Mapping vendor evaluation: 5 key criteria for hotel providers to consider when evaluating mapping vendor

As a hotel supplier, it’s a nightmare to find your hotel inventory populated with duplicate hotel and room data. This can have a massive impact on your brand reputation, which has taken years to build. Duplicate hotel data mainly occurs because of multi-channel sourcing, where the hotel provider or distributor sources hotels from directly contracted hotels or other channels. To stay relevant and competitive in the market, hotel distributors must invest in mapping providers with the highest accuracy and mapping coverage. 

But how do you vet the right mapping partner for your business? We have curated an evaluation list to help you pick the right one. Let’s get straight into it. 

Top 6 considerations in mapping partner selection 

1. Mapping the data irrespective of the source of inventory  

Hotel distributors working model involves contracting hotel inventory from multiple channels, directly from hotels, hotel chains, and third-party channels. A mapping partner must have the capability to map every property sourced by the distributor or travel agency.  

For example, if a distributor sources inventory from small hotel chains in Telluride, Colorado, the mapping vendor must be in a position to map all the hotels in Telluride.  

2. Mapping percentage  

The next factor in evaluating your mapping partner is the mapping percentage. Find out the mapping process if the vendor follows automated mapping process or manual mapping process. 

Then, check the mapping percentage, i.e., how many hotel properties of the inventory are mapped. The higher the mapping percentage, the faster time-to-market for travel products.  

3. Mapping process transparency 

As a hotel supplier, your main goal should be to distribute and sell all the hotels in your inventory. You can do this only if all of your properties are accurately mapped. And you can gather this insight if your mapping partner is completely transparent with their mapping process.  

For example, you have contracted 2,000 hotels in California, but you are distributing only 1,900 hotels in the region. Clearly, you are losing sales from 100 hotels, and you might not be aware of this error too.  

What can you do about it?  

Here it is your mapping partner who should inform and offer clarity to you about the mapped and unmapped ratio of your hotel inventory. Being transparent with the mapping process will help you make informed decisions in distributing and selling maximum properties to your customers. 

4. Quick time to resolution  

Wouldn’t you appreciate a business that resolves bottlenecks quickly and accurately? The next parameter to vet a mapping vendor is how quickly they detect and fix any issue. The operational cycle should be fast, or else it can have a negative impact on revenue and customer satisfaction. 

5. Attention to customized needs  

Opt for a mapping vendor that engages with your brand and supports your business requirements. The mapping partner should offer reports and analytics tailored to your needs so that you have insights on content quality and visibility into mapping coverage. The analytics should reveal 

• which regions do you have maximum mapping coverage 
• which area offers you better sales 
• which region to improve coverage 

So that you can make informed decisions and increase customer satisfaction.  

6. Offers hotel content 

It would be an added advantage if your mapping vendor even offered curated hotel content so that you, as a distributor, can enhance the quality of your hotel content and ensure accurate data is distributed to your customers. 

These parameters for how to find the right mapping vendor are the foundation for an improved booking experience. Take them into consideration while vetting a mapping provider, and you can find the right partner for your travel business.