The practice of digitizing a hotel's room inventory is known as hotel room mapping. This provides details about the room's size, amenities, category, and position inside the hotel, in addition to its number and location. But due to multiple distribution and sourcing channels, hotel room mapping can be a complete headache! Let´s do a deep dive into how hotel room mapping inconsistencies can harm your business.
To keep track of room availability, control inventory, and set room rates, hotels utilize room mapping. But confusion and annoyance can also result from hotel room mapping for both hotel staff and visitors. When a hotel uses an outdated or inaccurate room mapping system, a problem occurs.
Manual room mapping & multiple channels
The fact that hotel room mapping is frequently completed manually, which can result in mistakes and inconsistencies, is one of the main problems. For instance, a hotel manager can inadvertently put a room in the wrong category or forget to update the mapping system after a renovation. This can be confusing for visitors who reserve a room based on its description only to discover upon arrival that it does not live up to their expectations.
The difficulty for hoteliers in tracking their inventory across several channels is another issue with hotel room mapping. Hotels rely on a variety of platforms for sales and distribution, including their own websites, bedbanks, channel managers, and online travel agencies (OTAs). However, the room mapping methods used by various channels may differ, which can cause confusion and inconsistency.
Furthermore, mapping mistakes might result in overbooking circumstances, when a hotel double-books the same room to separate customers, leaving the guests dissatisfied and harming the hotel's reputation.
To avoid these problems, hotels, and travel companies have a few options:
Implement a centralized room mapping system: Having a single, unified system for managing your room inventory can help ensure that all information is accurate and up-to-date across all distribution channels.
Regularly update and maintain the room mapping system: Regularly check and update your room mapping system to ensure that it reflects any changes in your room inventory, such as renovations or new room types.
Use automated mapping software: Automated mapping software can automatically update your inventory with real-time data, reducing the risk of errors and inconsistencies.
Train staff on proper room mapping procedures: Make sure that all staff members who are responsible for updating the room mapping system are properly trained and understand the importance of accuracy.
Use third-party mapping services: Consider outsourcing your room mapping to a professional mapping company, which can provide a more accurate and efficient mapping service.
The hidden opportunity in defragmented room mapping
So how can travel companies make lemonade from lemons? They can use A.I technology to capitalize on the lack of standardization of room mapping in order to increase their profits with Pruvo. Pruvo provides risk-free technology services that allow hotel resellers to increase profit margins by repricing an existing hotel reservation when its price drops. One of the ways Pruvo is able to find these price drops is thanks to its sophisticated room mapping algorithm, which is capable of not only mapping the exact same room across your existing suppliers but can also find upgraded rooms at a lower cost.
Conclusion
In conclusion, hotel room mapping is crucial to maintaining a hotel's inventory but, if done incorrectly, it may also be a source of confusion and annoyance. Hotels may prevent errors and inconsistencies and improve the visitor experience by using a reliable and accurate room mapping system. Hotels can also avoid overbooking scenarios and preserve a good customer reputation by monitoring their inventory across numerous channels. But instead of waiting for hotels to take control of this matter, travel companies can take advantage of this defragmented segment and use it to increase profit margins on hotel reservations they ALREADY sold.