Your hotel website is the first place virtually all of your future guests will engage with your property and set expectations. But more importantly, as hotels struggle to increase rates in the face of new supply and maxing occupancy… your hotel website can actually help you to sell guestrooms at higher rates (And possibly even higher than what is already posted on OTAs)
Today, savvy hotel marketers and their web designers are relying on psychology to guide their design decisions. Only then, can they build a website aimed at increasing revenue from the very start. After all, the right psychological cues can influence guests to click where you want them to and book when you want them to. Conversely, the wrong cues can send them fleeing faster than a slow loading page.
Poor design, complicated navigation and cluttered pages can prevent your property from reaching its full revenue potential. And remember, the cost of fixing these mistakes is always higher than getting it right in the first place!
So let’s take a look at how hotel web design, tone and layout can strengthen your hotel’s appeal and justify higher room rates.
1. Clear and Compelling Value Proposition
Every hotel should have succinct, provocative and incisive message immediately obvious at first sight. These statements, done well, generate higher perceived value for your property.
Who are you and why should prospects care?
A mistake that many hotels make is using “me-too” cliché phrases that many of their neighbors can also claim, such as ‘located in the heart of downtown Nashville’ or ‘oceanfront dining.’
A good example of how to do it right is The Grafton on Sunset in LA, which immediately tells viewers what they should expect, where the property is and encourages further interaction without hyperbole.
