It’s budgeting season, which means your hotel is probably ready to start planning how, when, and where you’ll be investing during 2018. We’ll be offering expert tips to help you budget for two areas that could define how successful you are next year—your digital marketing strategy and your hotel website.
Investing in a new website can have a huge impact on your hotel’s direct bookings and profit margins. But is now the time for your hotel to make that investment? To judge, it’s worth relying on both concrete metrics and subjectivity.
For instance, if your hotel website has a conversion rate of less than 1.5 to 2%, and your direct contribution is lower than 20%, there’s a good chance your website isn’t optimized for conversion and usability. In this example, it’s likely that the website isn’t doing a great job of promoting the property and location.
In addition to relying on metrics to guide your decision, it can be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:
Does my website “transport” the user to the hotel and the location?
Quality photos, sensory-rich language, and engaging descriptions of your hotel’s star features and location highlights should create a vivid mental picture that instantly inspires travelers and keeps them on your site for longer.
Is my hotel website best in class among the local competition?
Check out the websites of competing hotels in your local area. If their websites are doing a better job of showcasing the destination or their own amenities, your own website is probably in need of an overhaul.
Does my hotel website sell the property better than OTAs or crowd-sourced content?
In the fight for direct bookings, your hotel website needs to be the best representation of your property online. Compare your OTA listing with your own website, and take a look at crowd-sourced content on social sites such as Facebook and Instagram. Be honest and consider if your website really does a better job of selling your hotel to potential guests.
