#GLF18 | Distribution: "There are many technological players, but only those who are full of innovation will emerge and last," Peter Verhoeven

Where are we today in this great battle for market shares?

Paul Mulcahy, Mövenpick: "Booking and Expedia account for about two thirds of our OTA bookings worldwide, and in the USA the figure is probably 90%. There is clearly market dominance in terms of online bookings. That said, the 90% in the United States represents only 22% of total bookings in the United States. There is still a lot to do and I think we need to move away from this direct versus indirect distribution dispute. It is important to return to per channel profit to make forecasts because there is undoubtedly business to do be done with OTAs when the time is right.”

A quick word from OTAs?

Peter Verhoeven, Bookingcom: "Booking and Expedia are important actors, but as Paul [Mulcahy] said, a good share of bookings are done through very different channels. We're still optimistic. Much more can be done. Online penetration is gaining ground more quickly, mobile is still very important and many innovations are happening. The competition is here! Even if they say there are two major players, I can name three or four competitors who may not be very present today but who can be tomorrow.

Who are you thinking about?

P. Verhoeven, Bookingcom: "For example, the Chinese when they think hotel reservations, they think Ctrip and not Google. It's a completely different way of working. When you watch TripAdvisor, Trivago and Google Hotel Ads, they play differently. When we talk about competition, we talk much less about direct or indirect, but which players have access to a large consumer base and who can quickly diversify their offers?

From the operator's point of view, are there changes in market shares?

Alexandra Quesne, Best Western France: "We'll go back on what we said last year...