Recently the European umbrella association of hotels, restaurants and cafés (HOTREC) launched a campaign to promote direct bookings.

The “Book Direct” Campaign calls on all hoteliers, restaurateurs or other entrepreneurs in the tourism sector to join the campaign voluntarily.

The Association is arguing that “only with a direct booking the guests will have from the beginning the instant and direct contact with the service provider, who thus can immediately take care of specific and personal requests in a confidential and efficient manner. The trust between the guest and the service provider is established directly.”

This campaign coincides with many others urging accommodation providers to focus more on their direct channels and rely less on third party distribution.

All hoteliers, restaurateurs and other interested entrepreneurs wishing to participate in the campaign, can download the logo of the campaign for free through the site www.hotrec.eu/bookdirect .