Get Involved/Connectivity Discipline
One of Four HEDNA Disciplines
Connectivity Discipline
The pipes of distribution. This Discipline sets direction for every party requesting live rates from hotels, writes the guidelines for managing rate-request volume, and certifies vendors on features and technology — the plumbing the rest of distribution runs on.
Mission
Standards that hold the ecosystem together
The Connectivity Discipline sets direction for every party requesting live rates from hotels, writes the guidelines that keep rate-request volume manageable, and certifies vendors on the features and technology that make a connection trustworthy.
As AI tools start requesting and acting on hotel data directly, the members' focus has shifted to a sharper question: who owns connectivity, and what does the distribution professional's role become as that pipeline gets smarter.
Vision
A distribution ecosystem where every handoff — hotel to wholesale to OTA to AI — is transparent and accountable. And a profession with a clearly defined role in it, where human judgment does what AI can't.
Strategic Pillars
Three problems worth solving together
Request Volume & Standards
Direction for every party requesting live rates, and guidelines that keep growing request volume sustainable for hotels.
Vendor Certification
Certifying vendors on the features and technology that make a connection trustworthy — not just fast.
Ecosystem Ownership
Defining who's accountable as hotel data moves through wholesale, OTAs, and now AI — and what that means for the people who manage it.
Focus Areas
What the Discipline is working on
Who Owns Connectivity
Ownership has moved from rooms, to distribution, to revenue management, to today's commercial-services teams. Members' top priority for H2.
The Ecosystem End-to-End
Hotel → Wholesale → OTA → AI — who sees what, and where the chain breaks down.
The Value of the Distribution Professional
Where human judgment stays essential as AI takes on more of the rate-request pipeline.
Standardisation & Ambiguity
"Adults only" vs. "adult friendly" — how much to standardise versus preserve a property's own voice.
The Economics of Connectivity
Cost of complexity, ROI on integration, and maintenance burden, in plain numbers.
Data, Payments & Personalisation
Lighter threads for now: data quality and governance, agentic booking and payments, and rate personalisation.
Roadmap
What's next, not when
Priorities shift with member input, so here's the shape of H2 rather than a fixed calendar.
Connectivity in Practice
Now
Where connectivity sits today — what only we can do, who owns it, and how it fits together.
POV Article
What only we can do: the human edge
Where human judgment stays essential as AI matures, and what makes the distribution professional valuable.
Webinar
Who owns connectivity?
A live discussion on how distribution matured into a discipline, and where ownership sits now.
Industry Article
How the ecosystem works, end-to-end
Hotel → Wholesale → OTA → AI — who sees what, and where the chain falls down.
Connectivity Strategy
Next
Designing for what's next — the profession's future, the economics, and standardisation.
White Paper · Flagship
The evolving role of the distribution professional
A multi-year view of roles, risks and opportunities as AI matures — and HEDNA's role in the conversation.
Industry Article
The economics of connectivity
Cost of complexity, ROI on integration, maintenance burden — in plain numbers.
Virtual Roundtable
Standardisation & ambiguity
How much to standardise versus keep a property's own voice.
Sourcing: the webinar, interviews and guest contributions draw on external industry experts, fed by a member-built watchlist of companies and voices to watch.
Leadership
Who's steering the Discipline
Two co-chairs, a board liaison, and three Future Leaders of HEDNA set the agenda — the people you'd be joining.
Co-Chair
Simone Large
Head of Direct Supply
Emerging Travel Group
Emerging Travel Group
Co-Chair
Tanya Pratt
Global VP, Strategy & Product Management
Oracle Hospitality
Oracle Hospitality
Board Liaison
Alexa Montgomery Krnjaic
Senior Director, Distribution Strategy
Choice Hotels International
Choice Hotels International
KB
FLoH Member Lead
Kate Blythe
Executive Director, GDS & Client Tool Management
Accor
Accor
FLoH Member Lead
Niki Van den Broeck
Lead Product Manager
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
FLoH Member Lead
Nanak Banerjee
Vice President
RateGain
RateGain
How the Discipline Shows Up
Engaged year-round, not just at conference
✓
Webinars and articles on connectivity and distribution topics
✓
Main-stage and panel sessions at HEDNA events, including Lisbon
✓
Vendor certification and rate-request standards work
✓
Year-round member discussion and collaboration
Get Involved
Active year-round — there's a role for every level of time and expertise
Join
Join the Discipline
Collaborate with peers on rate delivery, vendor certification, and ecosystem problems.
Write
Author content
Develop articles and technical pieces that move the standard forward.
Speak
Speak & present
Share your expertise on panels and webinars, including Lisbon.
Lead
Serve on the board
Take on a leadership role guiding the Discipline's direction.
Ready to help keep the pipes of distribution running?