7 reasons why hotels should have their own Hotel website

In an era where everything is digital, a?well-designed?website serves as a successful business image and storefront for hotels. Hotels must constantly update and make innovations. Your website is an exceptional way to showcase your hotel’s individuality and put forth the best representation of your hotel online.?

1. 24x7 Availability

A website provides customers with all the detailed information they need about room availability & amenities while giving them a virtual experience of your hotel. They can make reservations at any time of the day or night, no matter where they are. This 24/7 availability makes a hotel website a great resource for planning trips.

2. Direct Bookings

OTAs charge incredibly high commission costs- ranging from 10 to 30%. Save on this and increase your direct revenue by focusing on direct bookings. Even if you use other services or various offers to convince your website, and visitors, to book direct, the distribution costs will still be lower. Direct bookings have the lowest cost associated with acquiring new guests, whereas OTAs require up to 6.5x more investment. For example, you can offer a discount of 10% to get your visitor to book directly through your website (same as Booking.com Genius), while otherwise, you might have spent 15% on commissions to an OTA.

3. Build Relationships From the Start

The customer-centric approach is slowly but steadily winning over industries as one of the best practices. The hotel industry is all about building and maintaining good relationships with customers. If your client is booking directly from your website,?you will be in complete control of customer relationship-building from the very beginning. There will be no third-party booking services interacting with your customers.

4. Less booking cancellation

According to a recent report, cancellations on Booking.com is 104% more than on the hotel website and on Expedia Group , this is 31% more. usually, it average outs to around 40% cancellations. Such cancellations translate into ‘lost revenue’ and ‘loss of opportunity’. And this gets more serious in the absence of a well-planned?revenue management?strategy, as this can also throw your hotel’s occupancy forecast off the track.

However, if you manage to acquire?maximum direct bookings?via the hotel website, things can improve. This is because, generally, guests have to pay some advance amount while making a reservation at your hotel. This prevents them from canceling their bookings under normal circumstances.

5. Get closer to your guests

When your customers book directly, you have direct access to your guests. Most importantly, this includes their personal information & their booking preferences. You can use this information to your advantage and get to know your guests better to offer them relevant services. From sending pre-arrival emails with upsell opportunities to retargeting returning guests to making their stay personalized and special. Getting closer to your guests is a win for both them and you.

6. Build a loyal customer base

In general, customers who book directly through your website are more likely to become returning guests. When your customers book directly, you can offer them specials by means of a loyalty program. A role model in this field is Marriott Hotels . An ORACEL survey?found that 78% of people prefer immediate benefits over accumulating points. When your guests book directly, you have the opportunity to reward them and start building loyalty from the moment they land on your website.

7. Build your brand

When guests visit your website, they feel the ambiance of your brand and experience the expertise of your hotel staff. This, in contrast with OTAs, where all hotels are displayed in the same way, you will just be one of many with no opportunity to make an emotional connection. When guest books directly, you have the opportunity to manage the entire guest experience, including the pre-arrival anticipation phase that makes guests the happiest. From the moment they land on your website to when they check out, there are countless touchpoints that you can influence to make sure they have the best experience. By investing in your website strategy, you’re also investing in your brand.

Conclusion

A hotel that neglects its website is missing a lot of potential customers. On the other hand, a well-designed and informative website makes booking easier for your guests and increases your chances of receiving repeat business. Do you have any tips for designing an effective hotel website? Share them in the comments below!