Expedia Group says full connectivity boosts hotel performance

Lifts occupancy, ADR and RevPAR

Expedia Group has new global research positioning full connectivity as a clear performance differentiator for hotel properties. 

In a study of 1,500 hotel decision makers across six markets, 43% of respondents said their properties are fully connected. Of those, 81% report improvements in at least one of occupancy, average daily rate (ADR) or revenue per available room (RevPAR), while 83% believe better connectivity improves the bottom line. 

The findings span independents, franchise properties and mid‑to‑large chains, suggesting a consistent effect across different profiles and operating models.

Full connectivity refers to deeper software integration and synchronisation with a property management system (PMS) via APIs. It enables significant automation of OTA‑related tasks — from rate and inventory updates to restrictions, promotions, booking changes and reconciliations. Around half of fully connected properties say their OTA tasks are mostly automated. 

Crucially, 81% report reduced friction and manual work, and 95% feel confident that changes to rates and availability propagate across channels within 15 minutes, compared with 90% for basic connectivity and 80% for unconnected properties.

“As booking channels proliferate, travel distribution is becoming increasingly complex, and hoteliers using connectivity providers and API capabilities can automate workflows, streamline operations, reduce pressure on their teams and improve profitability,” said Chris Hodges, vice president of global connectivity & partner solutions at Expedia Group. 

“Our goal is to continue removing friction from travel distribution by developing APIs that address the most critical needs of our hotel partners and connectivity providers.”

Expedia Group outlines an “Autonomous Distribution” roadmap in three phases. Autonomous Onboarding aims to let properties onboard and go live in minutes. Autonomous Management focuses on streamlining day‑to‑day operations through software. 

Autonomous Optimisation targets performance gains via promotional levers and broader distribution. The objective is to equip teams so they can devote more time to pricing, promotions and inventory strategy.

The research also indicates that even limited connectivity — for example, working only through an OTA extranet — brings some benefit. Some 52% of properties relying on basic connectivity report improvements in occupancy, ADR or RevPAR, albeit to a lesser extent than with full connectivity. 

At the other end of the spectrum, unconnected hotels, which account for 13% of the sample, report more incidents: they are 14% more likely to experience overbookings due to mismatched availability and 9% more likely to see reservations not delivered or delayed in their PMS or front‑office system.

Perceived barriers remain. Among decision makers, 32% cite concern about losing control over pricing or inventory as the top reason for not adopting connectivity software. A further 27% plan to adopt connectivity but have not yet done so, and 25% point to limited internal IT resources or technical expertise. Notably, 24% of hoteliers do not see sufficient benefit.