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How hotels best manage their direct and indirect channels is a hot topic. It was certainly the subject of plenty of discussion and debate, both in conference halls and behind closed doors, at EyeforTravel’s recent distribution summit in London. But as Barry Goldstein, Chief Digital and Distribution Officer, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, pointed out in ‘fireside’ chat with Tnooz editor Kevin May, every brand is different; there simply isn’t a one-size-fits all.

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What Goldstein was clear about is that they are looking for true partners that will work with them to bring the right business. (By the way, this theme is one that keeps coming up time and again as yesterday’s opinion by EyeforTravel conference director Julia Heighton highlights).

So for Wyndham, when it considered the number of guests who start their journey on TripAdvisor, the decision to partner with the review-cum-meta-cum-OTA site was a “relatively simple” one. However, having said that, Goldstein was also “a little disappointed” when TripAdvisor buddied up with Booking.com.

What Wyndham has recognised in all this, is that getting its own house in order is an important step. Part of this was recognising that its core competency is deliver “the end-to-end customer experience” rather than becoming an IT expert.  On this score, getting the right technology partners on board has been a big step.

Also worth noting is that Wyndham has moved to a dynamic pricing model, a strategy that Marco Corsi, who manages third-party distribution at Finland’s biggest chain Sokos Hotels also recommends.

If you missed TDS Europe why not join us in Las Vegas for TDS North America (Oct 6-7) where we will be hearing from some of the biggest names in travel and exploring some of the hottest new trends in tech, RM, marketing, social and mobile