Hotel Booking Website: 5 reasons why
A hotel booking website is not a new thing to adopt but now a requisite. It is not something that you should have but something that you must have.
Without a proper hotel booking website, your hotel business is incomplete. And you are missing a big chunk of revenue.
Without your hotel booking website, you are way too dependent on OTAs. And you are giving out a lot of commission which could be saved if you have a website.
Global tourism is growing exponentially. And Online travel bookings expected to hit $817 billion by 2020.
Although, most of these bookings will channel through OTAs. But, most of them browse the hotel’s website for more information.
In other words, a hotel booking website is our ticket to a great accommodation business.
Although there are tons of reasons to have a hotel booking website, I am going to list only 5 just to make you realize its value.
Here is the TL;DR of the points that I am going to discuss today.
- It is the digital face of your hotel
- Increases your brand value
- Improve direct bookings
- Validates the value you are offering
- Key to digital marketing
It is the digital face of your hotel
Millennials have the largest share in the customer base of our industry.
This customer group prefers to book the hotel via the online travel industry but 52% of them prefer to visit the hotel website for further information.
It is now a proven fact that how important the internet is for any business. And your website is your hotel’s face on the internet.
When travelers do their research then how will they come to know about you without a website.
You will have to give them something to land on. Then you can expect them to book.
You will have to give them something to land on. Then you can expect them to book.
Increases your brand value
Your hotel’s website defines your hotel, its service, and its overall quality. It basically shows the flavor of the hotel and your hosting style.
When a user lands on your website he sees your content. Your website is not just about your hotel pics and room showcase.
There will be some blogs, some testimonials, and user experiences. This content will build trust in the market.
Your blogs will show that you have an understanding of the industry. And the testimonials and user experiences will prove that your guests are happy with you.
Not only content but the UI of your website also says a lot. A glitchy and difficult to surf website will be negative marketing.
If you have good UI and properly designed website then it shows that you do not compromise with quality and you have a superior taste.
Improve direct bookings
In the current landscape of online bookings, hotels are way behind the OTAs.
Most of the bookings are channeled through OTAs and this is eating out the margin of a hotelier.
Hotels vs Online Travel Agencies battle is getting more fierce to gain more and more online bookings.
After a long period of working in harmony with OTAs, hotels are tired of paying high commissions.
At the start, the commission of OTAs was approx 5% and their share in the total number of bookings was also less.
But with time, the commission has now reached 10-20% and their share in the number of bookings has also taken a gargantuan value.
This is now hurting the hotels as all this has a direct impact on their revenue.
Your website is the only way to get you more direct bookings. If you do not focus on your hotel booking website then as a hotelier you will lose the battle.
Validates the value you are offering
As I said earlier also that your website is your hotel’s digital face. It shows what you are offering.
When the travelers see the images of your hotel and your rooms then it will show the value you are providing.
The users will never be in any kind dilemma about what they are booking.
Key to digital marketing
Digital Marketing is the marketing of products using digital channels.
It is an umbrella term for efforts like search engine optimization, social media marketing, email marketing, and content marketing.
Overall the purpose of digital marketing is to target a mass audience.
Wikipedia quoted Digital Marketing as
Digital marketing is the marketing of products or services using digital technologies, mainly on the Internet, but also including mobile phones, display advertising, and any other digital medium.
Your website is the key to your digital marketing campaign. From SEO to PPC nothing is possible without a website.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would just want to assure that you that if you are not taking your website seriously, then you are going to have a hard time.
A hotel booking website is not a luxury or an option to have. It is a must to have feature for your hotel’s success.
So these were the points why you should have a hotel booking website. I hope they will help you.
Please share views in the comment box.
If you want to learn about the functionality of QloApps then you can visit this link: QLO Reservation System – Free Open-Source Hotel Booking & Reservation System
In case of any query, issue or requirement please feel free to raise it on QloApps Forum