How can you improve online bookings?

In order to improve online bookings, you as a Revenue Manager of a certain hotel, need to work together with the Marketing Manager and colaborate to create a great, solid, consistency brand strategy. Today more than ever, clients are multi channel. So it would not only be important to optimize your SEO & Ads but to create a strong voice and humanize your product. Take advantage of social media, reinforce your products and services and work together as a team with sales.

Understanding your target market is vital for enhancing online travel bookings. Use simple language to resonate with customers. For instance, consider a young couple seeking a budget-friendly honeymoon. Market research may reveal they prefer destinations blending relaxation and adventure at a reasonable cost. Tailoring packages to such needs, like an affordable Bali trip with beach and snorkeling activities, can be highly effective. By analysing preferences, behaviours, and budgets through surveys and analytics, you can create offerings that meet specific customer expectations, significantly boosting bookings for your travel packages.

Online bookings can be improved with constant monitoring and measure-ability. One has to analyze their data effectively to monitor and enhance the revenue growth cycle. Additionally, understand your target audience before you package your valued add on and price. A hands-on customer feedback combined with modern revenue management tools will yield revenue for the hotel.

To increase online bookings its important to do some research to be able to decide which channels are the best for your specific hotel and customers. It is important to choose OTAs wisely, appear in specific Metasearch platforms always making sure you have rate parity, invest in good technology and website so you offer great user experience. It is equally important to work on the hotel's SEO and invest in Ads so when customers look for your property they can easily find you.

Target Audience is important but one thing I found helpful is studying market trend that adds up like making a rough year calendar and managing the distribution as per the calendar. There will be city event dates, wedding dates, sports events etc and that should be considered and planned accordingly. Revenue management and healthy online contribution is not an overnight game. It's a game of sustainability. Everything zeros down to your strategy. Study booking trends, geographic contribution and design and offering.

Keep it Crisp, To the point, No one wants you to give them information they don’t need. Simplicity is key and create an exceptional process oriented page

Turn lookers into bookers. The first 5 pictures a potential guest sees is what they think of your hotel. Make sure the first 5 images are your best!

Taking action on any customer feedback. Positive customer reviews and feedback play a critical role in the success of a restaurant. They are a window into the customer’s experience and a testament to the quality of food, service, and ambiance that a restaurant offers. With positive reviews, a restaurant can build its reputation and establish itself as a go-to destination for diners.

Your website is your online shop front. It needs to deliver the information that people are looking for efficiently. What has worked best for me is keeping it simple, easy, and understandable navigation. Put yourself in the position of the client like he is looking for a tour or service and map the logical pathway through your website. Also having your social media up to date and your SEO fine-tuned is important, it all comes down to the content and how you deliver it.

Creating FOMO with your website and making sure it is attractive to your different customer segments is important. Then when it is time to book, make sure there is minimal friction and you ask for minimal information. Then of course, make sure people find your site through SEO optimization and influencer marketing.

Ensure everything is a two step or three step process. Getting your customers lost or confused while doing there booking is not the best way. UI/UX should be user friendly, remember the people that book are of varied age groups and keeping it clean and simple is always a win

Offer payment methods most used by your guest's nationalities. - don't force a login - One-click checkouts - apple & google pay + another popular payment method. - don't make guests type in the cc number if possible.

In my experience, it’s very important that the booking system gives you the option to see which dates are available, rather then you putting in the dates yourself. Otherwise this can cause severe frustration to the customer, as they then have to punch in different dates which can be very time consuming.

From experience it is important to focus on minimizing the steps and clicks required to complete a booking. Ensure that your website or booking platform is user-friendly and responsive on various devices. Use clear and concise language throughout the process, and provide real-time feedback to users as they progress. Visual cues, such as progress bars, can help users understand where they are in the booking process. Also, offering multiple payment options is also a significant factor in keeping the booking process user-friendly.

We live in a world that goes fast. And people are looking that speed and efficiency while booking as well. Something to keep in mind for simple and fast bookings is that people more than ever use their phones to browse and book hotel nights or services. I think it is important to have a -Mobile-friendly website -One-button login via popular services like Google -Apple Pay checkout -A mobile app, so after the client has booked has all his info stored in. This is few of the ways to simplify online booking.

Influencer Marketing in today’s day and age is the way to go, however having a clear understanding of ROAS - Return on add spend is very very important. Also understanding which influencer is the best fit for your target audience is important and what kind of reach they have. Generating user based reviews is also free and has more weightage.

Prompt and professional responses to reviews demonstrate a commitment to customer satisfaction and reflect well on the brand. It's an ongoing effort that pays dividends in guest satisfaction and the growth of the business. Addressing negative comments is often overlooked but essential. Each of them presents an opportunity to showcase excellent customer service and a genuine desire to resolve concerns. Acknowledging the issue, empathizing with the guest's experience and offering a solution or a way to improve the situation can turn a negative perception into a positive one. In my extensive hospitality experience transparency and commitment are vital to build an excellent online reputation.

Understanding your Funnel Matrix , which basically means going from property page, booking page to payment page, where do the drop offs actually happen. This could clearly indicate a complete utilisation matrix of your online order fulfilment.

In my experience, as we analyze the effectiveness of our online strategy, it's essential to gain insights into your competitors. Leveraging STR reports is very important, but also helpful are the digital inputs. What keywords are my competitors ranking for? Is the hotel next door leveraging technology on their website that I am not? Are my packages more attractive for the upcoming Taylor Swift concert? These are all factors that will influence the Guest's online journey.

Hotels often overlook the number of abandoned carts... - more than 90% and you should take a look - what were their exit pages (the page they visited after yours.) - Fullstory is a good tool to visualize with video what your guests click on and where they struggled to complete a booking.

To improve online bookings, focus on enhancing your online presence and user experience. You should start by optimising your website for mobile devices and ensure that it is user-friendly. Invest in a responsive design. Implement a straightforward booking process with minimal steps and clear calls to action. Leverage online booking platforms and partner with popular online travel agencies to increase visibility. Use high-quality images and engaging descriptions to show your products. Offer competitive pricing and promotions to attract customers.

Some specific examples of how a hospitality business can improve online bookings: 1. Create an Online Booking System 2. Offer Various Booking Incentives 4. Authentic, Real Life Guest Reviews 5. Live Chat Support 6. Develope a Mobile App 7. Personalization 8. Social Media Integration 9. Email Marketing 10. Online Travel Agencies 11. Virtual Tours 12. Secure Payment Options 13. Responsive Customer Support

The key to increase online bookings is to offer value to your potential guest. Here are some tips: A user-friendly, mobile-optimized website with stellar photos is a must. Be visible on top OTA’s like Booking.com. Optimize for search engines; help guests find you. Engage on social media, especially Instagram and Facebook. Regular emails with deals? Always a winner. Loyalty rewards- make sure you have this. Encourage positive reviews, TripAdvisor is a must. Simplify the booking process. Collaborate with local businesses for unique offers. Retargeting ads? Bring back those site visitors. Secure online payments! Local search optimization. Share exclusive deals occasionally.

to improve your online booking in a tactical way. You can take advantage of 72 hours flashsale on your website, this should be done periodically as you do not want to "damage" your price reputation. These tactic will boost your traffic hence your conversion. Make sure your offer is attractive and worth while for the guest to book