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Quest Training

Hotel Sales, Distribution & Online Channel Management Training Course

Balances OTA and direct booking channels for hotels: channel managers, commission control, rate parity, corporate sales, and direct website growth.

HOTM · Hotel & Resort ManagementAll Levels#3093ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
Duration
5 Days
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Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Sectors:Tourism, Hospitality & EventsCategories:Hotel & Resort Management

Course Overview

The Hotel Sales, Distribution & Online Channel Management Training Course equips directors of sales, revenue managers, and e-commerce teams with the methods needed to win business through the right channels at the right net cost. Hotels across the Gulf and Africa depend on online travel agencies (OTAs) for visibility while also needing direct bookings, corporate accounts, and group business to protect their margins. The course focuses on the balance between OTA and direct booking channels. Participants study channel managers, central reservation systems, global distribution systems, and metasearch; OTA contracts, commission, rankings, and content; and rate parity and rate integrity. The aim is a channel mix that supports visibility without giving away avoidable margin to intermediaries. The program also builds the direct channel through the hotel website, booking engine, loyalty, and digital campaigns, and the traditional sales function through corporate accounts, group and event sales, and tour operators. Net revenue analysis then shows what each channel truly contributes. Participants also link sales activity to forecasting and seasonal demand so that teams pursue the right business at the right time. The course is delivered through hotel case studies, channel cost exercises, OTA contract reviews, and a final workshop. Participants leave with a channel mix analysis, an OTA management checklist, a direct booking action plan, and a distribution and sales plan they can adapt to their own property.

Learning Objectives

  • Analyze the hotel distribution landscape and the net cost of each channel.
  • Distinguish the roles of channel managers, central reservation systems, global distribution systems, and metasearch.
  • Manage OTA contracts, commission, content, and ranking factors.
  • Maintain rate parity and rate integrity across all selling channels.
  • Build direct bookings through the website, booking engine, and loyalty programs.
  • Plan digital marketing and metasearch activity with measured returns.
  • Develop corporate accounts and respond effectively to company rate requests.
  • Grow group, event, and tour operator business without displacing better revenue.
  • Align sales, revenue, marketing, and reservations teams on one plan.
  • Measure channel mix and net revenue to direct effort toward profitable business.
  • Negotiate with wholesalers and tour operators on contracts, allotments, and release terms.
  • Evaluate group and event enquiries using displacement analysis and total revenue.
  • Plan channel strategy for seasonal demand, new openings, and independent properties.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for directors of sales and marketing, revenue managers, e-commerce and distribution managers, reservations managers, and sales executives working in hotels and resorts. It is equally relevant for general managers, owners' representatives, and asset managers who review distribution cost, and for officials in tourism bodies who support destination marketing. Professionals in hotel groups, independent hotels, serviced apartments, resorts, and government-owned hospitality assets across the Gulf and Africa will find the course directly applicable. It is particularly valuable for independent properties that rely heavily on OTAs and for teams opening a new hotel. It also helps teams seeking a better return from their direct website and digital campaigns.

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
  • Draw a hotel's channel map and calculate the net cost of each channel.
  • Explain how channel managers and reservation and distribution systems connect.
  • Review OTA contracts and negotiate commission, promotions, and terms.
  • Improve OTA content and the factors that influence ranking and conversion.
  • Monitor rate parity and correct rate differences across channels before they damage guest trust.
  • Improve website conversion and the design of the booking engine to raise direct bookings.
  • Plan paid search and metasearch activity and measure the returns.
  • Build a corporate account plan and respond effectively to rate requests from companies and government buyers.
  • Evaluate group enquiries using displacement analysis and compare them with expected room demand.
  • Manage wholesaler and tour operator contracts and allotments.
  • Develop an integrated sales and distribution plan based on net revenue.
  • Align sales, revenue, marketing, and reservations teams around one commercial plan.

Course Outline

Course Outline:

Day 1

The Hotel Distribution Landscape

  • How guests search, compare, and book hotel rooms today
  • The channel map: direct, OTA, wholesale, corporate, group, and tour operator
  • Channel technology: property systems, channel managers, central reservation systems, and global distribution systems
  • The role of metasearch in linking guest search to OTA and direct offers
  • The true cost of each channel: commission, marketing, technology, and payment charges
  • How sales, revenue, marketing, and reservations work together
  • Differences between leisure, business, and regional travelers in booking behavior
  • Practical application: participants map a hotel's channels and calculate the net cost of each
Day 2

OTA Management

  • OTA business models: merchant, agency, and opaque arrangements
  • Reading OTA contracts: commission, availability, promotions, and cancellation terms
  • Rate parity and rate integrity: managing them where contracts and local rules allow
  • Content quality: photographs, descriptions, room types, and amenities
  • Ranking and visibility factors, including review scores and conversion
  • Promotions, mobile rates, and member deals: when they help and when they harm
  • Extranet management, overbooking risk, and reconciling commission statements
  • Practical application: participants review a sample OTA contract and an extranet listing and prepare an improvement checklist
Day 3

Growing Direct Bookings

  • The business case for direct booking and the limits of a direct-only approach
  • Hotel website conversion: speed, mobile use, Arabic and English content, and trust
  • Booking engine design, rate display, and reducing abandonment
  • Search, paid search, and metasearch campaigns with measured returns
  • Loyalty programs, member rates, and guest data under privacy rules
  • Converting OTA guests into direct guests at the property, within contract terms
  • Making direct offers visible on metasearch and reducing reliance on intermediaries
  • Email, social media, and messaging campaigns aimed at past and repeat guests
  • Practical application: participants audit a hotel booking path and draft a direct booking action plan
Day 4

Corporate, Group, and Trade Sales

  • Account segmentation, sales pipelines, and managing the sales team
  • Corporate rate requests (RFPs), negotiated rates, and government accounts
  • Group and event sales: enquiry handling, proposals, and displacement analysis
  • Meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) business in the region
  • Wholesalers, tour operators, and destination partners: contracts and allotments
  • Hajj, Umrah, and seasonal demand as a sales planning issue where relevant
  • Sales calls, negotiation, and customer relationship records
  • Practical application: participants evaluate a group enquiry and prepare a corporate account plan
Day 5

Channel Performance and the Distribution Plan

  • Key measures: average daily rate, revenue per available room, and net revenue by channel
  • Channel mix analysis and deciding where to shift demand
  • Seasonal planning for low-demand and peak periods
  • Distribution for new hotel openings and independent properties
  • Reporting channel results to owners and senior management
  • Aligning forecasts, pricing, and sales activity through regular commercial meetings
  • Choosing technology partners and testing channel connections for accuracy
  • Final workshop: participants develop an integrated sales and distribution plan for a hotel

Upcoming Dates

Selected date

Singapore · 8 – 12 Mar 2027 · Classroom

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CityDatesPrice per ParticipantEarly Bird
AmsterdamScheduled
2 – 6 Nov 2026€5,400—
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BakuScheduled
9 – 13 Nov 2026€4,800—
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BarcelonaScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€5,400—
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BeirutScheduled
22 – 26 Nov 2026€4,000€3,600until 2 Nov
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BerlinScheduled
23 – 27 Nov 2026€5,800€5,220until 2 Nov
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CairoScheduled
29 Nov – 3 Dec 2026€3,300€2,970until 9 Nov
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Cape TownScheduled
30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026€5,100€4,590until 9 Nov
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CasablancaScheduled
7 – 11 Dec 2026€4,300€3,870until 16 Nov
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DammamScheduled
13 – 17 Dec 2026€4,200€3,780until 23 Nov
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DubaiScheduled
20 – 24 Dec 2026€4,400€3,960until 30 Nov
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DohaScheduled
20 – 24 Dec 2026€4,400€3,960until 30 Nov
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ErbilScheduled
27 – 31 Dec 2026€3,100€2,790until 7 Dec
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JeddahScheduled
3 – 7 Jan 2027€4,200€3,780until 14 Dec
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IstanbulScheduled
4 – 8 Jan 2027€4,700€4,230until 14 Dec
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KigaliScheduled
11 – 15 Jan 2027€5,100€4,590until 21 Dec
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Kuala LumpurScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€4,400€3,960until 28 Dec
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LisbonScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€5,400€4,860until 28 Dec
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LondonScheduled
25 – 29 Jan 2027€5,600€5,040until 4 Jan
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MadinahScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€4,200€3,780until 11 Jan
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MadridScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€5,400€4,860until 11 Jan
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MakkahScheduled
8 – 12 Feb 2027€4,200€3,780until 18 Jan
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ManamaScheduled
15 – 19 Feb 2027€4,700€4,230until 25 Jan
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OnlineScheduled
21 – 25 Feb 2027€1,700€1,530until 1 Feb
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MuscatScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€5,300€4,770until 1 Feb
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ParisScheduled
1 – 5 Mar 2027€5,700€5,130until 8 Feb
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SingaporeScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€6,700€6,030until 15 Feb
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Sharm El-SheikhScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€4,300€3,870until 15 Feb
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AbujaScheduled
15 – 19 Mar 2027€5,100€4,590until 22 Feb
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AccraScheduled
22 – 26 Mar 2027€5,100€4,590until 1 Mar
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AmmanScheduled
28 Mar – 1 Apr 2027€3,100€2,790until 8 Mar
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Available in: Istanbul · Dubai · London · Doha · Amsterdam

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