Hotels, like other businesses, need customers to thrive. Of course, many of these customers won’t just walk into your hotel; you’ll need to attract them.
And to do that effectively, you’ll need to rely on the best marketing strategies. Sadly, many hoteliers lack insights into these strategies. If you are one of them, this post can help.
Below, we highlighted 5 important hotel marketing tips to raise bookings and boost profits.
1. Know your visitors well
To offer the best hotel service, you need to do one thing: understand your customers.
You should make an effort to understand their needs and requirements. Based on a report by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the ’35-year-old and younger’ demographic are those who have been the most active market segment since post-pandemic.
Knowing your target audience can help you create the best hotel marketing strategy to promote your services and tailor your offerings to your client’s taste.
2. Ensure that your hotel website is intuitive and user-friendly
Your hotel website is one of your greatest assets; if you use it well, it may give you an edge over your competitors. However, if you don’t, it may hinder you from attracting visitors to your hotel.
One of the best ways to attract visitors to your website is by ensuring that it’s intuitive and user-friendly. And how do you do that? By designing your website so people don’t sweat to find your services. It would help if you also tried to make your website easy to navigate, fast, mobile-friendly and reliable.
3. Ensure that hotel pictures are attractive and sharp
First impressions matter. Hence, as a hotelier, you want to ensure that the property pictures on the hotel website are attractive and of quality. To achieve this, you may want to hire a professional photographer.
However, if you decide not to, you must learn basic hotel photography skills. Plus, you should know how to enhance image quality to make the pictures attractive and visible. When you are done with the photography, you can upload them on the hotel’s social media handles to promote direct bookings.
4. Display the uniqueness and strengths of your property
How do you ensure that your business stands out from the crowd? By displaying what makes your business unique and complementing it with the strengths of your property.
Is your property pet-friendly? Does it have an enormous parking space? Are the rooms fitted with modern furniture and appliances? Or does it have free internet access? Ensure you highlight these perks on your website, social media handle, and hotel marketing campaigns. They can go a long way in attracting customers to your hotel.
5. Reward loyal customers
Loyalty is hard to come by in the business world these days. So when a customer displays loyalty, ensure you reward the individual with something valuable.
Of course, you don’t have to go overboard on this. Small acts like a “Welcome back” email, a placard, or a complimentary beverage will make them feel special and welcomed. Other alternatives to consider are:
Inviting customers to a special event
Offering a referral bonus or reward for recruiting new customers
Offering discounts on high-spending customers
Offer extra products and services at a discount
Conclusion
Handling the marketing aspect of your hotel business can be hectic, especially for someone new to the game or lacking proper marketing knowledge. If you feel you aren’t up to the task, you can outsource this aspect of your business to marketing professionals.
ABOUT WRITER
ARE MORCH - Founder and Digital Transformation Coach
Are, is a digital transformation coach helping hotels open their digital front door, reimagine their processes and culture, and transform experiences in a fast-paced world without competing with online travel agencies!
In his free time, Are and his wife transformed abused and abandoned horses providing them a better opportunity to do what they were meant to do.
“To me hospitality and digital transformation are art. It is like a painter that uses a combination of colors to create a picture. And we will all have a unique perspective on how we view the finished product. The key is to bring out the commonalities that tell us that this is an experience we want to share with others.”