Your hotel’s website is more than just a digital brochure. It’s your 24/7 sales rep, the face of your brand, and quite possibly the first (and sometimes only) impression a guest will have of your property.
NB: This is an article from Topline, one of our Expert Partners
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Yet, too many hotels are unknowingly driving potential guests away with website blunders that scream, “We don’t really want your booking.”
Whether you’re an independent boutique hotel or part of a larger chain, the following common mistakes could be tanking your conversions and costing you serious revenue.
1. Slow Loading Times: Patience Is NOT a Virtue
In the era of instant gratification, a slow-loading website is like putting a “Closed” sign on your front door. If your site takes more than a few seconds to load, potential guests are already hitting the back button faster than you can say “free Wi-Fi”.
Sure, your stunning high-res images of that oceanfront view are great, but not if they take forever to load. Compress your images, minimize plugins, and prioritize speed. Google’s algorithm and, more importantly, your guests, will thank you.
2. Poor Mobile Optimization: The Silent Revenue Killer
Let’s face it: everyone’s booking on their phone these days. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on a massive chunk of potential bookings. A site that’s hard to navigate on a smartphone is basically telling your guests, “We don’t care about your experience”.
Mobile bookings are only going to keep rising, so it’s crucial that your site is seamless across all devices. If you haven’t already, now’s the time to optimize your website for mobile and ensure that your booking engine is as smooth as possible on smaller screens.
3. Confusing Navigation: Don’t Make Guests Work for It
Imagine walking into a hotel lobby and having no idea where the front desk is. That’s exactly what it feels like when a guest lands on a cluttered, poorly organized website. If your site’s navigation is a maze, guests will get frustrated and leave faster than a bad TripAdvisor review.
