3 things you can do to increase direct hotel bookings

Stephen McCance September 18, 2015

Having a website that showcases the beautiful interiors of your hotel, promotes special events and shows off the restaurant menu can really impress people. But as anyone who works in the industry will tell you, it’s all about bookings.

We live in a 24 hour, connected world, having a digital presence that is optimised to drive bookings at any time of the day is very important. In the past many hotels relied on the likes of Expedia and Laterooms for online bookings, having a strong presence on them is still very important but as people get more digital savvy the amount of direct bookings is rising.

This is good news for hotels, reducing bookings on middlemen websites can save a huge amount in commissions, plus it puts you in direct communication with your guests, giving you the chance to build accurate customer profiles, analyse spending habits and develop relationships.

There is plenty of ways to drive bookings using digital. We have chosen to focus on three that are quick and easy to implement.

1. Make it easy to go from mobile to desktop

More and more people are using mobiles to search and book hotels. The most common journey someone will take is starting with research on their phone before completing the booking on a tablet or laptop. If your website is fully responsive it should deliver a quality and uniform experience across phone, tablet and computer. If it isn’t responsive then it is worth exploring your options, customers can be put off if your site is not easy to navigate or varies in look on different devices.

2. Regular, original and quality content

Are all the photos on your site up to date? How often do you review content to check it is accurate? Updating your website is like refreshing a shop window, it will intrigue existing customers and attract new ones. Introducing a blog that is regularly is one way to keep the site fresh, it will boost your ranking on Google and you can use it to update your social media followers.

3. Optimise your social channels

It’s no longer enough to just have a large number of likes on Facebook or Twitter. Unless you are sharing fresh content and engaging with your followers, your social media pages will not drive them to your website. You can post new photos to an Instagram or Pinterest account and easily use Twitter to push promotions. Facebook even has a booking feature, enabling your fans to book without leaving the page.

If you want to take your digital activity to the next level then it is worth getting expert advice. The Red Cow Media team has specialists in E-commerce, SEO, SEM, PPC, Social and Retargeting. We will work with you to find the right digital solution to increase direct bookings. Call us today on 0161 711 0888