Are you aware that your hotel’s overall digital presence has a drastic impact on sales and online bookings? Properly promoting your hotel in a variety of ways – through website, Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), and social media — will lead to greater visibility and increased online hotel bookings. Hoteliers can use the following tips to help put this practice into play.
Be speedy. Quick access to information can often make or break a customer’s decision to book with your hotel or a competitor. Make sure your website loads fast! Ensure there are no barriers that slow down or complicate the online hotel booking process from start to finish.
Be mobile. Today’s tech-savvy guests research and book on-the-go, so optimizing your hotel’s website for mobile devices is a must! A whopping 76% of consumers won’t even bother trying to use a website if it is not optimized for mobile.
Be social. There’s an abundance of industry data about how consumers shop and research; how hoteliers utilize and act on this data will convert guest behaviors into sales and breed brand awareness and loyalty. Utilize social media, review sites, and other online booking tools to personally connect and engage with guests and, ultimately, turn them into your best brand ambassadors.
Be simple. How seamless is the user experience? Is it easy for potential guests to perform an online search for your hotel or find your profile on OTAs? Once they land on your homepage, is it simple for them to navigate, browse, and access key information in order to book their stay? Give the consumer what they want with minimal clicks — or risk losing their business!
Be relevant. Is your content of value to potential guests? Are you utilizing customer data to issue relevant, timely content that will keep your brand top-of-mind? Consider investing in a cloud-based hotel property management system (PMS), such as the SkyTouch Hotel OS®, which provides guest profile functionality to help hoteliers target and engage customers with relevant content. The more relevant the content, the better likelihood of attracting guests capturing conversions, and building loyalty.
Be direct. Keep operations central! The SkyTouch Hotel OS® takes a centralized approach to distribution management. This means we give you the ability to connect and integrate with OTAs while offering real-time access to inventory and pricing adjustments from one centralized place. However, be aware that while third-party channels provide value, hotels must pay OTA commissions and may risk losing a sale to a competitor featured on the OTA. Driving and managing direct bookings through your channel manager and cloud hotel PMS can bring more profits, along with the ability to manage a direct relationship with customers.
It’s clear that understanding how consumers shop and book across channels is key to maximizing profits. Yet, it is critical for hoteliers to use this understanding and take action! By catering to customer needs and preferences via online hotel booking tools and platforms, hotels will effectively reel more customers in and significantly grow online bookings.
