What Hotels Should Consider to be More Tech Savvy
To be or not to be? The answer is to be tech savvy in today’s world. It’s difficult to know where to start with all the technology trends out there and some can be quite costly to implement. What can a hotel do right now to get some traction in their technology initiatives?
CEO of Voyat, Benjamin Habbel, points out eight suggestions to try that can help understand what will work for a property.
1. Simplify
Whether it’s in the ads or on the website, organize it to be user friendly and appealing. Adding incentives and urgency messages (such as “one room left”) are effective at increasing conversions. The booking process must be simple so that guests can easily get in and book with as few clicks as possible.
2. Spread out into the Neighborhood
Hotels should be in tune with things to do in the city or town. However, they should consider taking into the next level and partner with the community to really show case any upcoming events, festivals, or concerts. This will provide an edge to your business and give your guests the opportunity what it feels like to be a local.
3. Think like a Travel Agency
Use the same tactics as an online travel agency does- display urgency messages, if there was a booking within the last 24 hours and how many people are viewing that room or service. Showing online activity will help even out the playing field and help to bring more online customers to the hotel site.
4. Always try New Distribution Channels
Look for other networks to promote the hotel. Being flexible as to where rates are displayed and advertised can tap into other audiences that weren’t considered to be targeted. This applies to social channels and sites that are not as mainstream.
5. Tryout Chatbots
Generation Y (also known as millennials) prefer contacting a business on their platform of choice (messaging through Facebook or WhatsApp) rather than calling in. Implementing chatbots not only prepares hotels for this entire generation but also can be used as a customer service tool.
6. Build your Presence on Social Media platforms
Dangle a carrot of deals for rooms rates or a discounted service if a guest shares property details with a friend. Build reoccurring business by offering a discount rate for those that leave a positive comment and rating.
7. Sell into your Website
Advertise car rentals, activities, transportation through ad units on a hotel’s site. Mimic the competition if they are doing affiliate marketing with rival properties. With this approach, a hotel can generate revenue from the ad space.
8. Gather Data
Recognize buying trends of a consumer to take a predictive modeling approach or testing site features by comparing two versions of the same webpage to see which gets a better conversion. These are ways a hotel can improve their online activity and they must consider how they can utilize online services to get a better online presence.