Wai Mun Lim is a lecturer in hospitality management: she has worked at the University of Plymouth since 2001 following employment at two universities and a travel company. Matthew J. Hall worked with P&O Cruises and the Millennium Hotel in New Zealand, he has now returned to the UK and is running his own boutique.
ABSTRACT
KEYWORDS: independent hotels, distribution channels, pricing, star ratingsThis study seeks to ascertain if hotels across the South West of the UK price their room nights consistently across each of the distribution channels utilized, such as the hotel's website, 'bricks and mortar' travel agents, third party online booking systems, telephone, and emails. While studies examining pricing consistency have been done among larger hotel chains or groups, there had been no studies looking at smaller independent hotels, particularly hotels in the UK. The results will suggest that hotel pricing across channels show no comparable difference but indicates that the star rating of a hotel plays a vital role in pricing decisions and in the methods of distribution utilized.