Hotels Tap New Tech to Clamp Down on Rogue Rates

The typical consumer likes to visit a price-comparison travel site and see a wide array of hotel rates from multiple sources for a stay on the same night and at the same property. However, the typical hotel dislikes how it doesn't always know what rate its rooms are selling for across the internet. Hotel worries about "rate integrity" are as old as the internet. But lately, hotels appear to be paying more attention. Some have begun to administer penalties to online travel agencies and wholesalers they believe aren't being above board. To sleuth who's to blame, hotels are increasingly using new tech tools. Fornova is one startup, based in Yokne'am Illit, Israel, that made its name by monitoring and benchmarking rates online and has a sideline in helping fight rogue rates. "For example, we help Hyatt see what we call a 'distribution health' score for each of their properties which lets them benchmark performance and pinpoint which ones are doing better or worse," said Dori Stein, CEO of Fornova. Another leading rate-tracking startup is OTA Insight, a London-based company that also works with hotel companies of all sizes. RateGain, a private equity-backed travel technology company based in Noida, India, is a third. For