The fundamentals of hotel distribution

The fundamentals of hotel distribution

This course is part of Hotel Management: Distribution, Revenue and Demand Management Specialization

Instructors: Peter O'Connor

Access provided by PALC Dev

51,181 already enrolled

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,482 reviews

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

96%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,482 reviews

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

96%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

13 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

logos of Petrobras, TATA, Danone, Capgemini, P&G and L'Oreal

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Hotel Management: Distribution, Revenue and Demand Management Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in 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 jump start your career in this fascinating domain.

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.

What's included

9 videos2 readings3 assignments1 peer review

9 videos Total 36 minutes

Mooc introduction 3 minutes
Historical evolution 4 minutes
The hotel business value chain 4 minutes
Franchise and Management agreements 4 minutes
Growth and the value of branded hotel chains 4 minutes
Hotels as economic units 6 minutes
Introduction to revenue management 6 minutes
Trends and challenges 3 minutes
Wrap-up and conclusion 3 minutes

2 readings Total 20 minutes

Complementary readings 10 minutes
Peer Review documents 10 minutes

3 assignments Total 90 minutes

Practice Lesson 1 30 minutes
Practice Lesson 2 30 minutes
Practice Lesson 3 30 minutes

1 peer review Total 120 minutes

Why distribution and revenue management are important for hotel profitability 120 minutes

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.

What's included

12 videos2 readings4 assignments1 peer review

12 videos Total 66 minutes

Why hotel distribution? 4 minutes
The origins of hotel distribution 4 minutes
The web revolution 7 minutes
Working with the OTAs 6 minutes
OTA Business Model 7 minutes
The brand.com site 3 minutes
The forgotten majority: traditional channels 4 minutes
The distribution cost puzzle 3 minutes
The true cost of brand.com 6 minutes
The price parity paradox 5 minutes
Magnificent Meta-Search 7 minutes
Disruption in the market place? 8 minutes

2 readings Total 20 minutes

Complementary readings 10 minutes
Peer Review Documents 10 minutes

4 assignments Total 120 minutes

Practice Lesson 1 30 minutes
Practice Lesson 2 30 minutes
Practice Lesson 3 30 minutes
Practice Lesson 4 30 minutes

1 peer review Total 60 minutes

Assessing whether a hotel should work with a 'new' OTA 60 minutes

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.

What's included

16 videos1 reading4 assignments1 peer review

16 videos Total 66 minutes

Introduction 8 minutes
Deciding what you want 2 minutes
Registering your domain name 4 minutes
Content 6 minutes
What is good hotel content? 4 minutes
Creating your web pages 5 minutes
Selecting a good hosting solution 6 minutes
Introduction to online marketing 2 minutes
Organic search engine marketing 5 minutes
Paid search engine marketing 4 minutes
Email Marketing 4 minutes
Display Advertising 4 minutes
Affiliate marketing 2 minutes
Social Media Marketing 1 minute
Using Analytics for customer insight 5 minutes
Wrap-up and conclusion 3 minutes

1 reading Total 10 minutes

Complementary Readings 10 minutes

4 assignments Total 120 minutes

Practice Lesson 1 30 minutes
Practice Lesson 2 30 minutes
Practice Lesson 3 30 minutes
Practice lesson 4 30 minutes

1 peer review Total 120 minutes

Which electronic marketing technique should I use to generate additional traffic in the short run? 120 minutes

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.

What's included

16 videos2 readings2 assignments1 peer review

16 videos Total 89 minutes

Working With Online Travel Agents 9 minutes
Why OTA's? 2 minutes
Reach 5 minutes
The Billboard Effect 7 minutes
Pay-per-Performance 2 minutes
Reactivity 3 minutes
Market Information 3 minutes
Introduction 1 minute
Photos 4 minutes
Content 3 minutes
User Reviews 6 minutes
Competitive Rates 2 minutes
Manage Availability 3 minutes
How should a hotel work with Expedia? 26 minutes
How should a hotel work with Booking.com? 11 minutes
Conclusion 4 minutes

2 readings Total 20 minutes

Complementary readings 10 minutes
Peer Review Documents 10 minutes

2 assignments Total 60 minutes

Practice Lesson 1 30 minutes
Practice lesson 2 30 minutes

1 peer review Total 120 minutes

Assessing a hotel's presence on Booking.com 120 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructors

Instructor ratings

(320 ratings)

Peter O'Connor

ESSEC Business School

4 Courses 72,019 learners

Offered by

ESSEC Business School

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018

"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020

"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."

Larry W.

Learner since 2021

"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

5 stars
78.89%
4 stars
15.91%
3 stars
3.30%
2 stars
0.80%
1 star
1.07%

Showing 3 of 1482

Reviewed on Feb 6, 2016

Very detailed and easy to understand lectures, that discover complicated inside of hotel industry in a simple way. Great professors made my pleasant learning experience.Thank you so much!

Reviewed on Jun 4, 2022

it was an excellent course, after going through this , i have learned a lot of new attributes which can be utilised to increased the revenue of hotel.

Reviewed on Jan 30, 2024

I recently completed the course on "The fundamentals of hotel distribution" and as someone with 3 years experience in the hospitality industry, I found it to be quite enlightening.

View more reviews