Hotel tech sellers, Deel, a16z, Spain, labor seasonality, PMS, channel manager and booking engine
Voice reading · ~4 min
If you have been selling hotel technology in Spain for at least a year, you know the country goes into commercial hibernation between late June and mid-September. What was once a hunch now has data. According to Deel's analysis shared by a16z, tech and remote companies, exactly the profile of many decision-makers in our industry, actually take real vacations in the summer. They take them and they enjoy them. The chart published by Lauren Thomas is a wake-up call for any hotel tech salesperson working the Spanish market.
The numbers are clear. While markets like the US or the UK keep a steady work pacePacePace is the rate at which bookings build for a date compared with how the same day ran last year or with the target. If you are ahead of the historical pace you can push price, if you are behind it is time to react. I... in July, activity in Spain collapses. Deel detects that in August, the rate of employees logging hours worked drops below 40% among startups and scaleups using their platform. Translation for anyone selling a PMSPMSThe property management system is a hotel's core software. It handles reservations, check-in and check-out, room assignment, billing and the status of every stay. It is the operational heart that most other tools plug..., channel managerChannel managerA channel manager syncs a hotel's rates and availability across all its sales channels at once. When a room sells, it removes it instantly from the OTAs, the website and the GDS. It prevents overbooking and saves manu... or booking engineBooking engineA booking engine is the tool that lets guests book directly on the hotel's own website. It shows availability, prices and takes the payment with no middleman. It is the key piece for winning direct bookings and saving...: your potential client is not there, does not reply to emails, and if you text them on WhatsApp, they read it from the beach towel and archive it.
The worst part is not that they go on vacation. The worst part is that they actually disconnect. Unlike other countries where executives keep their phones on, here the concept of "digital disconnection" is embedded even in top management at OTAsOTAAn online travel agency is a channel that sells accommodation and travel online in exchange for a commission. Booking.com and Expedia are the biggest. They bring volume and visibility, but charge commissions that eat... and hotel chains. Trying to force a demo during those weeks is not just useless, it hurts your credibility: it shows you do not understand the market. Deel's report also points out that employees in Spain use 100% of their vacation days, unusual in other regions. That means no "windows" between meetings: a full block.
This has a direct impact on your sales pipeline. If you set closing targets for July or August, you are designing a funnel that will dry up. Revenue managers and distribution directors are out, and those left, summer replacements or interns, have no decision-making power over a five-figure travel tech contract.
notitur.comThis is not drama, it's sales effort management. If Spain is your main market, accept work seasonalitySeasonalitySeasonality is the concentration of demand in certain times of year, with a full, pricey high season and a soft, cheap low season. It shapes the revenue, staffing and cashflow of a hotel or a destination. Smoothing it... like you accept tourist seasonality. Dedicate June to closing, July to setting up September's agenda, and August to internal training or prospecting in markets that don't stop (Latam works the opposite: July-August is peak activity).
In the travel industry, the temptation to "force the machine" in August is strong because it's high season for our clients, hotels are full, but that does not mean they buy software. They are busy billing rooms, not signing contracts. Whoever understands this budgets better. Whoever does not gets frustrated and ends up giving discounts. Deel's data is the perfect excuse to make your CEO or investor understand why Spain underperforms in that period. Use the data, not excuses.
Bottom line: Do not sell software in Spain between July and August. Not because it is hard, but because there is no one on the other side. Grab Deel's data, circulate it in your next forecast meeting and redesign your sales cycle. Your pipeline, and your sanity, will thank you.
The travel startups we follow, plus the ones surfacing in today's news.
Was this article useful?
The daily brief
One sharp travel-industry brief a day. Free.
Editorial content by Notitur. It may contain errors. Verify anything important with the original source.
This article may mention third-party products, companies or services for informational purposes. Notitur does not endorse them and is not responsible for them or for what they offer. Editorial content curated by the Notitur team.
Notitur is an independent digest. It is not the official site of any brand mentioned. Content is editorial and produced with AI assistance and editorial review, and may contain errors. Verify anything important with the original source. This is not financial, legal or investment advice. Some links or blocks may be sponsored or affiliate. Trademarks belong to their owners. You can unsubscribe at any time with one click, and you can request access or deletion of your data at notitur.com/contact.
The daily brief
One sharp travel-industry brief a day. Free.