About this course: In today’s hotel sector an increasingly complex network of traditional and web based channels have to be managed to insure hotel success. Key questions include: how should you distribute over the web? What should you include on your brand.com website so people book through it? How can you maximise the potential of online travel agents (OTAs)? With the distribution environment both highly complex and constantly evolving, this course will give you comprehensive foundation of current industry practices to help jumpstart your career in this fascinating domain. Acknowledgements: Claire Bertrand, Vincent Chatain, Jessica Moses, Benjamin Six (ESSEC Business School), Emilie Dupré (Image-In), Gregory Halidy (Triplay)
Created by: ESSEC Business School
Taught by: Peter O'Connor, Professor of information systems, Director of the MBA in Hospitality Management
Information systems
Taught by: Nicolas Graf, Professeur
Management
| Basic Info | Course 1 of 4 in the Hotel Management: Distribution, Revenue and Demand Management Specialization |
| Commitment | 4 weeks, 2-4 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Setting the scene
The hotel business has evolved from its early days to today. Through this evolution, it has become increasingly specialized. This module introduces the business models, strategies for growth, levels of competition and biggest changes and challenges hotels have to face today.
9 videos, 2 readings, 3 practice quizzes
- Video: Mooc introduction
- Video: Historical evolution
- Video: The hotel business value chain
- Practice Quiz: Practice Lesson 1
- Video: Franchise and Management agreements
- Video: Growth and the value of branded hotel chains
- Practice Quiz: Practice Lesson 2
- Video: Hotels as economic units
- Video: Introduction to revenue management
- Practice Quiz: Practice Lesson 3
- Video: Trends and challenges
- Video: Wrap-up and conclusion
- Reading: Complementary readings
- Reading: Peer Review documents
Graded: Why distribution and revenue management are important for hotel profitability
WEEK 2
A deep dive into hotel distribution
After a rapid introduction of key pieces of terminology and technology, this module will examine in details the components of online distribution today, and focus on how to make the most of an increasingly complex distribution system.
12 videos, 2 readings, 4 practice quizzes
- Video: Why hotel distribution?
- Video: The origins of hotel distribution
- Video: The web revolution
- Practice Quiz: Practice Lesson 1
- Video: Working with the OTAs
- Video: OTA Business Model
- Video: The brand.com site
- Video: The forgotten majority: traditional channels
- Practice Quiz: Practice Lesson 2
- Video: The distribution cost puzzle
- Video: The true cost of brand.com
- Video: The price parity paradox
- Practice Quiz: Practice Lesson 3
- Video: Magnificent Meta-Search
- Video: Disruption in the market place?
- Reading: Complementary readings
- Practice Quiz: Practice Lesson 4
- Reading: Peer Review Documents
Graded: Assessing whether a hotel should work with a 'new' OTA
WEEK 3
Direct distribution: the key to hotel success
Distributing directly, thus building an effective and efficient website, is an essential success factor. Through this module, you will have a deep understanding of the web development process but also understand the cost of driving traffic, and the importance of using indirect distribution and online marketing techniques.
16 videos, 1 reading, 4 practice quizzes
- Video: Introduction
- Practice Quiz: Practice Lesson 1
- Video: Deciding what you want
- Video: Registering your domain name
- Video: Content
- Video: What is good hotel content?
- Practice Quiz: Practice Lesson 2
- Video: Creating your web pages
- Video: Selecting a good hosting solution
- Practice Quiz: Practice Lesson 3
- Video: Introduction to online marketing
- Video: Organic search engine marketing
- Video: Paid search engine marketing
- Video: Email Marketing
- Video: Display Advertising
- Video: Affiliate marketing
- Video: Social Media Marketing
- Practice Quiz: Practice lesson 4
- Video: Using Analytics for customer insight
- Video: Wrap-up and conclusion
- Reading: Complementary Readings
Graded: Which electronic marketing technique should I use to generate additional traffic in the short run?
WEEK 4
How to manage your OTA
In this final module you will attack the critical issue of how to work better with Online Travel Agents. Learning best practices from OTA managers themselves, you will make sure that you are exploiting these valuable and fast growing points of sale to their maximum potential.
16 videos, 2 readings, 2 practice quizzes
- Video: Working With Online Travel Agents
- Video: Why OTA's?
- Video: Reach
- Video: The Billboard Effect
- Video: Pay-per-Performance
- Video: Reactivity
- Video: Market Information
- Practice Quiz: Practice Lesson 1
- Video: Introduction
- Video: Photos
- Video: Content
- Video: User Reviews
- Video: Competitive Rates
- Video: Manage Availability
- Video: How should a hotel work with Expedia?
- Video: How should a hotel work with Booking.com?
- Practice Quiz: Practice lesson 2
- Video: Conclusion
- Reading: Complementary readings
- Reading: Peer Review Documents
Graded: Assessing a hotel's presence on Booking.com
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
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Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Certificates
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
Creators
ESSEC Business School
For over a century, ESSEC has been developing a state-of-the-art educational program that gives the individual pride of place in its learning model, promoting the values of freedom, openness, innovation and responsibility. Preparing future managers to reconcile personal interests with collective responsibility, giving consideration to the common good in their decision-making, and weighing economic challenges against the social costs are some of the objectives ESSEC has set for itself. Its ultimate goal? To create a global world that has meaning for us all.
Pricing
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Not available | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
It is perfect .
Really great course.
Very thorough with the current practices and trends, the fundamentals of hotel distribution introduces you to key opportunities present to a manager and explores evolving avenues that the hotel owner must keep up with. The bird's eye view of distribution helps one understand the complexity of the industry in today's times.
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MM
Good content
Good teachers