The good news is that the percentage of Internet-based hotel reservations is expected to triple to 15.4 percent by 2004 from the current 4.9 percent, according to Andersen LLP, and total volume is expected to reach $5.7 billion in 2004, according to Forrester Research.

It would appear that many leisure and business travelers have discovered that all of the very good travel deals are to be found not through a travel agent, or calling a supplier directly, but on the Web. And according to Nielsen/NetRatings over 37 million out of 162 million active Americans Internet users have already purchased travel online.

The bad news is that many smaller hospitality companies, except for the major brands, have not taken full advantage of the Internet as the cheapest and most efficient distribution medium for their inventory. Unfortunately many have suffered due to insufficient expertise in understanding how the Internet works. This has allowed a number of major online discount companies to increase their market share at the expense of many hotels' direct and GDS distribution.

In fact, many independent properties have been left out of GDS (Global Distribution Systems) such as Sabre and Galileo due to high booking fees and the need for dedicated telecommunications. Also many new booking networks require a property to maintain rates and inventory in a web-based system that can be difficult to manage.

This can make it impossible to list independent property inventory on the GDS or popular travel website such as AOL Travel, Yahoo!, Travelocity, etc.

Although using online hotel consolidators to sell your accommodation online is not an issue, it becomes a serious problem when these online services are your primary or only Web distribution channel.

Simply put. If your hotel only appears on the Web through your discounted rates offered by the online consolidators, Internet users would always find your discounted rates and nothing else.

Therefore, as far as the Internet consumer is concerned, these discounted rates are de facto your published hotel rates. In effect they become your published rate. The resulting brand erosion and price dilution can seriously effect your future financial health. How do you ever convince travelers to pay your full room rate?

The answer is very simple. As an Hotelier you must adopt a distribution model which focuses on two major areas, Direct and Indirect Web Distribution.

When an Internet user is searching for accommodations at your destination, they should be able to find your hotel website directly through the search engines, your website affiliates and destination portals.

The Indirect component of marketing your hotel web site on-line is to search and use channels other than your website and is probably already familiar to most hotel owners. Such as, establishing relationships with online leisure travel services, corporate services, meeting and event planner services, wholesalers and discount companies, Internet reservation systems, local portals, hotel directories, etc.

Direct Web Distribution involves energetically marketing your hotel website by turning your hotel website into a 24 hour by 7 day sales force, complete with booking engine, website optimization, website functionality, customer e-mail capture and a strong customer service component.

Your hotel website is not just an online brochure. Yes, it should be simple, nice, informative, useful and efficient. But, do you have a real-time booking engine? The booking engine should be prominently displayed on the Home Page and become the centerpiece of your hotel website. All web pages within the website should prominently feature the "Online Reservations" or a "Book Now" buttons.

Numerous studies show that most Internet users will not book a hotel that does not offer a real-time booking on its website. And if you have a booking engine is it capable of booking in real-time transient, corporate rates, preferred rates, special accounts and promotional rates, hotel packages and group reservations?

Other issues, such as, affiliate programs and customer e-mail capture programs should be an essential part of your website marketing strategy. Focus on permission-based email marketing to your customer list, weekly e-Newsletters, and Web-only and email promotions.

A further requirement is the optimization of your website for search engines. You need your website to be visible to the search engines with effective use of keywords and Meta tags, etc. Plus, all of your key pages should be submitted to the major search engines and directories. This positioning of your hotel web site is an ongoing task that is critical in providing you with cost effective traffic.

Hospitality SolutionsIt is a fact that 85% of Internet users rely on search engines to locate relevant information on the Web (e.g. Google, Yahoo, AltaVista, etc). As an independent lodging company that is not part of a major brand and without the marketing budget and name recognition of a major brand you must rely even more on search engine referrals.

Online distribution is here to stay. Travel suppliers, including hotel owners, are beginning to realize that online distribution is changing the "classic" distribution spectrum. Three years from now the Internet will contribute 18% of revenues in hospitality (PhoCusWright) and online bookings will surpass GDS bookings.

If your hotel does not currently generate at least 8%-10% of your bookings from the Web, you should be concerned. Why? This year over 7% of all revenues in hospitality will be Internet-generated. If you do not fare better than the national averages, you are already behind your pro-active competitors.

Taking care of the bad news in this article could certainly bring you much more good news.
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By: David Brights

David Brights writes for www.showcheaphotels.info where you can find out more about cheap hotels and other topics.

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Airline travel is certainly fast, but with all the rules and regulations, it is quickly becoming more and more uncomfortable. Some of the downsides include being crammed into confining seats, being fed artificial tasting meals, and experiencing the annoying and frustrating delays and lost luggage that sometime seems more like the rule than the exception.

There was a time when traveling used to be a joy, but nowadays it feels like a necessary evil, especially if you travel frequently for business, for pleasure or for work. Nevertheless, the good news is that there are things that you can do to make travel as comfortable and as pleasant as possible. Unless you can afford the luxuries of private jet travel, you'll have to find ways to cope with the inconveniences of commercial flights.

Here are three easy ways to make your flights a bit more comfortable:

1. Get a good seat. If you have even been sandwiched in the middle seat of a row on a long flight, then you know what being "uncomfortable" is all about. To avoid it, be early checking in and request the check-in agent for an aisle seat. If you are late checking in for a fully booked flight, chances are you will be the one in the middle seat.

2. Get First class or Priority tags for your luggage. Bags that have first class or priority tags on them get handled first. Look for them to come off the plane first, which means they get in to the baggage area much quicker. Importantly, even if you travel economy or coach class, you may be able to benefit from this service if you have one of these tags. Some airlines may give you a first class tag if you ask for it. Otherwise, you may also want to make your own tag in advance. You can do this by having a brightly colored card stamped with the word "priority" and lamented at a local printer. It does not get any easier than that. This is certain to get the attention of the baggage handlers, which means you can collect your luggage and get you to your hotel much quicker.

3. Combat the adverse affects of dry/oxygen deficient air. For passengers that suffer from cardiovascular and respiratory ailments, or that are concerned about flight induced dehydration, the poor quality of cabin air may pose certain threats. These travelers should drink at least one glass of bottled water for each hour that they are in flight, as well as avoid coffee, tea, alcohol, colas and any beverage with a diuretic effect.

In the age we live in, air travel is bound to continue to have it hassles, but we can take steps to make our flights as comfortable as possible. Sometimes it's the simple small things we do that can make the biggest difference!
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Become a smarter traveler. Visit www.every1loves2travel.com for great tips and articles about air travel, family travel, travel rewards and much more.

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