Until recent years, distribution was one of the compo­nents of the hotel industry’s economic model. While it is certainly important, it was fully controlled by operators who made their choices from among all possible channels depending on cost and services rendered. A first alarm sounded when, after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, hotel groups gave in quickly to panic about empty rooms and sig­ned outrageous contracts with online travel agencies. Realizing how late they were in terms of online distribution, hotel groups stepped up their pace to get up to par and regain control over their room inventory.

And yet, one might wonder whether lessons from the past serve any purpose. In the euphoria of the good years, online booking agencies regained their status as perfectly respectable partners, who gained a strong position in the profitability equation. Like a veritable Trojan Horse, they permeated the protective barriers of hoteliers’ margins. Well-established at the heart of the distribution system, online sales giants make hoteliers pay for their strength that has increased tenfold by successive takeovers of secondary players.

The win-win partnership is transforming itself into a dominant-dominated relationship. The nor­mal distribution cost, based on the added value of bringing new clientele, became a necessary ticket for simply gaining access to automated reserva­tions. Where is the justification for percentages that have risen exponentially in recent months? Has the client become such a rare commodity that it has become necessary to put the economic model’s profita­bility at risk?