Perfectly Adequate
When a customer logs in to any OTA, they are faced with a plethora of choice. They start scrolling through anywhere from ten to hundreds of hotels and they are expected to make a choice.
The question is, how do you as a hotel, stand out in a very crowded world?
80% of all hotel reservations are made for hotels listed on page 1. What is your ranking? '
Photos: the hero shot for your hotel has to be amazing, wonderful and truly spectacular. It does not need to be a photo of your road sign and the building. Test different photos to see which one increases click throughs. Talk to your market manager and get recommendations.
Reviews count. What do previous guests say about your hotel and how have you responded?
Photos: do they resemble an Ikea catalogue or do they sell your hotel? We all know that a hotel room consists of a bed with a pretty cushion and a desk with a lamp but what do your photos show and how do they convey the message that your hotel is the one to book?
Website: if you are lucky, customers will short list you as a potential hotel to stay at and will then go to your website. Websites need to tell a story. They need to present your hotel as the solution to a guests problem which is "where do I sleep". Websites need to be less than 2 years old.
Photos: present the experience. Do your photos convey a story? Reflect your typical customer and show how previous customers have experienced staying at your hotel.
Social media: when a customer scrolls through your feed, is it photo after photo of your hotel rooms or does your social media tell potential customers all about what to do when they visit your region. What the experience will be when they stay at your hotel? Share previous customers photos and solve the question of "what shall I do when I visit x town".
Photos: don't be afraid to include people. Photos with eyes receive more clicks.
Word of mouth: happy customers will tell their friends, they will share on social media and they will come back again.
Customers that had a perfectly adequate stay will forget about you within minutes of departure and never come again. Repeat customers are, depending on which sales statistic you read, between 7 and 10 times cheaper than finding new customers.
Adequate is not enough.