People are finally back to taking vacations again, and if you’re in the hotel industry, this is great news for you. It’s time to make this year the best year ever for your hotel.
But how can you get more bookings? If you’re not a major name in the industry, it’s hard to compete! Attracting guests is no easy task when the major names in the industry, as well as Airbnb, are taking all of your potential customers.
We’re here to talk about how you can use technology to boost your bookings this year. Read on to learn more.
Connect With Booking Sites
Ideally, all of your bookings would come directly from your website. When you get bookings from a booking site, you don’t connect directly with your hotel guests, they may be offered a different price through the site (which could cause problems in the future), and it can be a struggle if the guest needs to cancel or change their reservation.
Booking sites may also take a percentage of your revenue.
With this in mind, you’re probably wondering why we recommend them. The majority of people are going to see booking sites come up first when they look for hotels in their destination areas. If your hotel isn’t a major name in the industry, this may be the only way they find you.
You may find it challenging to connect with all of the important booking sites. A channel manager can help. Among other things, it can connect to all of the top booking sites and make sure that all of the booking and availability information is up-to-date. You shouldn’t run into any issues with inaccurate pricing or false vacancies.
Once you’ve made a name for yourself in the hotel industry, you may not have to rely on booking sites anymore. Until then, take advantage of them.
Get on Social Media
Source: leadg2.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com
If you’re not already using social media for marketing purposes, you’re behind the times. Social media is an incredible marketing tool, and you can even start for free (though paid social media ads are often more beneficial).
Set up accounts for your hotel on all of the main platforms. It’s a good idea to hire an in-house marketer (or even a marketing team) to take care of the accounts for you. Smaller hotels may want to consider outsourcing their marketing because it’s often more affordable.
Post photos and videos accompanied by helpful captions to your social media profiles. Make good use of hashtags and geotags to attract people who may be looking for a hotel just like yours.
Consider taking advantage of influencer marketing. Influencers may want to stay in your hotel for a lower cost in exchange for a promotional post. If you get the right influencer, this can be huge for your hotel.
You can also partner with other companies. For example, perhaps a local tourist attraction is also trying to gain new visitors. You can cross-promote each other to increase your reach.
Create Your Own App
Have you considered creating an app for your hotel? It’s a lot of work, but if you play your cards right, it can make a big impact.
But what is the app for? Well, everything. Your visitors should be able to do anything they need to do from the app. If it’s not providing convenience and value for them, they won’t download it.
When they’re booking, it should make the booking process easy. It may also send helpful push notifications if they need to update any information before the booking is complete as well as reminders for things like check-in and check-out dates and times.
Perhaps they can contact the concierge desk with the app or order room service without having to call. Many guests would love that.
You can have the app send notifications during popular travel times to encourage former guests to return. Of course, guests may end up deleting the app, but many will let it sit on their phones long-term and they’ll be enticed by the notifications.
Use Email Marketing
Source: marketingweek.com
Email marketing is still relevant in 2024, believe it or not.
When someone books a stay at your hotel, you’ll likely get access to their email address. Make sure you let them know that you may use the email address for future marketing efforts and give them the option to opt-out. This will help you avoid annoying guests.
Once you have a guest on your email list, you can send them emails about ongoing promotions, travel deals, and more. That one email may be what finally urges them to book their next vacation with you!
Offer Loyalty Rewards
Many hotel owners think that loyalty programs will lose them money. This isn’t the case at all. While individual guests will be saving money, the overall impact on the hotel will be positive.
People are more likely to book budget-friendly hotels. If they’re able to save 20% on a hotel, that may be enough to allow them to book the flight or activities they were planning for their vacation. That 20% could also make your hotel the most affordable option in the area.
Loyalty rewards almost guarantee that your previous guests will choose your hotel over comparable options in their vacation destination.
Be Responsive Online
Source: mirdon.com
One of the best thing you can do when it comes to getting consistent bookings is to be responsive via email and on your other online platforms. Whether someone is asking a question or leaving a review, a polite response will go a long way.
Being responsive shows that you care about what your guests think. If you’re not responsive, guests will choose to stay at another hotel instead.
Use Tech to Increase Your Hotel Bookings This Year
Technology opens up so many doors for business owners, and hotel owners are no exception. Use it to your advantage to book more stays this year with our suggestions. This may be your most profitable year yet.
Are you looking for helpful solutions for all of your tech woes? Don’t forget to check out the rest of the site.
