Distribution falls into two camps – third party and direct. Each one has huge benefits, and potential challenges. Keeping a keen eye on both is essential to ensuring healthy profit margins. Likewise, having a solid understanding of how effective digital marketing can support both will ensure those healthy margins are maintained.
There is massive value in each distribution channel. Third parties can quickly reach audiences you may struggle to do alone. They bring a community who trusts them and often user-friendly websites.
Previous research from Tripadvisor found that over half (57 percent) of people use an OTA to help plan their travel. Based on this statistic, it might be fair to say then, that if you ignore OTAs and aren’t visible on them you could be ignoring a large portion of the market. A dangerous approach.
However, when you go direct to the customer, you can often offer a more tailored experience, own the data and insights behind the booking, and enjoy nurturing a long term and fruitful conversation into the future. In this approach, often a hotel website is its shop window – it’s where you create an all-important first impression and from where guest communication can grow.
So, how and what should hoteliers be doing to convert an interested party to a confirmed guest and maximise all opportunities to drive additional revenue during a stay and even after checkout?
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Keep your website simple
Make sure your website is easy to navigate and has all the key information – lowest room rates, location, facilities, and an all-important online booking facility – available at a glance. At the same time, it needs to be inspirational. Next to attractive room rates, strong photography is also one of your key assets and the best way to showcase your property. The shift towards mobile is ever-increasing, and as a result, you need to invest in ensuring that your website not only appeals but also works across smartphones and tablets to deliver bookings. That means limited scrolling and instant, easy-to-load images.
