Exclusive Feature: an interview with Klaus Kohlmayr, Chief Evangelist & Development Officer, IDeaS by 4Hoteliers.com.

As Southeast Asia’s hotel sector rebounds post-pandemic, hoteliers face new pressures from rising costs, to shifting guest expectations and growing OTA dependence.

In this exclusive 4Hoteliers interview, Klaus Kohlmayr (right), Chief Evangelist and Development Officer at IDeaS, shares insights on how hotels in the region can regain commercial control through smarter distribution strategies, deeper alignment between marketing and revenue teams, and a renewed focus on automation and AI.

Why do many hotels in Southeast Asia rely heavily on OTAs today?

Klaus Kohlmayr: There are two main reasons.

First, many of the key source markets for Southeast Asia (like Europe, China and the U.S) are geographically distant. For smaller, independent hotels in the region, it's incredibly difficult to market directly to these international travellers and OTAs offer a convenient gateway to those markets.

Second, independent hotels often lack the marketing budgets and distribution capabilities needed to stand out in those source markets. Competing for attention overseas requires significant investment and OTAs fill that gap by offering reach that hotels simply can't achieve on their own.

And what are the commercial risks of relying so heavily on OTAs?

Klaus Kohlmayr: The most obvious risk is rate dilution. You're competing with hundreds of other properties on the same OTA platform, all fighting for those first few pages of visibility. That often leads to pricing pressure and lower margins. The other major risk is the loss of direct customer relationships.

When bookings flow through an OTA the hotel doesn’t “own” the guest relationship. That has implications for loyalty, upselling and repeat business as the more you rely on third-party platforms, the more you distance yourself from critical data generated by your customer base.

What do hotels typically have to give up in order to rank higher on OTA listings?

Klaus Kohlmayr: It usually comes down to price and commissions. OTAs offer programs to improve your visibility (things like preferred listings) but those come at a cost. Hotels often end up lowering their rates or paying higher commission fees to access better placement. This erodes profit margins, which is already a concern with rising operating costs and labour shortages across the region.

So how should hoteliers be approaching distribution strategy today?

Klaus Kohlmayr: Hotels need a balanced, data-driven approach. That means knowing which segments you can target directly and which you’ll still need OTAs to reach. It’s about mapping your source markets, understanding the cost of each distribution channel and determining whether it’s more cost-effective to invest in your own marketing or use intermediaries. Putting all your eggs in the OTA basket is risky and hotels should instead create a diversified distribution plan that weighs reach, cost and long-term value.

What can hotels do to increase their share of direct bookings?

Klaus Kohlmayr: A great first step is to begin with your website. It needs to be responsive, mobile-optimised, fast and feature up-to-date content. Hotels often underestimate how critical this is. Next, ensure your SEO and keyword strategies are in place so you’re discoverable on search engines.

But looking ahead, it’s not just about being search-optimised, it’s about being AI-optimised. More travellers are now using tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to plan trips. Hotels need to understand how to show up in these AI-driven searches. Those that optimise for generative AI will have a huge advantage.

Personalisation is a hot topic in hotel marketing, but timing is just as important. How can hotels make sure they’re reaching the right guests at the right time?

Klaus Kohlmayr: It starts with having the right technology stack. In Asia Pacific, there’s still a significant technology gap compared to other regions. We’re seeing hotels begin to catch up by investing in mobile platforms, CRMs and digital marketing tools, but many are still relying on outdated practices.

To target the right guests at the right time, you need integrated systems that combine CRM, customer data platforms and revenue management tools. These allow you to personalise offers, optimise timing and ensure you're not just sending messages, but sending the right message to the right person at the right moment.

How does IDeaS Spotlight help hotels act on future demand signals more effectively?

Klaus Kohlmayr: Traditionally, when hoteliers see low demand on the horizon they pick up the phone and ask marketing to run a campaign to boost demand. But that campaign might be mistimed, unnecessary or even ineffective.

IDeaS Spotlight changes that by connecting revenue and marketing teams with data-driven insights. It doesn’t just tell you when demand will be low, it tells you whether that demand can be influenced through marketing. Some low-demand periods can be stimulated with the right campaign. Others can’t. Spotlight helps marketing teams prioritise spend where it will actually drive ROI, instead of wasting budget on dates where nothing will move the needle.

As leaner teams become the norm in Southeast Asia, how can smarter automation help hotels do more with less?

Klaus Kohlmayr: We’re seeing a shift toward centralised decision-making, especially among larger hotel groups. Instead of having one revenue manager per hotel, we’re seeing models where one person oversees 20 or more properties. That’s only possible through smart automation and centralised systems.

This trend started in the U.S. and Europe, but it’s now gaining traction in Asia Pacific. With labour and cost pressures unlikely to ease, hotels need to invest in infrastructure that allows smaller teams to manage more properties more efficiently.

Looking ahead, what innovations or shifts in strategy will define the next wave of growth for Southeast Asia’s hotels?

Klaus Kohlmayr: Over the next 18 months I expect more focus on automation and AI, not just for operational efficiency but also for commercial strategy. Hotels need connected platforms where pricing, marketing and customer data work together to deliver optimal outcomes.

Hoteliers in the Asia Pacific region need to overcome their hesitancy around automation. Many hotels still believe revenue managers need to manually control pricing decisions. But the reality is that the average hotel makes around 5 million pricing decisions each year, it’s simply not possible to get them all right manually.

Hotels need to let go of that fear and let systems handle the heavy lifting. That frees up teams to focus on broader commercial strategy and on work on developing more strategic marketing initiatives, exploring total revenue opportunities and thinking beyond just room rates.

For more information on smarter distribution strategies, please visit: www.ideas.com

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