hotel marketing Hotel Promotion - The Ultimate Guide to Increase Bookings

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The 11 actions to promote your hotel!

As the manager of a tourist accommodation, you are surely aware that digital content in the
hotel promotion
is vital.

You may also have noticed that price and location are no longer the two most important factors in your audience’s decision to choose a particular hotel.

Check out the following useful tips that will help you increase your conversion rate, i.e. converting visitors into bookings and increasing your occupancy.

Hotel promotion and basic questions!

  • Customers

There are two types of customers: those who enjoy staying in hotels and those who explore all available alternatives. Research shows that a large percentage of customers often choose Airbnb-style accommodation over hotel accommodation when travelling for leisure, because it is often less expensive, less sterile and can offer unique touches that make the place more intimate. However, if the hotel can promote its business well, offer a reasonable price and convey a sense of uniqueness to the customer, this decision can easily be changed.

  • Competition

The high level of competition in the hotel marketing industry causes difficulties in designing the appropriate promotional strategy. With the rise in popularity of sites like Airbnb and Home Away, it has become even harder to stand out from the competition to get more bookings. While hotel marketing managers are very familiar with these challenges, they are still tasked with meeting (and hopefully exceeding) their goals, which are almost always tied to bookings.

  • Questions

So what can the hotel’s promotion and marketing manager do if he or she is facing difficulties in implementing the marketing strategy?

How can you ensure that search engines will find you in the first place, and be so captivated by your accommodation that they can’t wait to book their stay?

These and many other answers concerning hotel marketing are given in the following list of actions that your hotel marketing department should follow.

hotel marketing Hotel Promotion - The Ultimate Guide to Increase Bookings

Let’s break down the 11 promotional strategies for your hotel:

  • #1: Make your Hotel easily searchable on the internet!

Let’s face it: technology has conquered us. The days when travel agencies had the first say in creating holiday packages, booking and promoting hotel services are long gone.

Today’s travellers can conduct their own comparative research using search engines without getting up from the comfort of their couch. If your hotel is hard to find online, especially in the top search engine rankings, social media and online booking platforms, we wouldn’t be surprised if your hotel is getting few bookings.

For new bookings and to increase existing bookings, you need to be ALWAYS online so that your interested audience can discover you on their journey of research to book a room.

SEO

Most travellers start their search for a place, for accommodation and to discover the special secrets of a destination using search engines, so hotels need to keep their SEO constantly updated. Incorporate popular hotel keywords into your website material and make sure that the loading speed on your website is very fast – optimized.

Don’t just rely on optimizing organic yields!

Optimizing organic search engine results is very important, but don’t rely on it alone. For searches related to hotels, thesearch engine results page(SERP) shows advertised results at the top of the list, followed by organic results, which means that users will encounter ads first. Ads fill the entire screen, as in the following screen example

ΞΕΝΟΔΟΧΕΙΑ ΑΘΗΝΑ ΑΝΑΖΗΤΗΣΗ Hotel Promotion - The Ultimate Guide to Increase Bookings
  • #2: Remarketing!

Did you know that the abandonment rate of booking hotels online is 75%?

That’s right, three out of four people start the detention process, drift and leave detention. Who knows if it was the fault of the delivery man who interrupted their booking process or the feeling that they could have found a better offer elsewhere. Whatever the reason, you should not give up trying
remarketing
of the interested audience.

Remarketing is showing ads to people who have previously visited your website, used your mobile app or with their consent left their email address. Retargeting mainly uses paid ads to re-engage audiences who have visited your website or social profiles.

There are many reasons to distract stakeholders, not only from common distractions (such as pop-up phone alerts and crying babies), but also from the hundreds of other options available to them, so repeat purchase is a vital promotional strategy in your hotel marketing.

You can minimise the abandonment rate and book more bookings with remarketing by providing an attractive offer to visitors who have already visited your website to remind them that you are there. Show them an advert on social media to entice them to book with you rather than your competitors and make the booking process as simple as possible for your customers.

Set up ads through Google Ads and social media marketing channels like Facebook as soon as possible!

  • #3: Make sure you are reaching the right audience.

What is the profile of the hotel you are promoting and who do you think is your average customer?

The marketing managers of a Boutique Hotel in the centre of Athens must use a different method and approach than those of a 5 star Hotel on the sandy beaches of the coast of Paros. They travel in different ways, make different bookings and have different budgets. Therefore, methods such as income targeting would be useful.

While this may seem obvious, there are even more ways to segment your target customers when it comes to hotel marketing.

Many hotels cater to a wide range of economic levels, may offer rooms that are luxurious (such as presidential suites), and rooms that are often sold at a discount. These two categories of rooms need to be segmented and targeted separately. Even hotels in the same chain may offer different facilities depending on where they operate. All these factors must be taken into account to have a comprehensive promotion strategy.

To make sure you are targeting the right message to the right prospect, you may need to segment your audience into two, three or even four independent campaigns. And, thanks to technologies like social media audience targeting options, this is no longer as difficult as it once was.

Just take the time to define your target audience so you can send the right message to the right person at the right time!

  • #4: Invest in a “Virtual Tour” of your hotel.

The hospitality and travel industry has realised the potential of virtual reality to attract visitors, increase revenue and generate more bookings. One way in which hotels are embracing this technology is through Virtual Tours.

These interactive tours use the actual hotel spaces to give prospective guests an immersive 360-degree tour so they can explore the hotel to get a complete view before booking.

The benefits of virtual tours in hotel promotion:

  1. An interactive virtual tour grabs the attention of your audience and creates a positive first impression!
  2. It allows you to showcase your hotel rooms in a way that photos and videos can’t!
  3. Allows prospective customers to explore your facility from anywhere and at any time – 24/7!
  4. It shows technological update and differentiation in your business!
  5. It shows the reality, which creates a relationship of trust with your customers!
  6. The high quality Virtual Tour ensures your competitive advantage over the competition!
  7. Increase customer loyalty!
  8. Low cost, low maintenance, but great marketing tool!
  9. Google is emphasizing businesses that have a virtual tour!
  10. Interactive media helps visitors stay longer on your website!
  11. It puts your visitors in control of their experience, giving them the freedom to choose what they see.

Browse LIVE in the following example “3D Virtual Tour:

  • #5: Increaseyour marketing budget.

The peak booking seasons are very different if you are managing a hotel near a ski resort or a rooming house in a summer resort.

As a hotel manager, you’re probably well aware of your peak booking periods, but when it comes to allocating your advertising budget, you may not be properly prepared. It’s natural to spend more of your annual budget during the busiest period.

Determine when traffic is high, steady or sluggish and make adjustments to your budget accordingly. Make sure that the time period of your advertising campaign is in line with the length of the season, and of course it should not be too short. While this often requires foresight, Google and other ad platforms make it fairly simple to change your budget on an ongoing basis. Just make sure you do it right.

Another element to take advantage of is the use of ad scheduling. When do most people plan their holidays?

If you have a hotel that attracts frequent business travellers, these customers are more likely to book during their working hours, while leisure travellers usually tend to book on weekdays or weekends.

Look at the data and create an ad schedule so that your ads are shown with a larger budget only during the desired peak periods.

  • #6: Offer incentives for them to choose you!

Adapt to the needs of visitors and showcase your competitive advantages.

Why would they choose you over the hotel across the street, or one that is more conveniently located or offers lower rates?

Your hotel must offer a compelling reason for your guests to choose you over the competition.

If there are no obvious reasons, such as having the best prices or the best ratings, think of some unique incentives and offers you can give to your potential customers. For example, you can offer a 15% discount to all first-time visitors. Incentives are also effective in instilling a sense of urgency in customers, encouraging them to book with you immediately before they miss out on a unique limited-time offer.

Consider the following example of a luxury hotel. Having dedicated an entire section of its website to special offers, it offers a list of offers geared to the different needs of its customers. One offer includes a 30% discount for stays of two or more nights, another offer gives 15% off food and 24-hour access to the gym.

The combinations and options are inexhaustible, based on the hotel’s capabilities and the target group of its customers!

  • #7: Develop local partnerships.

Chances are your hotel is not in the middle of nowhere.

You are likely to be surrounded by local shops and attractions. You need to get to know your neighbours, whether they are well-known restaurants, businesses or yoga studios. Developing partnerships with local business owners is a great approach to build alliances and support each other, especially if you are promoting a boutique hotel rather than a chain.

For example, your hotel can make a strategic partnership with a well-known winery by organising a competition in which the winner will receive a free tour of the winery’s facilities and wine tasting, as well as a discount on their stay at your accommodation.

Building these partnerships will result in simple, effective and cost-efficient marketing that will significantly increase your retention rates.

hotel marketing 1 Hotel Promotion - The Ultimate Guide to Increase Bookings
  • #8: Don’t just showcase the hotel, showcase the location!

Many are potential customers who are undecided about whether the city or region where your hotel is located is the best place to spend their holiday period.

This is why you should not focus solely on the amenities provided by your hotel. While promoting your top-notch room and pool service is vital, promoting the location, attractions and activities that the surrounding area has to offer is equally important for your business.

What makes your city or region a popular tourist destination?

This is something that future visitors will want to know, because it is tailored to their needs.

Take a look at this amazing example. Many hotel businesses, instead of focusing mainly on the modern amenities of their hotel, are actively promoting local events to a targeted clientele of visitors to festivals, concerts and events in general. This is an integrated tactic and is likely to help them attract visitors who would otherwise not have considered their area as a holiday destination.

Use local attractions and events in your marketing and showcase everything your city is known for!

  • #9: Make sure your website is simple and visually appealing.

Although this may seem obvious, there are a large number of hotel websites that do not meet and keep up with modern trends in design. This is a huge obstacle for hotel guests.

Why should your real site be clean and attractive if your website isn’t?

Because your website is often the first impression someone has of your hotel, it needs to be beautiful and functional. This means that users (on any device) can quickly and easily find the information they need and make an instant booking.

Focus on maintaining the style and navigation of your website. A clean, sharp and simple environment is ideal.

  • The primary goal is to build websites based on the rules for search engine optimization
  • Make sure your hotel photos are professional, high resolution and displayed in the right formats and proportions on mobile and portable devices
  • To avoid abandonment during booking, keep the language clear and simple
  • Also make sure that the booking procedure is simple
  • Videos are also effective because they present your hotel in a more comprehensive and entertaining way.
  • Finally, use new technologies, such as the presentation of your hotel facilities through a Virtual Tour.

Here is an example!

Kalya Suites in Santorini is an excellent example of a hotel site that incorporates all these attractive design aspects. The combination of simplicity, optimized photos, targeted information and the integration of a virtual tour application is crucial.

  • #10: Providing exceptional service before, during and after their stay.

In the hospitality industry, marketing and customer service work hand in hand.

When you go the extra mile for your customers, they are much more likely to reciprocate and do the same for you in the form of good online reviews, recommendations and repeat visits.

So what does it mean to provide excellent customer service?

The first step is to make sure your employees are hired and trained with a “customer first” mentality. Although working with people can be difficult, it is vital that you always put the consumer first. Let’s imagine that your hotel guest is unhappy with the view of his room and there are no other rooms available to offer. Try to change their room for the rest of their stay, when possible, as a thank you offer them a bottle of local wine and a handwritten note apologising for the inconvenience. These kinds of gestures confirm to customers how much you appreciate them.

Customers who receive high quality service and special treatment are more likely to tell others about their positive experiences, increasing your customer base and reputation.

  • #11: Create a customer loyalty program – Customer Loyalty Program

Customers who have visited you at least once can often be the best audience to target, after all, why wouldn’t they want to return if they had a good experience in the past.

Customer loyalty programs are an effective method to give your customers an extra incentive to come back again.

Why?

Returning guests will benefit from the loyalty programmes, which provide significant discounts and additional benefits. A simple example is the points loyalty program, which enables guests to earn points with every stay and benefit from various discounts or offers. In addition, they are given the opportunity to progress each year to different levels (Gold, Platinum, etc.).

hotel marketing 2 Hotel Promotion - The Ultimate Guide to Increase Bookings

I’m sure you are already unconsciously working on some ideas and promotional techniques. However, visitor expectations and market trends are constantly evolving. Therefore, you need to keep up to date with this information and implement new marketing methods to promote your hotel.

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