Any hotelier with his own hotel website would obviously wish that his site would be one of the most sought after. He would also want his website to rake in the desired number of bookings on it directly, instead of getting bookings through OTAs. This is because though OTAs bring in bookings, they charge hefty commissions and reduce the chances of future direct booking to nil.
This calls for having a greater control over the whole booking experience and driving bookings through the hotel’s own website rather than through some other channel. Potential guests landing on your official website are ensured of a better and more intimate experience because of high-resolution images, correct information and also the best prices. Let’s see how you can drive direct bookings on your hotel website.
Have a mobile-friendly website
The first step towards having more direct bookings is to have a mobile-friendly hotel website. Let your website be accessible on all devices, be it laptop or PC, or even tablets. The more accessible or reachable you are, the higher opportunity you have to get direct hotel bookings.
Get a responsive booking engine
Your hotel website is accessible but what about your booking engine? Have a responsive booking engine blended with your website, so that anyone from any device and any location can book with you easily.
Keep a CTA on your website
Your visitor lands on your website. What next? Lead him to your booking engine to book with you. Have a CTA on your website. Keep a ‘Book Now’ button or a ‘Booking Box’ on your website’s homepage to let him book with you easily.
Get listed on metasearch engines
Metasearch engines make you more visible in the online market. While their results show your listings on OTAs too, they tend to bring higher direct bookings for you provided that you give the best rates on your website. Metasearch engines like TripAdvisor and Trivago can drive direct bookings on your hotel website.
