The growing popularity of OTAs and online lodging solutions such as Airbnb has shifted the focus of prospective guests to pricing. This makes it much harder for hotels to get the attention of future guests based on price alone. Combined with the fact that the top four global hotel management companies own a total of 84 hotel brands, it’s challenging for guests to navigate the market, recognize a brand and stay loyal.

The increasing volume of travel bookings happening exclusively online, often on mobile devices, has made your website one of the most important tools for connecting with future guests. Whether you’re part of large hotel chain, a small boutique or a quaint B&B, using your website in creative ways will help to capture attention and even influence guest loyalty. It’s the best possible place to promote your property while maintaining complete control. It’s also the tool that can help you earn the most revenue per booking. We’ve outlined some important areas to help capitalize on your website to increase bookings and revenue.

Simplify the Booking Process. Guests have so many options available to them, and they spend a long time browsing sites, including yours, to answer questions about your property. Once they decide though, it’s key that the steps to finalize their booking are simple and quick. Prospects want a very straightforward process. The fewer distractions during booking, the greater the chances they will secure a reservation. A simple, commission-free reservation system on your website will help guests through the booking process with as few steps as possible.

Captivate with Imagery. Making sure your hotel looks inviting might require hiring a professional photographer, but it is one of the most important things you can do to stay ahead of the competition.  Showing the property with just the right lighting and at the most interesting angles can be the difference to help boost bookings. Great pictures and accurate descriptions can be the difference you need to captivate guests. The guests should be able to visualize themselves at your property, and they want to know what to expect in terms of room features and property amenities.

Fully Digitize the Experience. Once the guest has booked their stay, it’s equally important to understand more about them. The booking experience extends all the way until they check in at the front desk, leaving more opportunities to impress the guest and ensure loyalty. Once the guest arrives, they may prefer to check in using their phone and bypass the front desk. That’s where an integrated property management system, can help boost revenue opportunities with digital room upgrade offers, or golf, spa and other package offers.

Increase Bookings on Your Site