6 Essential Hotel Marketing Strategies to Gain more Bookings
The best hotel marketing strategies are those that are effortless and are initiated with human experience and interaction.
MA tourism is a postgraduate degree that aims to teach students the right skills to get started in the hospitality industry.
1. Know Your Guests Well
It is very important to understand who your customers are, what their needs and requirements are in order to put more successful marketing campaigns. For instance, the 35 and younger age group are spending more money and traveling post-pandemic. Knowing this demographic will be extremely helpful for all your marketing ventures. This will allow you to provide the best amenities for your visitors.
2. Make Your Hotel Website Intuitive and User-Friendly
After the pandemic, most travelers are researching the safety protocols followed by hotels on the websites as well as the social media pages. Make sure to announce and explicitly tell your guests about the extensive protocols you are maintaining in your property for them to learn. Make sure that the website of your hotel is designed in a fast, and easy-to-navigate manner and is also mobile-friendly. Always remember that an intuitive website establishes the credibility of a business and while a poorly designed website can be seriously detrimental to your reputation.
3. Showcase the Uniqueness and The Strengths of Your Property
Have complete knowledge of the best features of your hotel, what makes it attractive to guests, what are the unique factors that need to be highlighted that sets you apart from your competition. Highlight these points on your website as well as social media profiles. Make them easy to find and understand to attract travelers. For example, if your property is pet-friendly, a great way to put that out will be by posting some pictures of your guests traveling with pets.
4. Prize Your Guests If They Book Directly
Why should someone come over to your hotel’s website to make a booking when they have multiple options on an OTA?
Why should a customer come to your website to do the booking when they have a plethora of options online from different travel websites? You’ve to give people enough reason to book with you directly – think of special services, rewards, surprise gifts etc. These gestures are simple yet warm and would leave a great impression on visitors and help in establishing relationships with your guests who are more likely to come back and become your long-term or regular guests. As you improve the guest experience, you will increase the chances of visitors recommending your property to family and friends or might leave great reviews for future travelers to refer to.
- Go Little Overboard with Customers Who Are Loyal to You
When a traveler makes a return booking, they are expecting the hotel to acknowledge them for their loyalty. It does not have to be extravagant, but small gestures like a simple “Welcome Back” as an email or a placard or offering them some complimentary beverage to make them feel special. These small steps will ensure that guests keep coming back to you and keep leaving good reviews for your hospitality.
6. Guest Experience Should Be Your Top Priority
Nothing is more important than guest experience, no matter how many or what kind of digital marketing campaigns you’re planning on. Without positive guest experience, none of that will yield good results.
Guests are more likely to come back to a properly if their first experience was satisfactory or beyond expectations. And this not only depends on the time they’ve spent at the hotel but also other factors like reservation experience, check in or out, arrival and departure. If your guests were happy, the reviews will be good and good reviews will certainly generate popularity and profit.
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