Tiffany Topcik
Tiffany Topcik in February assumed the presidency at the Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association, becoming the first executive from a travel agency organization to run the trade association of hotel and distribution officials. Previously HEDNA's vice president, she also serves as vice president of hotel and supplier relations for ABC Corporate Services, a provider of travel industry products and programs. Management.travelthis week talked to Topcik about hotel distribution, commission processing and other developments in the lodging sector. An excerpt of the conversation follows.
What are the latest developments in hotel distribution, as they pertain to the travel management community?
HEDNA and the National Business Travel Association Hotel Committee are working on a joint white paper focusing on the alternative distribution systems. As travel management companies and the corporations themselves look to self-booking tools as a method of making their bookings, this is becoming more important. The white paper will educate corporate travel managers as to the different flow diagrams and the ways that the connectivity solutions come together so that they have more knowledge about what technologies exist, how they relate to self-booking tools and what works best for their business models.
Is there growing appetite among travel managers for direct connections with hotel companies?
Direct connects certainly are appealing, but the challenges they have are a lack of integration into the back-office systems and other tools that travel managers are utilizing to capture, track and assess their volume. We are moving ahead with the white paper to explore and explain what direct connects are and which alternatives are out there. The connectivity flow charts even incorporate traditional distributors, such as global distribution systems, so people have a better understanding of how the information gets from A to B, how the content is pulled from various sources--for example, if you are on a GetThere platform, Sabre is feeding a lot of the information--and how the content is displayed. There could be more examination of displaying content that is understandable to the traveler. For example, when a traveler goes onto a self-booking tool and sees DD1, they do not know what that means. In agent lingo, it means double-double, a room with two double beds. There is a real disparity in the marketplace that HEDNA and other organizations are looking to close. We want the content to speak agent-speak when appropriate but speak traveler-speak, in their lingo, and present the value-added amenities, features and services in a way that is more tangible and understandable to the travelers.
How far have GDS companies come in delivering such functionality?
They have all made tremendous strides. This is a topic that is very high on their agendas. They recognize that the more information and content their tools deliver, the more valuable and integrated that tool is going to be. In today's world, the cryptic agent language is no longer enough. Agents are going to the Internet so the GDSs are really looking to become full-content providers and integrate media, like photos and virtual tours. Some are further than others but it certainly is high on everybody's list.
Why is hotel commission processing still so challenging and have you recently seen any improvements?
It is challenging because there are a lot of third-party aggregators who have come into the marketplace to facilitate the flow of commissions, and to make it easier for both hoteliers and the agencies. Those companies all have different business practices and they have costs associated with their services, so both parties have to review the full dynamics of commission processing and what would work in their environments--the technical capabilities, and such. Another challenge is the high level of re-branding that is taking place in the marketplace. Today a hotel has Flag A and tomorrow it has Flag B. With that, you lose the identity of the hotel as systems are being updated. It is difficult to go back and track those things. To help alleviate those concerns, and other concerns related to the issue, HEDNA has put together specification documentation to create unique identifier codes for every property out there so that every physical building will have a code assigned to it--a common code utilized by all parties, from the GDSs, to the travel agencies, to the hotel companies, to the properties themselves. That code will never change, regardless of which flag is on the front door. You can always go back and track the activity and still have a defined business relationship. We anticipate that will solve problems pertaining to commission tracking and productivity tracking, and help the travel managers immensely in that they will be able to look at a physical entity in a destination and assess their business needs--regardless of the flag--and then deal with the management company, or the brand, accordingly. It will give a lot more of a foundation for the industry. It is a huge undertaking. There is a lot of work to be done, but we are looking to move forward with this in the coming months.
Is the usage of electronic folio data poised to take off, or will it remain a slow, gradual implementation process?
It will still be a slow, gradual process. The credit card companies have been very involved in this. MasterCard and Visa are two very strong supporters of the whole process. I am sure American Express is, too. From discussions and focus groups, I have heard that this is something on everybody's wish list but when you rank it in terms of ability to implement, it is just so far down the list that it still will be a ways off. The travel manager does not yet have the tools to manage all that information. Those tools are being developed, and certainly some companies have implemented them. Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt have all been very strong supporters of the efolio initiative and are working closely with credit card companies to expand the services offered. But right now, it is more of the technology catching up with the need, as opposed to a willingness in the marketplace to make it happen.