Reservation heaven: How to Drive up your Hotel’s Online Bookings

If hospitality’s your business then it’s not just crucial to keep abreast of all the latest developments and trends in your industry, but also to be aware of those in digital technology – otherwise you’ll miss out on the latest enhancements to drive up bookings and revenue for your hotel. Here are some pointers you’d be wise to observe…

 

Don’t doubt it; when they’re searching for a room to book, invariably the most important thing for travellers is the rate. To that end, it’s critical for any and every hotelier to ensure their room rates are effectively optimised. Moreover, competitive rates ought to be complemented by attractive packages and offers that appeal to visitors’ motivations (comfort, optional extras and value-for-money) as well as your property’s amenities (Wi-Fi and Broadband, lounge, restaurant and bar facilities).
 

 

Online distribution channels pose fantastic opportunities to leverage a hotel’s booking potential. The aim for a hotelier should be to find a robust but comprehensive enough channel capable of delivering two-way connectivity, so both the channel and, of course, the hotel front-desk are always linked. Such connectivity then shouldn’t just deliver the most efficient and seamless booking experience for the hotel, but also the most convenient and easy-to-use one for the traveller.

 

The perfect accompaniment to a quality distribution channel is a good, dependable hotel booking engine – specialist software that empowers travellers to book a room online swiftly and easily without the hotel front desk itself having to do anything. Finding the booking engine that fits your hotel perfectly may take some looking, but if you begin your search with an agency as experienced in delivering what its clients require as Digital Hotelier, then, well, it could be a short search! To that end, an efficient booking engine should be flexible but require little effort to use, ensuring a smooth, uncomplicated and satisfying experience for the user – namely the visitor booking a room at your hotel.

Finally, no hotelier worth their salt can ignore the importance of ensuring their property’s website is properly responsive. That doesn’t mean that it’s full of honest and quality content (text and imagery), but also that it should be compatible with all types of Internet-accessible devices and, as mentioned, connected to a distribution channel and fitted out with a  booking engine.