Your booking engine is the perfect canvas to craft compelling messages that align with various guest needs, while also meeting your hotel marketing goals.
NB: This is an article from Hotelchamp
Be it couples seeking a romantic getaway, families in need of a relaxing retreat, or business travellers looking for a productivity boost, the key to success lies in addressing their needs while ensuring your objectives are also met.
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To kickstart your strategy, we’ve compiled five clever booking engine messages to help you achieve your goals. And to make it easier for you, we’ve also included some witty copy ideas sure to resonate with your hotel guests and drive action.
1. Upsell to couples: breakfast in bed
The art of upselling is all about convincing your guests that the additional expense will significantly enhance their experience. It requires showcasing the value and unique benefits of a more luxurious offering. In this context, targeting couples provides a prime opportunity for upselling.
This demographic often seeks romantic and luxurious experiences that they wouldn’t normally have at home. Specifically, one of the ways in which you can ensure they get the romantic getaway of their dreams is through in-room experiences. A great example? A breakfast-in-bed package. This approach is sure to tick all the boxes for couples seeking a dreamy, intimate getaway. Tapping into this opens up an opportunity for extra revenue while ensuring a memorable stay that encourages return visits.
Your floating dismissable message
- Goal: Upsell
- Idea: Pamper couples with a breakfast-in-bed package.
- Targeting: Two guests booking a single room with a double, queen or king bed, or a romantic suite for two. Additionally, you could show this offer to guests searching for honeymoon or anniversary packages.
- Message: This offer, witty and straight to the point, tackles a mundane household concern in a light-hearted way. Who wouldn’t want breakfast in bed without the dreaded worry about crumbs?
💡 Tip: When writing copy for your offers, delve into your audience’s desires. What luxuries would they see as worth paying a little extra for? In this case, the promise of a leisurely morning together without the burden of clean-up is sure to tempt couples looking for quality time. This form of personalised, benefit-oriented messaging is what makes an effective upsell.
This offer makes it easy for guests to add services on top of their booking.
2. Inform families: highlighting child-friendly amenities
Clear, comprehensive information is crucial in the hotel industry. Highlighting your unique selling points (USPs) in the booking engine, not only ensures guests are well-informed about the value they’ll be receiving, but it also serves as a persuasive tool. Showcasing your hotel amenities can make the difference between a browsing guest and a booking guest, giving that extra push they need to finalise their booking.
In this example, by showcasing the unique aspects of your property that cater specifically to families, you are directly addressing their needs and demonstrating why your hotel is the perfect choice for their stay. Parents value amenities that make the stay easier and enjoyable both for them and for their kids. Besides family rooms, you can also make parents’ lives more comfortable by giving them some peace of mind. Do you offer playrooms, children-only zones, or an animation team for kid-friendly entertainment? If so, it’s essential that you communicate these features clearly. Showcasing kid-friendly amenities can be a decisive factor in booking, as it takes some of the mental load away from parents.
Your inline message:
- Goal: Inform guests of your on-site amenities
- Idea: Highlight USPs in the booking engine
- Targeting: Guests booking multiple rooms or family suites, with at least one child in the group. Possibly searching for family or kid-friendly stays.
- Message: This inline message, though lengthier than the previous offer, serves to fully inform guests about your family-friendly amenities. By providing all the necessary information upfront (amenities, opening times, processes), you eliminate any confusion and reduce the need for further queries.
💡 Tip: Don’t shy away from detail when crafting informative messages. The goal is to provide a comprehensive overview so that guests can find all the information they need, reducing the need for direct contact. Transparency builds trust, and a well-informed guest is likely to be a more satisfied guest.
