern nicht anders angegeben,beziehen sich alle in dieser Zusammenfassung genannten Daten auf das Jahr 2021.Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU XVI Nutzung von OTAs durch
175、 Hotelketten Hotelketten nutzen im Allgemeinen die gleiche Palette von Vertriebskanlen wie unabhngige Hotels,verkaufen jedoch einen geringeren Anteil ihrer Zimmer ber OTAs(24%).17 der Hotelketten,die an der Studie teilgenommen haben,ist der Ansicht,dass die Nutzung von OTAs ihr Gesamtbuchungsvolumen
176、 erhht.Diese Ketten uerten gemischte Ansichten ber die Auswirkungen der Nutzung von OTAs auf die Buchungen ber ihre direkten Vertriebskanle.Die anderen Hotelketten,die an der Studie teilgenommen haben,sind der Ansicht,dass die Nutzung von OTAs ihr Gesamtbuchungsvolumen nicht erhht,sondern eher Buchu
177、ngen aus ihren direkten Vertriebskanlen kannibalisiert.OTA-Provisionsstze und sonstige Vertriebs-und Marketingkosten der Hotels Die Studie unterscheidet zwischen Grundprovisionsstzen,d.h.die Provision,die ein Hotel fr die Aufnahme in einen OTA zahlt,und effektiven Provisionsstzen,d.h.den effektiven
178、Provisionsstzen,die Hotels zahlen,wobei optionale Zusatzprovisionen bercksichtigt werden,die Hotels fr zustzliche Leistungen(z.B.eine bessere Sichtbarkeit auf der OTA-Website)zahlen.Der von den OTAs fr die sechs untersuchten Lnder angegebene durchschnittliche Grundprovisionssatz betrug 10-20%18(im V
179、ergleich zu 10-20%fr die EU insgesamt).Unabhngige Hotels gaben an,einen durchschnittlichen Grundprovisionssatz von 10-20%zu zahlen.Unabhngige Hotels,die sich fr eine zustzliche Provision entscheiden,um zustzliche Dienstleistungen von OTAs zu erhalten,gaben an,einen durchschnittlichen effektiven Prov
180、isionssatz von 10-20%zu zahlen.Die von den Hotelketten gemeldeten grundlegenden und effektiven OTA-Provisionsstze erwiesen sich aufgrund der unterschiedlichen Berichterstattungsmethoden als schwierig zu vergleichen.Dennoch gaben die teilnehmenden Ketten an,dass sie im Durchschnitt niedrigere Grundpr
181、ovisionen zahlen als unabhngige Hotels(10-20%),und die meisten Ketten gaben an,dass die von OTAs19 berechneten effektiven Provisionen ca.0-10 Prozentpunkte hher sind als ihre Grundprovisionen.Die Studie hat gezeigt,dass es schwierig ist,die Kosten der verschiedenen Vertriebskanle zu vergleichen,nich
182、t zuletzt,weil nicht jeder Vertriebskanal ein Kostenelement hat,das jedem verkauften Zimmer direkt zugeordnet werden kann.Whrend die Provision des OTA als Kosten fr die Generierung einer Buchung ber einen OTA identifiziert werden kann,entstehen dem Hotel keine direkten Kosten,wenn es ein Zimmer zu e
183、inem reduzierten Preis an einen Grohndler verkauft.Dies gilt auch fr die Marketingausgaben des Hotels:Marketingausgaben knnen zu einer besseren Sichtbarkeit und zu mehr Besuchern auf der Hotelwebsite fhren,aber es besteht mglicherweise kein direkter Zusammenhang zwischen diesen Ausgaben und dem Verk
184、auf einzelner Zimmer.Nutzung von Metasuchmaschinen durch Hotels und Hotelketten 41%der unabhngigen Hotels und alle Hotelketten nutzen Metasuchmaschinen,um fr ihre Unterknfte zu werben.TripAdvisor und Trivago sind die am hufigsten genutzten Metasearch-Websites.Die Literaturauswertung zeigt,dass 2019
185、Google Hotel Ads von 59.8%der Hotels genutzt wurde whrend Trivago und Tripadvisor von 54.2%bzw.50.8%der Hotels genutzt wurden.Die Antworten der Hotelketten und OTAs auf die Umfrage deuten auch auf die wachsende Bedeutung von Google Hotel Ads hin.Die Studie kommt demnach zum Ergebnis,dass der Anteil
186、unabhngiger Hotels,die auf Metasearch-Webseiten werben,17 Geschftsgeheimnis 18 Geschftsgeheimnis 19 Geschftsgeheimnis Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU XVII zugenommen hat,und dass Google Hotel Ads die fhrende Metasearch-Webseite fr Hotels geworden ist,gefolgt von Tri
187、padvisor,Trivago und Kayak.Metasearch-Betreiber berichten,dass mehr als%20 ihrer hotelbezogenen Einnahmen von OTAs stammen und weniger als%von Hotels direkt.Differenzierung des Zimmerpreises und der Zimmerverfgbarkeit zwischen den Vertriebskanlen Mehr als 50%der unabhngigen Hotels machen einen Preis
188、unterschied zwischen den Vertriebskanlen.Niedrigere Zimmerpreise auf der Hotel-Webseite verglichen mit den Preisen auf OTAs ist die hufigste Form der Preisdifferenzierung(31%der Hotels).Dies wird gefolgt von Preisdifferenzierung zugunsten von direkten Offline-Kanlen des Hotels gegenber OTAs(24%der H
189、otels)und Preisdifferenzierung zwischen OTAs(9%der Hotels).Was die Differenzierung zwischen den Vertriebskanlen fr Zimmertypen und Zimmerverfgbarkeit angeht,so tun dies nur 38%der unabhngigen Hotels.Hotelketten gaben an,dass sie im Allgemeinen keine Preisdifferenzierung oder Unterscheidung der Zimme
190、rverfgbarkeit zwischen den einzelnen Vertriebskanlen vornehmen,obwohl sie in einigen Fllen ihren Mitgliedshotels einen gewissen Ermessensspielraum einrumen.Kundentreueprogramme Hotelketten und OTAs betreiben Kundentreueprogramme.Hotelketten gaben an,dass sie Kunden,die an diesen Programmen teilnehme
191、n,Preisnachlsse von 5-10%auf die Zimmerpreise gewhren,und dass diese Preisnachlsse im Allgemeinen vom Anwendungsbereich der OTA-Parittsklauseln ausgenommen sind.Die Hotelketten gaben an,dass der Anteil der Kunden,die Treueprogramme nutzen,seit 2017 gestiegen ist.Auch OTAs bieten treuen Kunden Rabatt
192、e.Unterschiede in der Vertriebspraxis zwischen den untersuchten Lndern Die Studie hebt die Unterschiede zwischen den untersuchten Lndern hervor,was die Nutzung von OTAs durch die Hotels,den Anteil der ber OTAs erzielten Umstze,die Verbreitung von OTA-Parittsklauseln und die OTA-Provisionsstze betrif
193、ft.Nutzung von OTAs durch Hotels Der Anteil der unabhngigen Hotels,die OTAs nutzen,ist von Land zu Land sehr unterschiedlich.In Zypern nutzen fast alle unabhngigen Hotels OTAs,whrend dies in Polen nur etwa zwei Drittel der Hotels tun.Anteil der Verkufe ber OTAs Erhebliche Unterschiede zwischen den u
194、ntersuchten Lndern gibt es auch hinsichtlich des Anteils der ber OTAs gettigten Verkufe.In Belgien entfallen 55%des Umsatzes unabhngiger Hotels auf OTAs,in Spanien 48%und in Zypern 44%.Den geringsten Anteil am Umsatz ber OTAs haben unabhngige Hotels in sterreich(34%).Verwendung von OTA-Parittsklause
195、ln Unabhngige Hotels in allen untersuchten Lndern gaben an,dass ihre Vertrge mit OTAs Parittsklauseln enthielten.Allerdings berichteten 46%der schwedischen Hotels,dass ihre OTA-Vertrge solche Klauseln enthielten,whrend dies nur 8%der zypriotischen Hotels taten.In den anderen vier untersuchten Lndern
196、 gaben zwischen 22%und 28%der Hotels an,dass sie OTA-Parittsklauseln unterworfen sind.20 Geschftsgeheimnis Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU XVIII OTA-Provisionsstze Die von den OTAs gemeldeten durchschnittlichen effektiven Provisionsstze waren in und hher(10-20%)als
197、in den anderen untersuchten Lndern.nderungen der Vertriebspraktiken im Vergleich zu den Ergebnissen der ECN-Beobachtungsstudie 2016 Die Ergebnisse der Studie zeigen Vernderungen bei einer Reihe von Indikatoren im Vergleich zu den Ergebnissen der ECN-Beobachtungsstudie 2016.Dies betrifft insbesondere
198、 den Anteil der Unterknfte,die von unabhngigen Hotels ber OTAs und ber direkte Online-Kanle verkauft werden,den Grad der Differenzierung der Zimmerpreise und der Zimmerverfgbarkeit zwischen den Vertriebskanlen durch unabhngige Hotels und die Nutzung von Metasearch-Websites durch Hotels.Beim Vergleic
199、h der Ergebnisse der vorliegenden Studie mit denen der ECN-Beobachtungsstudie 2016 ist zu beachten,dass es Unterschiede in Bezug auf den Zweck und den Schwerpunkt der beiden Studien sowie in Bezug auf den geografischen Geltungsbereich und die verwendeten Stichproben-und Datenerhebungsmethoden gab.We
200、itere Einzelheiten zu diesen Unterschieden werden im Studienbericht dargelegt.Anteil am Umsatz pro Kanal Der Anteil der Unterknfte,die von unabhngigen Hotels ber OTAs und ihre direkten Online-Kanle verkauft werden,scheint seit 2016 leicht gestiegen zu sein.21 Differenzierung des Zimmerpreises und de
201、r Zimmerverfgbarkeit zwischen den Vertriebskanlen Was die Differenzierung der Zimmerpreise zwischen den Vertriebskanlen betrifft,so ist die hufigste Form der Preisdifferenzierung,die von unabhngigen Hotels im Jahr 2021 wie auch 2016 gemeldet wird,das Angebot niedrigerer Preise auf dem direkten Onlin
202、e-Vertriebskanal(der Hotelwebsite)als bei OTAs.Diese Form der Preisdifferenzierung wurde im Jahr 2016 von 40%der Hotels angewandt,im Jahr 2021 sind es nur noch 31%der unabhngigen Hotels.Was die Preisdifferenzierung zwischen OTAs anbelangt,so wendeten 21%der Hotels diese Form der Preisdifferenzierung
203、 im Jahr 2016 an,aber dieser Anteil fiel auf 9%der unabhngigen Hotels im Jahr 2021.Was die Differenzierung der Zimmerverfgbarkeit betrifft,so gaben 19%der unabhngigen Hotels an,dass sie ihre direkten Online-Vertriebskanle durch eine besseren Zimmerverfgbarkeit bevorzugen,verglichen mit 30%der Hotels
204、 im Jahr 2016.Und 11%der unabhngigen Hotels differenzierten bei der Verfgbarkeit zwischen OTAs,verglichen mit 31%im Jahr 2016.Bei den Hotelketten gab die Mehrheit an,dass sie weder bei den Zimmerpreisen noch bei der Zimmerverfgbarkeit zwischen den Vertriebskanlen differenzieren;dies war auch 2016 de
205、r Fall.Nutzung von Metasearch-Websites durch Hotels 41%der unabhngigen Hotels werben auf Metasearch-Websites,im Vergleich zu 30%der Hotels im Jahr 2016.Auswirkungen von Gesetzen,die OTA-Parittsklauseln verbieten,auf die Vertriebsmethoden von Hotels Zwei der sechs untersuchten Lnder(sterreich und Bel
206、gien)haben sektorspezifische Gesetze verabschiedet,die OTA-Parittsklauseln verbieten.Das sterreichische Gesetz trat 21 Es ist zu beachten,dass in der vorliegenden Studie die Haupthotelstichprobe nur unabhngige Hotels umfasste,whrend in der ECN Beobachtungsstudie 2016 die Haupthotelstichprobe auch ei
207、nen kleinen Anteil von Einzelhotels enthielt,die zu Ketten gehren.Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU XIX 2016 in Kraft,das belgische Gesetz 2018.In der Studie wurde untersucht,ob diese Gesetze in diesen beiden Lndern im Vergleich zu den anderen Studienlndern zu Vernder
208、ungen bei den folgenden Indikatoren gefhrt haben:Nutzung von OTAs durch Hotels,Anteil der Verkufe ber OTAs,OTA-Provisionsstze,Preisdifferenzierung durch Hotels zwischen verschiedenen Verkaufskanlen,Nutzung von Metasearch durch Hotels und Verwendung von Parittsklauseln durch OTAs.Im Allgemeinen war e
209、s nicht mglich,eine eindeutige Auswirkung der Gesetze auf einen dieser Indikatoren festzustellen.Nutzung von OTAs durch Hotels Es hat nicht den Anschein,dass das Verbot von OTA-Parittsklauseln in sterreich und Belgien mit einer strkeren oder geringeren Nutzung von OTAs durch Hotels verbunden ist.Der
210、 Grad der Nutzung von OTAs ist in beiden Lndern hnlich(81%und 85%),und der durchschnittliche Grad der Nutzung von OTAs in allen sechs untersuchten Lndern betrgt 80%.Anteil der Verkufe ber OTAs Es gibt auch keinen eindeutigen Trend beim Anteil der ber OTAs erzielten Umstze in sterreich und Belgien im
211、 Vergleich zu den anderen Untersuchungslndern:sterreichische Hotels gaben an,im Durchschnitt 35%ihres Umsatzes ber OTAs zu machen,und dieser Anteil lag bei 55%fr belgische Hotels,whrend der durchschnittliche Anteil des Umsatzes ber OTAs fr Hotels in allen sechs untersuchten Lndern 44%betrug.OTA-Prov
212、isionsstze.Die OTAs meldeten einen stabilen oder leicht rcklufigen Trend fr ihre durchschnittlichen Basis-und effektiven Provisionsstze in allen Studienlndern im Zeitraum 2017-2021,aber die fr sterreich und Belgien beobachteten Niveaus und Trends scheinen sich nicht wesentlich von denen der anderen
213、Studienlnder zu unterscheiden.Differenzierung der Zimmerpreise nach Hotels In Lndern,in denen OTA-Parittsklauseln verboten sind,knnte man erwarten,dass Hotels eher dazu neigen,auf ihren direkten Online-Vertriebskanlen niedrigere Preise anzubieten als auf OTAs.In den sechs untersuchten Lndern gaben 3
214、1%der unabhngigen Hotels an,diese Art der Preisdifferenzierung anzuwenden.Dieser Anteil war in Belgien hher(40%),wenn auch nicht so hoch wie in Spanien(45%),und in sterreich lag der Anteil nahe dem allgemeinen Durchschnitt(33%).Nutzung der Metasuche durch Hotels Es gibt keinen signifikanten Untersch
215、ied zwischen sterreich und Belgien einerseits und den anderen Studienlndern andererseits,was den Anteil der Einnahmen von Metasearch-Betreibern betrifft,die direkt von Hotels(und nicht von OTAs)stammen.Dieser Anteil ist im Zeitraum 2018-2020 in allen untersuchten Lndern auer Schweden.Die Verwendung
216、von Parittsklauseln durch OTAs Die von unabhngigen Hotels gemeldete Verwendung von Parittsklauseln durch OTAs variiert von Land zu Land,aber es gibt keinen signifikanten Unterschied im Trend fr sterreich und Belgien im Vergleich zu den anderen Studienlndern.23%der sterreichischen und 28%der belgisch
217、en unabhngigen Hotels gaben an,dass ihre OTA-Vertrge Parittsklauseln enthalten,was dem Durchschnitt aller untersuchten Lnder(27%)entspricht.Auswirkungen der COVID-19-Pandemie auf die Vertriebsmethoden in Hotels Die strenden Auswirkungen der COVID-19-Pandemie auf das Hotelgewerbe wurden in dieser Stu
218、die von allen Kategorien von Interessenvertretern hervorgehoben.Die Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU XX Datenerhebung hat gezeigt,dass sowohl Hotels als auch OTAs einen starken Rckgang der Bruttobuchungen,der gebuchten Zimmerbernachtungen,der Gesamteinnahmen,des Nett
219、oeinkommens und des Cashflows aus der Geschftsttigkeit zu verzeichnen hatten.Einige Hotelketten vertraten die Ansicht,dass die Pandemie sie strker getroffen hat als die OTAs,da die Erholung der Reisebranche bisher vor allem vom Freizeit-und nicht vom Geschftsreiseverkehr getragen wurde.Im Gegensatz
220、zu den OTAs sind einige Hotelketten stark auf Geschftskunden angewiesen.Eine weitere Auswirkung der COVID-19-Pandemie,die durch die Datenerhebung besttigt wurde,ist die gestiegene Nachfrage der Reisenden nach flexiblen Buchungsmglichkeiten bei Hotels und OTAs.Market study on the distribution of hote
221、l accommodation in the EU Confidential version contains business secrets 1 1.Introduction,objectives and scope of the study The objective of the study is to provide up-to-date facts on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU and in particular to establish whether recent antitrust and legis
222、lative interventions in this sector have led to changes in distribution practices.The study focuses on the following 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,wha
223、t are the reasons for such differences?3.Have distribution arrangements changed relative to the situation described in the report on the European Competition Network(ECN)Monitoring Exercise22 for the period July 2015 to June 2016?If so,what are the reasons for such changes?4.Has the adoption of laws
224、 banning hotel booking platform parity clauses led to changes in distribution arrangements in the Member States concerned?The study covers six EU Member States:Austria,Belgium,Cyprus,Poland,Spain and Sweden over the period January 2017 to May 2021 inclusive.It focuses on the distribution and marketi
225、ng practices of the following categories of stakeholder:Independent hotels,Hotel chains,Online Travel Agents(OTAs)and Metasearch/price comparison websites(PCWs).For certain indicators,the study draws comparisons with the findings of the Monitoring Exercise carried out by the ECN in the online hotel
226、booking sector in 2016(“the 2016 Monitoring Exercise”).That exercise covered Belgium,Sweden and eight other EU Member States,though not Austria,Cyprus,Poland or Spain.Nonetheless,comparisons are to some extent possible since both exercises produced aggregate results for the full set of Member States
227、 covered.This Final Report contains:Methodological approach:an updated methodology together with the description of the activities carried out Results of the study:results of the literature review and data collection.Conclusions:a summary of the main conclusions of the study.Annex 1 Bibliography:the
228、 complete list of sources analysed Annex 2 Sampling methodology:including Sample of hotels(independent and chains)OTAs and metasearch Annex 3 Stakeholder questionnaires 22 ECN(2016).Report on the monitoring exercise carried out in the online hotel booking sector by EU competition authorities in 2016
229、.Available at:https:/ec.europa.eu/competition/ecn/hotel_monitoring_report_en.pdf Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU 2 2.Methodological approach In order to collect the data required by the study tender specifications,the research team used several primary and complemen
230、tary data collection tools.The figure below illustrates how these tools were used and how the results feed into the study logic:In Task 0 of the tender specifications,the team conducted scoping interviews with umbrella organisations representing hotels,OTAs and PCWs.For Task 1 of the tender specific
231、ations,the team conducted an in-depth literature review on material published since 2017 which provided a picture of the distribution of hotels in the EU;the value proposition of OTAs;the use,enforcement and impact of parity clauses and related measures by OTAs in the EU;the adoption and effects of
232、national legislation relating to the use of parity clauses by OTAs in the EU and factors impacting hotel room prices.In Task 2 of the tender specifications,the team collected data in two main work streams:Primary sources of information:through CATI(Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing)interviews
233、 with individual hotels and data collection with hotel chains and with platforms,we aimed to collecting primary information for all the parameters set out in the tender specifications.300 responses from hotels(both independent hotels and individual hotels that belong to chains)have been collected th
234、rough CATI(50 per country except Cyprus where the minimum is 25)and written answers and follow-up interviews with the management of hotel chains and platforms(0-523 interviews for hotel chains,0-5 for OTAs and 0-5 for metasearch/PCWs).The(CATI)interviews have been conducted in the national languages
235、 while the interviews with the management of hotel chains and with platforms has been conducted in English.Complementary sources of information:additional desk research on available databases,reports and administrative databases has been conducted in order to complement the information on the parame
236、ters that were collected from the 23 Redacted to protect commercially sensitive information.Figure 1:Research toolbox Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU 3 stakeholders.In addition,our country researchers ran an online desk research(or mystery shopping)to understand the
237、 current marketing practices used by a selection of hotels in the six study countries.These additional activities are only complementary to the stakeholder interviews and are aimed at providing a consolidated picture of the hotel distribution in the six countries covered by the study.Lastly,in Task
238、3 all the collected data has been analysed in a centralised database to facilitate the analysis.Figure 2 below illustrates the methodological approach of the study,organised in four interlinked tasks.2.1.Task 0:Inception and conceptualisation The aim of this task was to set out the methodological fr
239、amework of the overall study.At this stage,the study team fine-tuned the proposed methodology,the scope of the study and work plan.During this stage,we started the discussion with relevant organisations,including trade associations representing hotels,OTAs and metasearch/PCWs.The aim of this activit
240、y was to raise awareness of the study,allow these organisations to prepare any position paper/relevant feedback,provide the relevant contacts(especially for the platforms).2.2.Task 1:Desk research to review relevant literature The objective of Task 1 was to gather,review and present all relevant lit
241、erature and published materials since 2017 on:1.the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU 2.the use of parity clauses and related measures by OTAs in the EU 3.the adoption and effects of national legislation relating to the use of parity clauses by OTAs in the EU The analysis of these docume
242、nts provided the legal and economic context that informed the construction of stakeholder samples and the design of the stakeholder questionnaires.The literature review has been conducted in full.This means that the relevant pieces of literature were identified and reviewed.In a first instance,a lit
243、erature review grid was created in Excel,which provides an overview of the reviewed literature and indicates the relevance of each document for the study.The grid served as a guide for the research team when collecting and reviewing the literature.Figure 2:Methodological approach Market study on the
244、 distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU 4 Following the literature review grid,the identified literature has been summarised in Chapter 3,in a narrative write-up that addresses the studys research questions.2.3.Task 2:Collection of data The aim of Task 2 was to collect data from stakeholders
245、to provide information on the parameters set out in the tender specifications.The work was divided into two sub-tasks:Sub-task 2.1:Primary sources of information(stakeholder consultation)and Sub-task 2.2:Complementary sources of information.2.3.1.Sub-task 2.1:CATI interviews with hotels In order to
246、survey individual hotels(independent hotels and individual hotels that belong to chains),we conducted structured interviews based on a CATI methodology for sampling and interviewing across the six Member States covered by the study.300 interviews were conducted in the study countries during June and
247、 July 2021.Unless otherwise specified in Sections 3.2.1 to 3.2.20,the temporal scope of the questions covered by the CATI survey is 2021:with the exception of specific questions investigating the evolution over time of a certain indicator,all the answers provided by the respondents refer to the most
248、 recent available information(i.e.2021 for the purposes of this study).The research team used a sample of individual hotels based on a hotel database(GARD)provided by Delta Check.The sample of over 16,000 hotels was increased compared to the initial sample in order to ensure that the minimum require
249、ments were reached.The interviews with individual hotels were conducted by telephone.One of the main concerns regarding the use of CATI interviews was the anticipated difficulty of using this technique to gather historical data(which might require hoteliers to consult their records).To avoid a low r
250、esponse rate for historical questions and also to keep the CATI interview to a manageable length(approximately 30 minutes),it was agreed to gather most of the historical data using an additional online survey,to be sent to those CATI interviewees who agreed to participate.The questionnaires used for
251、 the telephone interviews and for the online survey were approved by the Commission and are attached in Annex 3.The questionnaires were translated into the local languages(German,Spanish,French,Dutch,Greek,Polish and Swedish).Interviewees had the possibility to nonetheless ask for the interview to b
252、e conducted in English.As the study focusses to a large extent on hotels use of OTAs,it was decided to filter out from the CATI data collection exercise hotels that do not use OTAs.This led to the exclusion of 77 hotels from the CATI data collection exercise after an initial short interview.300 full
253、 CATI interviews were then conducted with individual hotels that used OTAs.Of these 300 interviews,285 were with independent hotels and 15 were with hotels that belonged to hotel chains.The online survey was ultimately not used,for the following reasons.First,the research team only obtained the list
254、 of hotels that had agreed to participate in the online survey at the end of the CATI data collection process:this left very little time to use the online survey with these hotels before the deadline for delivery of the draft final report.Second,unlike the CATI technique,which follows precise steps
255、and instructions,the research team considered that the online survey would give them insufficient control over the participants speed of response or over the quality or completeness of their answers.Third,only 65 of the 300 Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU 5 CATI int
256、erviewees agreed to participate in the online survey;this figure was considered to be too low to give representative results across the six study countries.The fact that the online survey was not used impacted the collection of data for some of the indicators discussed in Section 3.2.Where applicabl
257、e,this is indicated in sub-sections 3.2.1 3.2.19 below.The tables below show the sample size for the full interviews with hotels using OTAs and the number of hotels that were screened out of the full interview because did not use OTAs.24 Table 1 Hotel use of OTAs in the six study countries Country H
258、otels using OTA%Hotels not using OTA%Austria 56 19%13 17%Belgium 52 17%9 12%Cyprus 26 9%1 1%Poland 53 18%24 31%Spain 60 20%18 23%Sweden 53 18%12 16%Total 300 100%77 100%Source:CATI survey Table 2 Hotel by star rating in the six study countries Country Hotels using OTA%Hotels not using OTA%Five stars
259、 6 2%0 0%Four stars 49 16%13 17%Three stars 113 38%19 25%Two stars 41 14%15 19%One star 15 5%7 9%My hotel does not have a star rating 76 25%23 30%Total 300 100%77 100%Source:CATI survey Table 3 Hotel by customer type in the six study countries Customer type Hotels using OTA%Hotels not using OTA%Only
260、 leisure/holiday customers 64 21%22 29%Mostly leisure/holiday customers 149 50%29 38%Mostly business customers 69 23%18 23%Only business customers 4 1%3 4%Other types of customers 14 5%5 6%Total 300 100%77 100%Source:CATI survey 24 Independent hotels and individual hotels that belong to chains.Marke
261、t study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU 6 Table 4 Hotel by destination type in the six study countries Destination type(1st mention)Hotels using OTA%Hotels not using OTA%City hotel 142 47%26 34%Countryside/rural hotel 96 32%30 39%Mountain or ski resort hotel 34 11%9 12%Seaside h
262、otel 24 8%7 9%Other type of hotel 4 1%5 6%Total 300 100%77 100%Source:CATI survey Table 5 Hotel by size in the six study countries Number of employees Hotels using OTA%Hotels not using OTA%More than 250 employees 2 1%1 1%Between 50 and 249 employees 22 7%4 5%Between 10 and 49 employees 101 34%15 19%
263、Less than 10 employees 175 58%57 74%Total 300 100%77 100%Source:CATI survey 2.3.2.Sub-task 2.1:Data collection from hotel chains,OTAs and PCWs To survey hotel chains,OTAs and PCWs,the research team used a written questionnaire and a follow-up interview aimed at clarifying their replies and covering
264、any data gaps.0-5 hotel chains,0-5 OTAs and 0-5 PCWs responded to the survey.Relevant stakeholders were identified by the research team and approved by the Commission during the inception phase.The research team obtained contact details for each stakeholder by contacting relevant trade associations
265、and by making searches on social media(i.e.LinkedIn)and company websites.The written questionnaires to hotel chains,OTAs and PCWs were approved by the Commission and are attached in Annex 3.The research team contacted 20 hotel chains and encountered several refusals to contribute to the market study
266、,due to the summer period and the expected heavy workload required to contribute to the study.Some hotel chains also expressed concerns about disclosing confidential commercial information.In some cases,the research team was able to address these concerns by signing a non-disclosure agreement with t
267、he relevant stakeholders.Concerning OTAs and PCWs,the research team mapped 38 brands of OTAs and PCWs and it contacted these companies and/or groups of companies.However,due to the aforementioned reasons(including concerns about disclosing business secrets),the Market study on the distribution of ho
268、tel accommodation in the EU 7 response rate was lower than expected.Also,in some cases,the business model of the booking platform did not suit the scope of the study and the data collection tools25.The following tables list the stakeholders that contributed to the study and the date of the follow-up
269、 interview/submission.Table 6 Sample of OTAs and PCWs Group Type Subsidiary/brand name Date Source:written questionnaire to OTAs and PCWs Table 7 Sample of hotel chains Group Date Source:written questionnaires to hotel chains 2.3.3.Sub-task 2.2:Complementary sources of information This sub-task aime
270、d to collect additional information on the parameters set out in the tender specifications to complement and triangulate the information from the stakeholder surveys(Sub-task 2.1).To do this,the research team conducted online research on the websites of hotels,OTAs and metasearch/PCWs(“mystery shopp
271、ing”)to understand the current marketing practices they use.We performed also an analysis on the dataset provided by D-EDGE and,finally,additional desk research to fill potential data gaps.2.3.3.1.Mystery shopping The mystery shopping exercise focused on indications of competition between hotel webs
272、ites and OTAs.First,the research team checked for any difference in room prices or availability between these two channels,as well as whether any price differences were attributable to product/conditions differentiation(e.g.different room types or free cancellation).We also checked the extent to whi
273、ch available loyalty schemes and best price guarantees were respected(e.g.by attempting to conclude a booking by phone to see if the price proposed is lower than the one found online).The mystery shopping was conducted following strict rules to ensure the consistency of the data collected26.The exer
274、cise was conducted on a sample of 120 hotels:80 independent hotels and 40 hotels belonging to hotel chains.The independent hotel websites were found to be highly heterogenous in terms of user interface:this led to inconsistent results between hotels,with low or no comparability,hence no usefulness f
275、or the analysis.For this reason,only the data collected from the 40 hotels belonging to hotel chains was used in the analysis.25 In some instances,the OTAs/PCWs use white label agreements:they only display hotel inventory obtained from third parties(OTAs,bed wholesalers,etc.)and they do not contract
276、 directly with hotels.In the case one platform,hotels represent only a small share of the accommodations sold on that platform.Another platform mostly offered dynamic packages(flight+hotel)and hotel offers could only be booked or accessed after booking a flight.26 The following methodology was used
277、for the mystery shopping exercise:the data was collected between midday and 4 pm by a researcher based in Brussels using Google Chrome as the browser and G as the search engine.Price differentiation standard double room for 2 people,cancellable,without breakfast,for 1 night in an off-peak period,11-
278、12 September.Room availability:standard double room for 2 people,cancellable,without breakfast,for 1 night in a peak period,7-8 August.Online advertisement:search engine request using the name of hotel+city name,e.g.“Hotel Vesuvio Napoli”.Check the first search results if they have the Ad label.Mark
279、et study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU 8 2.3.3.2.Database provided by D-Edge D-Edge,in collaboration with the research team,provided a large dataset with over 100 000 entries related to over 300 properties27 in the six study countries between January 2017 and March 2021.These
280、data were used to estimate the relative importance of the main sales and marketing channels in order to triangulate the estimates from the other data collection tools.2.4.Task 3:Data analysis Following the finalisation of the data collection in Tasks 1 and 2,the team conducted the data analysis whic
281、h aims to answer the overarching research questions of the study:How is hotel accommodation distributed in the Member States covered by the study?Do distribution arrangements differ between these Member States?If so,what are the reasons for such differences?Have distribution arrangements changed rel
282、ative to the situation described in the report on the ECN Monitoring Exercise for the period July 2015 to June 2016?If so,what are the reasons for such changes?Has the adoption of laws banning hotel booking platform parity clauses led to changes in distribution arrangements in the Member States conc
283、erned?The data analysis task consisted of two main steps:(1)construct the database for data triangulation and analysis and(2)data analysis and validation.The final analysis incorporates the results from Tasks 1 and 2.The data analysis database provides a strong basis for analysis as it already conta
284、ins the relevant graphs that support the assessment.The analysis provides answers to the overarching research questions of the study,as well as specific responses to the requested parameters.The overall analysis includes country-level analysis as well as cross-analysis,comparing results across count
285、ries,parameters,and periods.Lastly,the analysis captures(where possible)any evolution in the study parameters during the timeframe covered by the study.27 Spain:from 290 properties in 2017 to 227 properties in 2021.Properties that are constant in the period:198.Austria:From 52 properties in 2017 to
286、64 properties in 2021.Properties that are constant in the period 49.Poland:From 25 properties in 2017 to 36 properties in 2021.Properties that are constant in the period 25.Belgium:From 9 properties in 2017 to 19 properties in 2021.Sweden:3 properties in the period.Market study on the distribution o
287、f hotel accommodation in the EU 9 3.Results of the study 3.1.Literature review This section presents the results of the desk research to review the relevant literature.The literature review provides an overview of the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU and the use of parity clauses and re
288、lated measures by OTAs in the EU.Literature on the adoption and effects of national legislation relating to the use of parity clauses by OTAs in the EU has also been reviewed.The literature review is structured in five parts:First,a market overview,containing information on the relative importance a
289、nd costs of the main distribution channels,new technologies and sales techniques used by platforms and hotels,as well as hotels use of OTAs Second,a section on the benefits and disadvantages for consumers and hotels of using OTAs Third,a description of the use,enforcement and impact of parity clause
290、s Fourth,a discussion of a range of potential factors impacting hotel room prices Fifth,an explanation of certain limitations that should be considered when interpreting the literature presented in the review The desk research underlying this review focussed on the relevant literature published sinc
291、e January 2017.In some exceptions,particularly for the review of legal developments,older material has been included.While the study focusses on the EU,the literature considered in the review refers to the hotel sector in various geographic regions,including the EU,USA and Asia.It should be noted th
292、at the hotel sector varies in some characteristics across these regions,which means that some of the findings may not hold in the EU.The international literature nonetheless provides valuable insights,as many of the stakeholders operate around the globe and most of the developments in the sector(e.g
293、.technologies and stakeholder relationships)are similar in EU and non-EU geographies.Various sources including academic literature,official reports,legal texts at international,EU and national level,tourism magazines,news outlets and blogs have been studied and included in this review.3.1.1.Overview
294、 of hotel distribution practices The distribution of hotel accommodation involves a large number of stakeholders and channels,including hotels,offline and online travel agencies,metasearch/PCWs,wholesalers,etc.This section provides information on the importance of different channels by looking at th
295、eir share of total overnights sold.Moreover,the section also provides some information on the cost of each channel for hotels,on the adoption of new technologies and sales techniques,as well as the hotels use of OTAs.3.1.1.1.Share of distribution channels In the hotel accommodation sector,there are
296、various distribution channels and various ways to categorize them.For example:online versus offline and direct(voice,hotel website,walk-in)versus indirect(OTAs,brick and mortar travel agents).Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU 10 Figure 3:Shares of distribution channel
297、s in Europe(2013-2019)shows the weighted shares(measured in the share of overnights)of different distribution channels by subcategories in Europe from 2013 to 2019.The data has been drawn from the European Hotel Distribution Study by Prof.Schegg(2020),which is performed biannually and monitors distr
298、ibution via online and offline channels in the European hotel industry.The study is based on an online survey conducted in January and February 2020 with 2,839 responses 2,156 responses from independent hotels from 24 out of the 34 member countries of HOTREC28 and 683 responses from 8 hotel chains i
299、n four countries(Germany,Croatia,Finland and Hungary)29.Even though the number of observations is not particularly high for most countries,30 it is one of the most comprehensive studies.Figure 3:Shares of distribution channels in Europe(2013-2019)Note:The categories presented in this table reflect t
300、he options given to hoteliers in the online survey.While some categories do not appear to be mutually exclusive(e.g.GDS and tour operators),one can assume that they are not double counted given that hoteliers provided the share per channel.Source:Schegg(2020)One of the main findings from Schegg(2020
301、)is that the direct bookings(green)have decreased from 57.6%in 2013 to 45.5%in 2019,while the share of bookings via online intermediaries(pink)has increased continuously from 22.2%in 2013 to 32.9%in 2019.The increase in online intermediaries is driven,in particular,by the growing importance of OTAs.
302、Nonetheless,it is important to consider that traditional channels still play a major role(Stangl,Inversini&Schegg,2016).It has also been reported that brick and mortar travel agents enjoy a revival due to the convenience and shopping experience that they provide(Feinstein,2018).These trends are conf
303、irmed by various other sources,including Beritelli and Schegg(2016);Ivanov and Atanasova(2019);Anderson and Han(2017);and EY-Parthenon(2021).However,the exact shares differ slightly across the sources,as they consider different samples,countries and hotel classes.Schegg(2020)actually also shows that
304、 the share of each sales channel varies between countries and between categories of hotels and customers.For example,the share of direct bookings is lowest in 5-star and 2-star hotels(51%and 52%),large hotels with more than 100 rooms(45%),leisure travels(52%),large cities with more than 250,000 inha
305、bitants 28 The surveyed countries are:Italy,Germany,Switzerland,Greece,Sweden,Czech Republic,Spain,Ireland,Hungary,Austria,Finland,Slovakia,Croatia,Norway,Poland,Turkey,Iceland,Netherlands,United Kingdom,Estonia,Latvia,Belgium,Malta,Serbia and Azerbaijan(ordered according to the number of responses)
306、29 In the remainder of the report,the regional focus of this study is referred to as Europe,even though it does not include all European countries.30 In each of five countries(Italy,Germany,Switzerland,Greece and Sweden),more than 100 responses were collected.In total,these countries make up about 8
307、0%of the sample.Distribution channelDirect-Phone14.216.517.220.5-6.3Direct-Mail/fax1.72.12.43.2-1.5Direct-Walk-In(persons without reservation)3.74.54.55.8-2.1Direct-Contact from own website(without availabilty check)4.25.35.45.8-1.5Direct-Email12.914.615.614.9-2.0Direct-real time booking over own we
308、bsite(with availabilty check)8.89.07.77.41.4Destination Marketing Organization(DMO/trade associations0.60.90.91.1-0.5National Tourism Organization(NTO)0.20.40.50.5-0.3Tour operator/Travel agency11.49.59.110.31.1Hotel chains and cooperations with CRS1.01.12.41.6-0.5Wholesaler(e.g.Hotelbeds,Tourico,Gu
309、lliver,Transhotel,etc.)3.13.23.53.4-0.3Event and Congress organizer2.52.62.91.80.6Online Booking Agency(OTA)29.926.023.119.710.2Globale Distributionssysteme(GDS)2.42.52.92.00.3Social Media Channels0.70.50.40.40.2Other distribution channels2.72.71.41.41.41.41.51.51.21.2Weighted market share(in%)Chang
310、e(in pp)1.617.222.20.910.7200.132.91.316.329.017.926.445.552.052.957.60.8-0.8-12.11.4Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU 11 (41%)and chain hotels(45%)31(Schegg,2020).In terms of geographic differences,the share of direct bookings is highest for h
311、otels in Austria(61.5%)and lowest in Spain(33.2%).Another important driver of the use of OTAs is the age of the customers.For example,Millennials hold the largest share of the travel market at 33%and 52%of Millennials prefer booking hotels via OTAs(Feinstein,2018).More recently,other technology comp
312、anies,such as Google,try to push into the sector and started competing with OTAs and metasearch/PCWs(Tutt,2019).The OTA sector more widely might be undergoing some changes.An illustration of this is that B“has entered the small accommodation sector including family operated Bed and Breakfasts,Vacati
313、on Rentals and Self-Catering Apartments”(Zamyatina&Solntseva,2019).By far the biggest OTA in the hotel sector in Europe is B,with a share of 67.7%(Martin-Fuentes&Mellinas,2018;Schegg,2020).The three main players within the European OTA sector(Booking Holdings,Expedia Group and HRS)are reported to ha
314、ve an aggregated market share of 92%in Europe in 2019(Schegg,2020).More commonly,the OTA sector is described as a duopoly between B and Expedia or oligopolistic market structure(Stangl,Inversini&Schegg,2016).Not only are B and Expedia the largest OTAs,but Booking Holdings and the Expedia Group both
315、own numerous brands and websites.Expedia Group is the owner of more than 200 websites and mobile outlets(Zamyatina&Solntseva,2019).Similarly,Booking Holdings manages multiple platforms,including B,A,P and K.3.1.1.2.Distribution channels and their relative costs The cost associated with each distribu
316、tion channel varies widely due to the different extent of(marketing)activities and risks taken by the various stakeholders.This makes it difficult to compare the cost between different channels because not every channel has a cost element that is directly linked to a room sold.While commissions can
317、be clearly identified as the cost for securing a successful booking(agency model),there is no direct cost when wholesalers purchase rooms at a reduced price(merchant model).In this case,the difference between the normal end-user price and the wholesale price could be interpreted as the effective com
318、mission per room sold.In other cases,marketing expenditure might not guarantee any sales(advertising and subscription models).Instead,these models provide visibility,which facilitates traffic and in some cases bookings on the hotels own website.It should also be noted that the prices of distribution
319、/marketing services vary by company and are not public information.For this reason,the estimates presented from different sources are rough indications of the relative costs.Most commonly,the business models applied by online and offline distribution channels are distinguished between the so-called
320、agent model and merchant model(Uenlue,2017;Ye,Zhang&Li,2018).Under the agency model,hotel rooms are distributed by a travel agent,who charges a certain percentage of the room price set by the hotel32(also called commission rate)when the room is being sold via their channel.Since the travel agents on
321、ly receive a commission for rooms sold,they are likely to invest in the promotion of the hotels listed on their platform and the platform more generally.While this implies that hotels might have to invest less in their marketing,hotels are not guaranteed any sales and continue to bear their business
322、(operating)risk.This model applies for both offline and online travel agents.Offline travel 31 Compared to 1-star hotels(70%),hotels with less than 20 rooms and from 20 to 50 rooms(both 58%),other segments(non-leisure or business)(66%),small cities with less than 10,000 inhabitants(60%),and independ
323、ent hotels(56%).32 In some opaque distribution channels that provide room price discounts,the price might be determined in a bidding process(e.g,Pricelines Name Your Own Price NYOP service).(Yang,Jiang&Schwartz,2019).Market study on the distribution of hotel accommodation in the EU 12 agents often h
324、ave access to the hotels capacity via a Global Distribution System(GDS),“a worldwide computerized reservation network that enables transactions to travel agents,online reservation sites,and large organizations”(Falk&Anderson,2020).EY-Parthenon(2021)-a study commissioned by B33-estimates the commissi
325、on rate for successful bookings via offline travel agents to be 16%(including the GDS fee).The estimates for offline travel agents are supported by Mahmoud(2015),which suggests a rate of 16%(10%travel agent commission plus an average of 6%GDS pass-through fee for average daily rooms of 150 USD to 30
326、0 USD)for GDS-enabled travel agents in 2015.In terms of online travel agents,estimates for the commission rates range from 15-20%(EY-Parthenon,2021)to 10%-25%(Zamyatina&Solntseva,2019)and as high as 15%-30%(Feinstein,2018)and 10%-30%(EC DG JUST,2020).The commission rates appear to vary between locat
327、ions(Zamyatina&Solntseva,2019),but in general,it has been noted that commission rates have increased in recent years(Feinstein,2018;Schegg,2020).Under the merchant model,34 the distributor purchases hotel rooms(nights)at a wholesale(reduced)price and sells them with a mark-up.The difference between
328、the wholesale price and the retail price represents the effective cost of sale.In most cases,the hotel is paid by the wholesaler independently of whether the wholesaler sells the room.This means that the hotelier is guaranteed a certain amount of revenue and might invest less in marketing because so
329、me of the hotels inventory has already been sold to the wholesaler.It is thus the distribution channel with the lowest risk for hotels.As a result,the cost of sale per room sold is generally higher than under the agency model.One estimate puts the implicit cost(the reduction from the retail price)at
330、 25%-35%(EY-Parthenon,2021).While the merchant model is most widely used by bed wholesalers,it can also be applied by OTAs.However,some OTAs might not take on the(full)risk of unsold beds.In addition to the agent and the merchant model,there also exist advertising and subscription models.Under these
331、 models,customers are generally redirected to the hotels website to make a booking.The advertising model might require the hotel to pay a fee on a pay-per-click basis(InnovationTactics,2017;EY-Parthenon,2021).As a result,hotels are not guaranteed a successful booking from any given number of clicks,
332、which implies a relatively high risk to the hotel.The cost per click can be fixed or is in some cases“determined in an auction system and would typically be in the sub-dollar to a few-dollar region”(InnovationTactics,2017).The cost is likely to vary as a function of star category and location.By con
333、trast,under a subscription model,hotels pay a fee to be listed on a platform for a certain period.For example,the fee could be a few hundred USD per year for a small Bed&Breakfast”(InnovationTactics,2017).Similar to the advertising model,this means that hotels face a cost without being guaranteed any bookings.As such,the fees can be seen as more general advertising costs.Considering the expenditur