Total worldwide hotel bookings through global distribution systems
in December were flat compared with the prior year, and the average rate on
those bookings increased by 1.8 percent, according to Pegasus Solutions.
The month was only one of three in 2012 in which GDS
bookings did not lose ground compared with the prior year. Pegasus called December's
volume a "reassuring upturn…after intensified political uncertainty bred
hesitancy in November." Advance booking data for the next few months
indicate sustained corporate travel and demand throughout the first part of 2013,
though not significantly up compared with the prior year.
"Businesses are still determining the impact of
potential political and policy changes and are acting cautiously,"
according to Pegasus. "The good news is that they are beginning to act,
unleashing pent-up business travel demand from hesitant periods in 2012 so
companies can reengage to capture market share. The volume exists, but it is
growth against prior year that will not be pronounced during the first part of
2013."
In North America, December GDS bookings were up slightly by
0.2 percent, and the average daily rate increased by 2.2 percent. Elsewhere in
the world, GDS bookings decreased by 0.4 percent and ADR increased by 1.1
percent compared with the prior year.