Booking Buttons on Facebook, IHG Aquires Kimpton, and Small Hotels on Airbnb

In recent hospitality news, Facebook released Call-to-Action buttons for brand pages, IHG acquired Kimpton, and L2 reported on the success of Airbnb over OTAs.

Booking Buttons on Facebook

Facebook recently announced Call-to-Action buttons for brand pages, a move that is designed to make it easier for brands to capture business through their Facebook pages. Now page owners can select from seven call to action buttons atop their timeline. The feature will roll out in the US over the next few weeks, and will be available worldwide next year. The new call-to-action button is placed to the left of the like button.

Here are the options:

• Book Now
• Contact Us
• Use App
• Play Game
• Shop Now
• Sign Up
• Watch Video

This is great news for hoteliers, as previously it was more difficult to drive direct revenue through Facebook. But now, hoteliers will have the opportunity to capture business at the moment when prospective guests are in the inspiration phase of travel booking.

CLICK HERE to read the Facebook press release.

IHG Acquires Kimpton

On Monday, Skift reported that Intercontinental Hotels Group had agreed to acquire Kimpton for $430 million. The move represents an acknowledgement on the part of a big brand of the appeal and value in boutique brands, especially to the growing population of Millennial travelers. “IHG says the acquisition is particularly attractive because the boutique hotel segment is ‘the fastest growing segment in the industry,’ writes Denis Schaal at Skift.

CLICK HERE to read the full article on Skift.

OTAs Losing to Airbnb

On Wednesday, L2 released its weekly “Winners & Losers in a Digital Age” report. While the report covers many different categories of consumer-facing brands, it does have a hospitality-relevant mention: Some smaller hotels are getting around steep OTA commissions by listing on Airbnb.

“Once disruptors, Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) are losing to another disruptor: Airbnb. Small hotels are opting to list on Airbnb in exchange for 3% of their booking revenue, which is a steal compared to the upwards of 25% of gross revenue grabbed by OTAs,” L2 reports.

While the trend will require more observation and analysis, it is interesting to note that some hoteliers are taking an “If you can’t beat ’em, you might as well join ’em” approach to Airbnb, to their own benefit.

CLICK HERE to watch the L2 report.