There are two types of people: those who love staying in hotels and those who hate it. I must say that I lean more towards the latter, and often find myself choosing Airbnb over hotel stays when traveling for leisure. Why? It’s often more affordable, feels less sterile, and can offer unique touches that make the place feel more homey. However, if the hotel is able to market themselves right, offer a reasonable price, and treat me like a queen, then this decision could easily shift.
The challenge of being in the hotel marketing industry is the overwhelming amount of competition. Especially with the growth in popularity of websites like Airbnb and Home Away, it’s become even more challenging to stand out against the competition to gather more bookings. While hotel marketers are all too familiar with these challenges, they are still tasked with hitting (and hopefully exceeding) their metrics, which are often tied to bookings.
So what can a struggling hotel marketer do? How do you make sure people can find your hotel in the first place, and then get so excited they can’t wait to book their stay? Have no fear: here are 10 no-fail tips to hotel marketing success!
Tip #1: Be Easily Searchable Online!
Let’s face it, technology has taken over. Long gone are the days of travel agents. Today’s travelers are empowered to do their own comparative research without even leaving their beds. So if your hotel isn’t easy to find online, no wonder your bookings are few and far between. You need to be EVERYWHERE relevant online for potential bookings so people can find you in the window when they need to book a place to stay.
Most travelers (75%!) start by using a search engine to find places to stay, so stay on top of your SEO. Use popular keywords in your site copy, and make sure your site loads super fast.
