WHY YOUR WEBSITE SHOULD BE THE HEART OF YOUR HOTEL’S ONLINE MARKETING

Until not that long ago, finding the right hotel was made mostly by browsing a catalogue in the travel agency office. And hotel advertising was no more than a brochure, or a box in the same catalogue.

Today everything is digital and complex. OTA’s like Booking and Expedia, review sites like TripAvdisor, meta search sites like Trivago, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are all part of the traveller’s journey to book their accommodation. In this fast changing digital landscape we should ask ourselves – do we take the right decisions to promote our business?

What is the role of the website and is it enough to have just a basic or outdated website? Why is it important to have the best website for your business?

YOU CAN INCREASE YOUR DIRECT SALES

A recent research on travel behaviour shows, that 52% of the OTA’s visitors are clicking the hotels’ website to get more information. Take a moment to think how many reservations you are losing when your website is not optimised for sales. If you want to to turn the website visitors into clients you need a website that is fast, with great content, works perfect in every device and offers incentives for direct bookings.

YOU CAN STAND OUT FROM THE COMPETITION

Imagine this: You are trying to find a hotel in your desired location and after your research you picked 3 hotels that are most appealing to you. You visit their websites to make your final choice. Which one you choose? All things equal, most people will choose the one that is most engaging for them. Branding, design, photography, content can make a difference, and attract the customers you want. Make your website special and get more clients.

YOU CAN REACH A WIDER AUDIENCE

The internet today brings many opportunities to promote your business. Search engine marketing, Social media, Meta Search, blogs, vlogs, and more, are powerful advertising channels that can connect you with the audience of your choice. You can choose your budget, audience, location and create highly targeted campaigns. But even if you make the most creative campaigns the results will be poor unless you have a great website. This is where the online guests make their choice. This is where you have the chance to deliver the right message in the most desired way. This is where you convert the lookers into bookers. So, make sure your website delivers.

In an era full of choices you only limit your hotel by leaving the marketing to the travel agents. Make your website the heart of your online marketing and start creating more and more opportunities for your business.