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4 Ways an Optimized Website can Increase Hotel Bookings

4 Ways Hotel Brands Can Increase Bookings By Leveraging and Improving Their Website

It’s been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US and its accompanying travel bans and lockdowns hurt the hospitality industry. The average hotel occupancy rate in the US was <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/206546/us-hotels-occupancy-rate-by-month/#:~:text=The%20occupancy%20rate%20of%20hotels,pandemic%20in%20the%20hotel%20industry.">40.3% as of November 2020</a>. That’s a 304.5% decline compared to the previous year’s figure. 
It’s obvious: People haven’t been traveling as much as they did in 2019. Which makes every potential opportunity you have to book a guest that much more valuable. Want to help your hotel brand drive revenue and improve occupancy rate? Want to know how to increase online sales for your hotel? Here are four best practices for leveraging and improving your website to increase direct hotel bookings.

Almost <a href="https://triptease.com/blog/8-reasons-why-direct-bookings-matter-for-hotels/">two-thirds of all guests</a> prefer to book their accommodation directly with hotels, and they're increasingly using their mobile phones to finalize these reservations. 
A website that loads slowly (or worse, appears broken) on mobile devices can quickly turn off would-be guests before they even have a chance to get to know your property. 
In fact, according to a <a href="https://www.phocuswire.com/How-to-stop-mobile-booking-abandonment">study from Tnooz</a>, 32% of potential bookings made on mobile devices are abandoned due to a slow load time. Likewise, 30% of guests will leave a reservation mid-transaction if the mobile experience isn’t responsive to their needs or expectations. 
Do this: Test and refine your website’s <a href="https://union.co/services/branded-content/ui-ux-design">user experience</a> across various mobile devices and platforms. Identify your gaps, then work with your designers and developers to strengthen your mobile platform.

Meet your guests’ expectations with a mobile-first website

Whether you’re a luxury hotel at a top vacation destination or a budget hotel in a small business park, the chances are that your hotel is one of several that your guests are considering. Dominate your competition by using creative that sets your brand apart and invokes that “must-book” feeling. 
As a storytelling channel, your website can not only conjure emotional responses like FOMO (fear of missing out), it can also help eliminate any fear the guest may have in booking “the wrong hotel.” For many guests, selecting the perfect accommodation can be a stressful task. Peel back the curtain and remove any decision anxiety with content that educates and entices your audience. 
Do this: Lean into your story. What makes your hotel unique? What do you offer that the other hotels in your area don’t offer? Is it the view? Proximity to major attractions? On-site restaurants? Pristine rooms? Whatever it is, make sure to highlight these features through compelling <a href="https://union.co/services/branded-content">videos, photo galleries, and virtual tours</a>.

Use powerful visuals to capture attention and drive desire

Even the most beautiful hotel website in the world will have a hard time driving reservations if its booking system is broken – or worse, nonexistent. We’ve already established that most guests prefer booking their reservations directly from the hotel. It’s your responsibility to provide guests with a frictionless tool that facilitates this.
At a minimum, your booking engine needs to seamlessly:
<ol><li dir="ltr">Accept credit card payment.</li><li dir="ltr">Let the guests search available inventory by date.</li></ol>
But, again, this is the bare minimum. As your single greatest revenue-generating tool, it’s typically worth making investments that expand your booking engine’s sales-driving capabilities. 
Kick your reservation up a notch by incorporating: 
<ol><li dir="ltr">Multi-language and multi-currency functionality</li><li dir="ltr">Loyalty programs and saved guest accounts</li><li dir="ltr">Reservation reminders and automated messages</li><li dir="ltr">Up-sell and cross-sell opportunities</li><li dir="ltr">Discount and multi-rate or dynamic pricing models</li></ol>
 Do this: If your <a href="https://union.co/services/branded-content/web-mobile-app-development">booking system </a>is more than five years old, there’s a good chance it’s time for an upgrade. An outdated booking engine could be costing you big in lost opportunity, reservation abandonment and customer frustration.

Invest in a top-notch booking engine

According to <a href="https://www.siteminder.com/r/hotel-reviews-manage-online-property/">SiteMinder,</a> 81% of travelers frequently or always read reviews before booking a hotel. These travelers aren’t just reading one or two reviews either. Up to 79% will read between six and 12 reviews before making a purchase decision. Your reviews and past guest experience accounts directly impact a potential guest’s likelihood to reserve a room at your hotel. 
Customers will value guest ratings over a hotel’s brand 72% of the time, which makes incorporating guest reviews and unsolicited user-generated content a must-do for any hotel brand that wants to improve their booking rate. 
Guest reviews and social posts influence more than just conversion and occupancy rates. This same study from <a href="https://www.siteminder.com/r/hotel-reviews-manage-online-property/">SiteMinder</a> found that:
<ul><li dir="ltr">Guests will pay 24% more for a hotel with a 3.9 rating over one that’s rated 2.4.</li><li dir="ltr">Guests will pay 35% more for a hotel with a 4.4 rating over one with a 3.9 rating.</li><li dir="ltr">Hotels with review scores that go up one point (on a five-point scale) can raise their room rates by 11% without altering their occupancy or market share.</li></ul>
 
That’s right. Hotels that showcase the positive experiences of their guests can increase their rate without sacrificing their occupancy. 
Do this: 
<ol><li dir="ltr">Use a two-pronged strategy to showcase past positive guest experiences – formal reviews and <a href="https://union.co/services/performance-media/content-marketing">user-generated content</a>. </li><li dir="ltr">Highlight your Google or TripAdvisor star ratings throughout your website where it most impacts your customer journey. </li><li dir="ltr">At the same time, dedicate a section of your website to display Instagram posts that provide a more candid snapshot of past guest experiences. </li></ol>
 Just be sure to set up a moderation system to approve the Instagram posts you feature on your site before they go live.

Highlight past guest experiences

It’s time to put these tips into action. Start by auditing your website, looking at it through the eyes of a first-time website visitor. Does your website work on mobile? Is your booking process smooth? Does your website get people excited to stay with you? Does it back up claims with third-party testimonials and candid accounts? 
Identify your gaps, then put a plan in place to address your needs. Measure and refine your approach over time to continuously increase bookings and grow your sales. Remember, if you start feeling overwhelmed, we can help. As a creative and performance agency, we have deep experience helping <a href="https://cms.union.co/industries/travel-tourism">travel &amp; tourism brands</a> leverage their data to create powerful digital experiences that drive revenue. <a href="https://union.co/contact">Let’s get started today.</a>

Audit. Refine. Test. Grow. Repeat.

Union is a creative &amp; performance marketing agency that creates omni-channel campaigns, unleashing creativity on a data-driven world, helping brands produce memorable, measurable and repeatable results. Obsessed with data-driven performance, we believe every marketing dollar should be viewed as an investment. Our clients expect a meaningful return and we prove the ROI of our work with quantifiable data.

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