How To Improve Your Hotel Bookings.

Learn the strategies to enhance your guest’s experience that can lead to direct bookings.

As a hotel owner, you should have one main goal: improving your hotel bookings. Some invest heftily in Google Ads while others move their budget to influencer-sponsored content.

Here are 11 such tactics to boost your hotel bookings right now.

1. Engage in Review Sites

Researches suggest that more than 80% of travellers check reviews before booking a hotel. A platform like TripAdvisor is vital for reviews. Respond to online reviews. A good review can lead to a direct booking, while a bad one can be a big turn-off for a guest, although, this can be turned around with the correct response. Keep watch on your online reviews. Answer both positive and negative comments, and incite satisfied guests to share.

.

.

2. Deliver Money-Saving Packages

Attract vacationers with cost-saving packages. Pair a two-night stay with an under-market rate for dinner, or a discount off tickets to local events. Highlight packages on your website and social media platforms.

.

.

3. Optimize Your Hotel Website

Use better copywriting: Highlight your hotel’s USPs with original, engaging content.

.

Make sure to have a strong call to action: Have big, booking CTA buttons at the top of your website. This will simplify the booking process.

.

Ensure the speed of your website is fast, especially on mobile. Google reports that 53% of visitors abandon a page if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.

.

.

4. Encourage Mailing List Subscriptions

You want to add subscribers to your mailing list to send them news and your latest deals. These people already know your hotel, so you want the content fresh.

.

.

5. Enhance Direct Bookings

Offer better prices on your website than the OTA’s, so guests are encouraged to book directly.

.

Offer incentives. There must be further reasons for potential guests to book through your website, such as receiving exclusive deals or amenities.

.

Elaborate the information about your property. Enhance the excitement of booking with numerous images, video shots, and 360-degree views.

.

.

6. User-Friendly Online Booking

Be sure that your website is designed for people to easily book their stay. The website’s navigation should be smooth during the booking process. And again, make sure that it is also mobile-friendly.

7. Get Social on Social Media

Travellers also check reviews and hotel information on social media pages. Be an active member of the conversation; post on Facebook, and Instagram, among others. Give some likes, respond to comments, and share the content. Use your own hashtags and be able to book over social media to drive traffic back to your website.

.

.

8. Email Marketing

Organize flash sales: Target your guest database and run a pay-per-click campaign on Google.

.

.

9. Engage Your Employees

Encourage your employees to understand that direct booking is more important than OTA bookings. Authorize your staff the ability to give guests booking directly an upgrade or other incentives and let the guests know.

.

.

10. Use Meta Search Engines

List your hotel on metasearch engines like Trivago. Make sure your hotel’s website offers better rates to encourage direct bookings. Track your return on investment (ROI) by comparing the lower prices offered through online travel agencies (OTA’s) with the rates on your own site.

.

.

11. Search Engine Advertising (SEA)

Invest in SEA to increase your visibility. If you work with an agency, collaborate closely with them by providing data on clicks, cost of sales, conversion rates, and return on investment (ROI). Ensure that your cost of sales remains lower than that of online travel agencies (OTA’s).

Are you ready to take your hotel business to new heights? Get your hands on our comprehensive guide, ‘Unlocking Hospitality Success: 25 Must-Know Insights for Independent Hotel Owners’. It’s packed with the wisdom you need to stand out in the crowded hospitality market. Think of it as your secret weapon to outshine the competition. Download your free copy now – just follow the link in the show notes!

As a hotel owner looking to boost your bookings and stand out in the crowded hospitality market, which of these 11 tactics do you think would make the biggest impact for your hotel?

Share your thoughts and experiences!

In Conclusion

Utilizing these 11 tactics will improve your hotel bookings, enhance your online profile’s strength, and bring more revenue to your property.

.

Ready to take your hotel management skills to the next level? Explore the “Check-In To Success: Building & Running Your Hotel Business” course today and join a community of successful hoteliers. For more information, check out the link in the show notes.

.

In the next episode, I will talk about Consist Messaging Across Platforms.