Cloudbeds Reveals Top 10 Revenue-Generating Distribution Channels for Lodging Businesses in the United States

Major players Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb top the list; Google Hotel Search helps lodging businesses capture more direct bookings to earn a spot at no. 10

(SAN DIEGO) October 13, 2022 — Cloudbeds, the hospitality management platform powering more reservations and happier guests for lodging businesses around the globe, revealed its top 10 revenue-generating distribution channels for lodging businesses in the U.S. The company found that the leading demand channels, Booking.com and Expedia, performed the highest for U.S. lodging businesses with Airbnb climbing the list to no. 3. Airbnb continues to perform as it rises in popularity with more traditional hotel businesses adopting the channel over recent years, signifying the continued convergence of the hotel and short-term rental industries. 

“One constant for lodging businesses is competition for bookings. And now as we see lodging sectors start to merge, putting traditional hotels in direct competition with short-term rentals, the competition is only going to get more intense,” said Sebastien Leitner, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Cloudbeds. “As the industry changes, it will become more important for hoteliers to optimize their distribution strategy with the right channel mix to increase their visibility, target the right audiences and generate more demand.”

Top 10 Revenue-Generating Distribution Channels in the U.S.: 

1. Booking.com 
2. Expedia 
3. Airbnb 
4. Hostelworld 
5. Vrbo 
6. Agoda 
7. HotelTonight
8. HRS
9. Hotelbeds
10. Google Hotel Search

With hundreds of distribution channels available, it can be challenging for properties to choose the right channel mix for optimal exposure across different regions and target audiences. Over the past few years, Cloudbeds has reviewed the top-performing distribution strategies for properties of various sizes and found a 6+ channel recipe encompassing global, regional, local and niche OTAs that best fit a property performs the highest. The data showed that lodging businesses connected to at least six distribution channels saw an average revenue increase of 27% in comparison to properties connected to only one channel. 

For more information on building a strong channel mix and a comprehensive overview of all the top distribution channels, download a free copy of “The Big Book of OTAs: A Hotelier’s Guide to Top Distribution Channels” at cloudbeds.com/online-travel-agencies/.

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About Cloudbeds

Cloudbeds provides the platform that powers hospitality, driving streamlined operations, increasing reservations and revenue, and enabling memorable guest experiences for lodging businesses of all sizes and types across the globe. The award-winning Cloudbeds Hospitality Platform seamlessly combines solutions for front desk, revenue, distribution, guest acquisition and guest engagement in a single unified system, enhanced by a marketplace of third-party integrations. Cloudbeds was named No. 1 PMS and No. 1 Hotel Management System by Hotel Tech Report in 2022 and recognized by Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 in 2021. For more information, visit www.cloudbeds.com.