In late January, I attended the HEDNA conference in San Diego. HEDNA—the Hospitality Electronic Distribution Network Association—might not sound thrilling initially. Still, it plays a crucial role in shaping how hotels connect with OTAs, manage parity, and navigate payment challenges. The agenda was packed with insightful discussions and, as always, it was great to exchange ideas with industry peers.
A couple of comments that caught my attention:
- “Revenge travel is out; intentional travel is in.” – Traci Mercer, SVP at Priceline, highlighting the shift in consumer behavior.
- Matt Varabkanich from Cleveland Research pointed out that Expedia and Booking spent a combined $14 BILLION on marketing in 2024. If you divide that across their estimated 480,000 hotels, that’s roughly $30K per property—an eye-opening number, even if it’s just back-of-the-envelope math.
- These giants allocate 5.4% of their gross revenue to marketing—so here’s a question: how much does your hotel spend?
