NB: This is an article from H2C
Updating rates and availabilty across multiple channels via direct connects and channel managers has become commonplace throughout hospitality as well as the distribution of images (visual content). So far so good. But what about hotel descriptions, which require ticking off hundreds of OTA, metasearch and review sites’ extranet fields per employed channel? Does static/descriptive content management efficiency fall behind when it comes to timely updating these websites? Successfully selling via online channels requires that ALL content is right—this is a prerequisit for driving conversion.
Managing static content is an important but time-consuming effort. The initial upload on a given channel is only the first step. In a sense of a moving target, OTAs often change their display, imposing new options on their extranets. As there are many extranets with unique content out there, how do you know when something changes that requires an immediate hotel information update? We recommend to not rely on getting informed by the OTA in a timely manner.
Static content management responsibilities are sometimes unclear, which can negatively impact your hotel description and thus exposure to potential bookers. Managing all extranets concurrently, with the complete and correct scope of content is what provides the hotel display’s cutting edge. Eventually, both content-rich product offerings and appealing visuals will encourage the consumer to complete the booking.
Reviewing your content scores on a regular basis is important to improve your display and ranking. Take advantage of the various sales promotion options and implement procedures to check content on a monthly basis. Now is the time to think about your unique content strategy.
TIPS FOR UPDATING STATIC CONTENT ON INTERMEDIARY WEBSITES
#1: Make sure you have ticked the right fields on the OTA extranets as property descriptions are often automatically generated based on the amenities and facilities selected.
#2: Some OTAs pull static content from third parties. In this case, automated property descriptions can differ from correct facility information. Check what the consumer sees!
#3: Not all OTAs display room-specific facilities. Decide if a specific-room facility shall be shown under the “General Facilities” section for all room types or if facilities should not be shown at all.
#4: If you have the opportunity to enter hotel (and room) free-flow descriptions on the OTAs’ extranets, they ideally should differ by OTA channel.
#5: If you would like to display special conditions such as group policies that are not supported by the extranet, use the message function or contact your Market Manager. Important information can be displayed under sections such as “Good to know” or similar.
#6: Use detailed, high-resolution images to engage emotionally with consumers and highlight room and shared facilities as well as views, amenities, staff and experiences. Tag all of your photos and display individual photos for every room type.
#7: If you do not have the time and resources to regularly update information, avoid displaying information that often changes such as restaurant opening times.
#8: Check your scores regularly! This helps to identify weak spots and can often improve your OTA ranking.
