Distribution Manager (Channels & Connectivity)

Job description

At Hyatt, we believe in creating personalized experiences and fostering meaningful connections for our guests and colleagues. With a strong presence in South Africa, our properties uphold the highest standards of hospitality, innovation and service excellence. We are now seeking a dynamic and strategic Distribution Manager (Channels & Connectivity) to join our Commercial Strategy team.

Role Purpose:

Own the full digital and third-party distribution ecosystem for the South Africa portfolio. Ensure every room, rate and piece of content is accurately distributed across brand.com, GDS, metasearch, OTAs, wholesalers, and corporate channels with the optimal mix, cost of sale, and conversion. This role connects Revenue, Sales, Marketing, E-commerce, Finance and Operations - translating commercial strategy into flawless systems execution and measurable production.

Key Responsibilities

Channel strategy and mix management

· Build and execute a portfolio‑level channel strategy that maximizes brand.com share while optimizing third‑party contribution.

· Set channel targets by hotel for brand.com, GDS, OTA, wholesale, metasearch, mobile web, and app.

· Recommend when to open, close, or constrain channels or rate plans based on profitability, pace, and displacement.

Rate, inventory, and restriction governance

· Own the accuracy of ARI across CRS, channel manager, and all connected channels.

· Implement LOS, CTA, CTB, and other controls aligned with revenue strategy and demand calendars.

· Run rate‑plan hygiene reviews to remove cannibalizing or redundant rates and ensure logical fences.

Rate parity and leakage control

· Monitor parity daily using tools such as OTA Insight or similar solutions.

· Identify root causes of undercuts or onward‑distribution leaks, coordinate takedowns, and negotiate remedies with partners.

· Maintain a documented parity and leakage playbook with clear SLAs.

Wholesaler and B2B distribution

· Design the static vs dynamic wholesale strategy, including stop‑sell rules, blackout dates, and redistribution clauses.

· Audit mapping quality on bedbanks and switch partners to prevent mis‑categorization of room types and board bases.

OTA and marketplace performance

· Own OTA extranets end‑to‑end: content scores, room‑rate mapping, policy alignment, payments, promotions, and visibility tools.

· Evaluate participation in sales, coupons, and Sponsored Listings based on marginal ROAS and cannibalization risk.

· Track cancellation patterns, lead time, device mix, and post‑stay reviews to improve conversion.

GDS and corporate access

· Manage GDS connectivity and consortia participation, ensuring correct LRA/NRLA mapping, corporate rate loading, and policy accuracy.

· Partner with Sales on TMC and consortia RFPs, ensuring rate compliance and shelf presence for key accounts.

Brand.com and metasearch

· Coordinate with E‑commerce on booking engine UX, merchandising, and A/B tests that drive conversion and direct share.

· Own Google Hotel Ads, Tripadvisor, and Trivago settings with paid media teams, measuring CPC vs CPA efficiency and incrementality.

Content, taxonomy, and mapping

· Maintain best‑in‑class content: images, amenities, room names, descriptions, and policies matching brand standards and local law.

· Ensure consistent room and rate taxonomy across CRS, channel manager, extranets, and GDS to prevent dead links and mapping errors.

Systems, integrations, and data quality

· Act as the power user for PMS, CRS, channel manager, GDS, and rate‑shopping tools.

· Lead UAT for new interfaces, upgrades, and API changes.

· Create SOPs and run quarterly data‑hygiene audits with clear corrective actions.

Commercial analytics and reporting

· Publish weekly and monthly distribution dashboards by hotel and portfolio.

· Track contribution mix, net RevPAR, cost of sale by channel, conversion, cancellation ratio, mobile share, and parity incidents.

· Build root‑cause analyses for dips in direct share or spikes in cost and propose fixes.

Governance, risk, and compliance

· Ensure PCI compliance for VCC handling and payment flows on OTAs and brand.com.

· Align all displayed taxes, fees, child policies, and cancellation terms with local law and brand policy.

· Maintain an approvals log for promotions, overrides, and channel changes.

Cross‑functional enablement

· Train Revenue, Sales, Reservations, and Front Office on distribution SOPs.

· Partner with Marketing on offers, packages, and content calendars linked to need periods.

· Work with Finance to validate commissions, VCC reconciliation, and chargeback disputes.

Success Metrics

· Growth in brand.com share and app share.

· Reduction in cost of distribution and uplift in net RevPAR.

· Channel mix accuracy versus target by hotel and segment.

· Parity health score and time‑to‑resolution on leakage cases.

· OTA content scores and room‑rate mapping error rate.

· Conversion rate on brand.com and metasearch ROAS.

· GDS and consortia production against plan.

· Cancellation rate, lead‑time health, and mobile mix.

· SLA adherence for rate loading and system change requests.

· Uptime and error‑free ARI pushes across channels.

Desired profile

Qualifications :

Qualifications

· Bachelor's degree in Hospitality, Business, Analytics, or related field.

· Minimum five years in hotel distribution, e‑commerce, or revenue management with multi‑property exposure.

· Hands‑on experience with PMS, CRS, channel manager, and GDS; Hyatt ecosystem exposure is an advantage.

· Proficiency with rate‑shopping, parity, and market intelligence tools.

· Advanced Excel and comfort with dashboards and BI platforms.

· Strong analytical problem‑solving and stakeholder management.