NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, HEDNA, and RateGain Partner to Deliver Insights on the Current State of Distribution in the Hospitality Industry

The initiative, born from the collaboration between NYU SPS, HEDNA, and RateGain aims to bridge the gap between industry professionals and academic excellence, providing a data-driven foundation for enhancing guest experiences and driving success in the hospitality sector.

New York, June 18, 2024: The NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality (NYU SPS Tisch Center) and its Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub) Experiential Learning Lab, along with HEDNA and RateGain, today announced the release of the first edition of their highly anticipated report, the State of Distribution 2024. This comprehensive report provides an in-depth look into how the day-to-day life of commercial teams within hotels is changing with multiple disruptions over the last few years.

Today, more than ever, hotel commercial teams are getting involved in making technology decisions in the organization. While commercial teams in other industries have online communities and benchmark studies to help them make decisions, there has been an absence of defined standards and benchmarks in hospitality technology.

The report created through primary research conducted from December 2023 through May 2024 with over 140 hotel brands, representing 11,000+ hotel properties across various regions, for the first time captures priorities, challenges, and evolving nature of the distribution function across hotels of all sizes.

The report focused on in-depth insights to help the hoteliers answer to the following:

• How are the hotels planning for talent
• Where are hoteliers investing in the next 2-3 years
• What are the commercial teams trying to solve through technology
• Where do the hoteliers want to reduce their manual efforts
• What challenges are the hoteliers facing in acquiring customers

The industry needed this data, as plagued by multiple challenges, they needed reliable and well-researched primary data to give them a direction on where to invest their resources to drive profitability. Over the last four years, the research within the hospitality industry has been focused only on macros impacting travel consumption, travel recovery, and change in consumer behavior.

Vanja Bogicevic, PhD, the director of the HI Hub Experiential Learning Lab at the NYU SPS Tisch Center, highlighted, “The State of Distribution 2024 report not only empowers hoteliers with the insights needed to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape, but also educates the future workforce with the technology knowledge and benchmarks to face the challenges of tomorrow.”

Peter Strebel, President (Americas) at RateGain, highlighted, “The hospitality industry has evolved tremendously, from manual reservation systems to cutting-edge technology solutions. Yet, one thing remains constant: the need for a comprehensive understanding of distribution challenges faced by hoteliers. That's why RateGain, in partnership with HEDNA and New York University, has developed a groundbreaking State of Distribution Report.”

Christopher Murdock, HEDNA President and Director of Distribution System Support and Strategy at Accor, stated, “The State of Distribution 2024 report is more than a resource—it’s a strategic tool tailored to empower hoteliers to face current challenges and seize future opportunities. With HEDNA's hotelier perspective, RateGain's global reach and data insights, and NYU's educational excellence, we're bringing together expertise to educate future leaders and provide invaluable insights into the industry.”

To learn more about the report, visit stateofdistribution.com.

About The State of Distribution 2024
The State of Distribution report is a comprehensive analysis designed to demystify the complexities of the hospitality industry, offering insights into current trends, future forecasts, and actionable strategies for optimizing distribution channels. This initiative, born from the collaboration between HEDNA, RateGain, and NYU SPS, aims to bridge the gap between industry professionals and academic excellence, providing a data-driven foundation for enhancing guest experiences and driving success in the hospitality sector. Learn more at stateofdistribution.com.

About HEDNA
HEDNA is a global community of hospitality professionals, technology providers, educators, and consultants passionate about elevating the role of distribution. Through influence, collaboration, and networking, we elevate careers, harness new business opportunities, and drive the business of hospitality forward, together. Through our global conferences, local networking events and industry working groups, we help our stakeholders appreciate the nuances of today’s technologies, gauge the impact of today’s trends, and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. Learn more at hedna.org.

About The NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality
The NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality is a leading center for the study of hospitality, travel, and tourism. Founded in 1995, the Tisch Center was established in response to the growing need for hospitality and tourism undergraduate and graduate education. Its cutting-edge curricula attract bright, motivated students who seek to become leaders in their fields. The Tisch Center launched the Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub) that will foster entrepreneurship and creative solutions for the industries it serves. The state-of-the-art facilities offer students, start-ups, established industry partners and investors opportunities to learn, discover, innovate, and invest. For more information about the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, visit sps.nyu.edu/tisch.

About RateGain
RateGain Travel Technologies Limited is a global provider of AI-powered SaaS solutions for travel and hospitality that works with 3,200+ customers and 700+ partners in 100+ countries helping them accelerate revenue generation through acquisition, retention, and wallet share expansion.

RateGain today is one of the world’s largest processors of electronic transactions, price points, and travel intent data helping revenue management, distribution and marketing teams across hotels, airlines, meta-search companies, package providers, car rentals, travel management companies, cruises and ferries drive better outcomes for their business. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in India, today RateGain works with 26 of the Top 30 Hotel Chains, 25 of the Top 30 Online Travel Agents, 4 of the Top 5 Airlines, and all the top car rentals, including 16 Global Fortune 500 companies in unlocking new revenue every day. For more information, please visit www.rategain.com.