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CHTA and Triptease deliver practical strategies to drive profitability and future-proof hotel distribution
ANTIGUA & BARBUDA – June 6, 2025 – The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), in partnership with Triptease, successfully hosted the inaugural Direct Booking Summit, Caribbean Edition in Antigua last month, immediately following the 2025 Caribbean Travel Marketplace.
The sold-out event brought together independent hoteliers, digital marketers, and revenue leaders from across the region to explore proven strategies for growing direct bookings, strengthening guest relationships, and boosting profitability.
“This summit was about more than revenue, it was about strengthening our distribution strategy as a whole,” said CHTA President Sanovnik Destang.
“Direct bookings play a key role in building guest relationships and improving profitability, but it’s about diversification, not elimination. Wholesalers remain vital to many properties in the region.
The real opportunity lies in creating a balanced approach that empowers hoteliers to take greater control of their mix.”
With momentum building across the Caribbean, speakers emphasized the importance of collaboration, smart technology, and a guest-centric mindset.
“Direct Booking Summit Caribbean was electric. There’s a palpable sense of momentum among Caribbean hoteliers right now,” said Triptease Co-founder Charlie Osmond.
“What struck me most was the openness, the willingness to share challenges, swap strategies, and collaborate across borders.
It’s clear this region is ready to lead when it comes to intelligent, guest-centric distribution. From rate parity tactics to leveraging metasearch and on-site personalization, we saw a real hunger to take action.
I’m proud Triptease could play a part in kickstarting this movement alongside CHTA.”
Key Takeaways from the 2025 Caribbean Edition
Parity isn’t just about price, it’s about strategy
Undercutting remains a challenge in the Caribbean. Most Online Travel Agency (OTA) rate discrepancies are under 10%, but leaked wholesale rates cause bigger issues.
Triptease data revealed that using tools like Price Match on metasearch improved conversion rates by +26% and click-through rates by +15%.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) drives repeat business and direct revenue
With an estimated 60% of hotel revenue generated by loyal guests, hoteliers were shown how low-effort automations can help turn one-time visitors into loyal, high-value repeat guests, including:
- Reservation recovery emails to re-engage abandoned bookings
- Pre-arrival upsell offers sent 7–10 days before check-in
- Post-stay thank-you emails with bounce-back incentives
- Personalized subject lines and segmentation by trip type or guest history
- In-stay promotions via WhatsApp or text to drive spa, dining, or upgrade sales
Short-form video content is converting travelers
With more than 70% of trip inspiration now happening on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, hotels that consistently share short-form video and guest-generated content are seeing measurable ROI.
The takeaway: show up where travelers are discovering their next stay.
Direct booking tools work best when they’re integrated
Properties that combined tactics like using social media videos with trackable promo codes, layering pre-arrival upsells with post-stay loyalty emails, or syncing metasearch parity with targeted digital ads, saw higher conversion and more direct bookings than those relying on a single channel.
The takeaway: coordinated efforts across the guest journey drive the biggest impact.
Websites must function like salespeople
A slow or confusing hotel website can stop a booking in its tracks. Attendees were encouraged to treat their sites as conversion tools—not just brochures—by prioritizing fast load speeds, mobile-first design, and clear calls to action.
Top tips included auditing site performance, using inspiring visuals and sharp copy on the homepage, and ensuring that key information like rooms, pricing, and amenities can be found in just a few clicks.
Paid media is shifting
Google’s delay in phasing out third-party cookies gives hotels more breathing room, but not a free pass. Hoteliers were encouraged to start building first-party data strategies now by capturing guest emails, leveraging CRM insights, and testing lookalike audiences to future-proof their marketing.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already reshaping direct booking
The summit closed with a forward-looking session highlighting how AI and automation are streamlining hotel operations—from forecasting demand and monitoring OTA pricing to enabling conversational bookings.
The message was clear: hoteliers who adopt these tools now will gain a competitive edge with less manual effort.
Looking Ahead
With overwhelmingly positive feedback, the Direct Booking Summit, Caribbean Edition is returning in 2026, with CHTA and Triptease committed to deepening support for the region’s hoteliers.
CHTA members can access the full DBS presentation on the Members-Only portal.
For more information or to stay on top of upcoming CHTA events, visit www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com.
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Finally Caribbean hoteliers taking charge of their bookings!
Me tired see foreign sites taking all the profit. Book direct, man!
Me hope Antiguan hoteliers get front-row seat inna dis summit.
All now small operators fighting to get visibility—this might change the game.