Hotel Distribution
-
Blind Spots! Top Hotel Marketing Mistakes You Might Be Making
Chatting with GMs, revenue managers, and marketing folks across the industry, I’ve noticed some common marketing blunders hotels keep making. Let’s dive in and see if any of these ring a bell for you! ๐ญ. ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ค Not sure who your ideal guest is? This is a big one! Think families, business travelers, or maybe adventure seekers? Knowing this will help you target your marketing with laser focus. ๐ฎ. ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ข๏ธ Marketing shouldn’t be an island. It needs to work hand-in-hand with your overall distribution, revenue management and other strategies. Are you on the same page?…
-
What revenue managers (often) get wrong about hotel marketing?
๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป’๐ ๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ-๐๐ผ-๐ฒ๐๐ฒ? Through years dealing with many, I’ve come across a few misconceptions. Let’s break them down! ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐! ๏ธโ๐ It used to be that we struggled to measure the impact of marketing efforts. Now, with the right tools, you can see exactly how marketing campaigns influence bookings and revenue. ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ! ๐ข Public Relations are great for brand awareness, but marketing goes beyond press releases. It’s about creating compelling content, targeted ads, and building a strong online presence to attract the right guests. ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐! ๐ฏ Sure,…
-
Stop Throwing Money Away! 5 Direct Booking Mistakes Costing You Big
Historically, most independent properties and small chains relied on third parties to deliver business to them. Many are still behind the curve, relying too heavily on third parties and OTAs. Don’t let your hotel fall into these common traps: โ๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐๐น ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป: Max Starkov recently pointed out in a post that OTAs on average spend 250 USD per hotel per month at the most. The more money they make from you, the more powerful you are making them against you. โ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด: Having a user-friendly website with a robust booking engine that is being fed qualified traffic to strategic digital marketing spend…
-
Ten questions hotels need to ask to tackle China as a source market
Most hotels in the region are exhaling a collective sigh of relief as China opens its borders and eliminates quarantine requirements. Any hotelier who is serious about taking on this market must ask the following questions to assess their readiness and develop a strategy. Do I go after this market myself, or do I leave it to OTAs and other agents? What proportion of business should come online versus offline? Do I really need a discounted rate or an offer? Will it leak outside of the Chinese market if I do? What has changed in China in terms of digital marketing post-pandemic? How can I reactivate my Baidu, WeChat, Meituan,…
-
The top pitfalls that hotels must avoid in 2023
Everyone I speak with is upbeat about the coming year. This year may be the closest to normalcy since the pandemic. It is easy to get carried away or feel laid-back. Here are some things hotels should be aware of:Revenue versus budget: As the year progresses, demand may be higher than anticipated. It may be lower in rare cases. The benchmark should be market performance, not budget. RGI is the best option.Over-reliance on social media: Just because you have complete control over what you post on this channel does not mean it is the most effective. There are ads galore, and their reach is shrinking as personal content is prioritized.…
-
What are the most important review sites for hotels?
For hoteliers, TripAdvisor and OTA reviews have always had a higher mind share. According to ReviewPro, TripAdvisorโs 2022 share of reviews hovers around the 10% mark. Close to 73% of all hotel reviews come from Google and Booking. Let us zoom out a bit because the review ecosystem is much larger than just hotels. According to a recent Reviewtrackers report (link in the comments section), 88% of business reviews (not just hotel reviews) are found on just four websites.Google (73%).Yelp - 6%Facebook - 3%TripAdvisor - 3%๐๐ผ Thanks to Android phones and Google Maps, Google can prompt users to write reviews based on the locations they visit.๐๐ผ It is part of a…
-
Why do hotels make such a big deal out of one-day festivals and events?
One question I've had is why hotels feel the need to devote so much of their marketing budget, content space, and effort to single-day festivals or events. To be sure, they are a good way to promote yourself and catch the attention of some people. But ignoring all the other guests who need a place to stay for a long time before and after the event seems like a missed opportunity. Consider Loy Kratong or Christmas (or add your own festival here). They get a lot of attention in marketing plans and are promoted weeks or months ahead of time. Packages and offers compete with everything else for promotional space…
-
Top five elements influencing conversion rates on your hotel website or app
There are various outside elements that determine how well your website or booking engine converts visitors into bookings. I'd say that most of the convincing happens before guests even come to your website. However, once they are on the booking engine, the following are the most important considerations:โ Pricing is by far the most important consideration. You convert more if you have the "best rate guarantee" (BRG) and your rates are better or the same as elsewhere online.โ Choices: More guests will book when the options for accommodation types, pricing, and packages are balanced.โ Visuals: It helps if you can include a hero shot as well as links to the…
-
Top ten questions to ask your OTA market manager
Most hotel team members meet or call their OTA market managers on a regular basis. It is important to keep them on their toes in order to maximize the revenue potential for your property.๐๐ผ Can you influence my ranking and how much does it matter?๐๐ผ Will the promotion or discount generate incremental revenue?๐๐ผ How can I raise volume while keeping the average distribution cost per booking stable?๐๐ผ How can I increase or maintain my market share?๐๐ผ Will the increased advertising add to my existing commission or margin (distribution) costs?๐๐ผ What can I do to reduce unilateral discounts, vouchers, and point-of-sale offers?๐๐ผ What am I doing wrong in comparison to my…
-
Four unconventional strategies to boost your RevPAR
Some strategies may look like discounts or freebies, but if you use them well, they could help you make more revenue overall. The following recommendations are intended for independent properties and small chains. If you have a high number of loyalty program guests, there may be less room for these tactics.๐ก Upsell at a discount: Unless you expect to be completely booked, you can offer some guests the option to upgrade to the next category at a discounted rate. You free up more lead in rooms that may sell well in general and sell higher categories that may remain vacant.๐ก Upgrade direct guests: If they paid full price, they will…
