Use of Your Hotel Content (Pictures, Text) for More Online Sales

One of the most important things for a hotelier today is its online presence, as a strong and appealing online presence can be a beneficial asset in the longer run. It creates an image of the hotel long before visitors arrive at the reception counter. This surely has the power to attract customers… or repel them. Moreover, the way your content (pictures, text) is presented allows you to drive direct bookings as well, even when the potential guests are seeing your hotel on an OTA first ( the so-called “billboard effect").

Here are some suggestions to improve your hotel’s online presence:

1.      The ‘Billboard effect’

The "billboard effect" is offering hoteliers visibility and drives direct bookings, even when the potential guest found the hotel on an OTA. How? Today, more and more potential guests are finding your hotel on an OTA but start comparing prices, ending up on your hotel's website too. This basically means "free advertisement" made for you by the OTAs. Therefore, it is very useful to keep hotel content (pictures, text) fresh on all the online platforms, so that people can find the same information about your hotel everywhere, both on non-direct distribution channels (third parties), and on direct.

Potential customers might be “stalking” your hotel services, ending up on social media or on a blog/ vlog. Therefore, it is essential to convey the right message everywhere and make sure that your hotel’s online presence is strong and authentic across the board.

2.      More ‘visual’

Great and well-timed photographs, with perfect sunlight pouring in the bedrooms and hallways, can make a lasting impression on the minds of the visitors of your hotel website.

Your potential guests should be able to visualize your ideas in the form of pictures, therefore imagining what their experience might be. Words do not contribute as much as the pictures but nevertheless, they have their place and need to support your visual content.

3.      Tell your story

Storytelling is not just about picking the right words, but also choosing the best photographs. From the brand name to the design of the hotel, everything should hold a special meaning.

Your clients would probably love to hear about the vision behind your venture. Most people relate to emotional stories.

4.      Social media friendly

Needless to say, it’s important to represent your business and make it visible to the crowds. In other words, market your business well so it is accessible to the people that you target. I was recently talking to a hotel chain that caters to older people for spa packages, and that did not want to try any solutions or take specific care of their online presence. While discussing, they realized that sometimes the children of their guests (which are already in their 30s and 40s) are buying tickets for their parents, and concluded that it’s worth the time and energy to actually be properly represented online too. How is it for your hotel?

Conclusion

So, to sum it up, the way your hotel is perceived might not be what your hotel actually is, in reality… for the better or for the worse. If it’s perceived as more than it is, you might end up with poorer reviews, since expectations are high. If it’s perceived as a lower value than it actually is, than you risk not having them as customers at all, since they’ll choose another hotel. Therefore, go for transparency and combine the overall online (visual) presence with the correct prices.