Wake up Hotels vs Helllo Model
Hospitality Industry — It’s Time We Have This Conversation. How many more one-sided policies are we willing to accept? A recent clause from Zomato’s reservation platform states that when a customer cancels a booking and a cancellation fee is charged, the fee is retained by Zomato rather than the restaurant. But let’s be clear: • The restaurant held the table. • The restaurant blocked inventory. • The restaurant planned staffing. • The restaurant lost the sale. The opportunity loss belongs to the restaurant not the platform. And this is not an isolated issue. It is part of a larger pattern many operators have experienced over the years. Restaurants are increasingly pushed towards: • Paid visibility instead of organic discovery. • Sponsored listings instead of merit-based rankings. • Deep discounting at the expense of profitability. • Rising marketing spends just to maintain existing business. • Constant pressure to participate in platform-led campaigns. Meanwhile, restaurant...