Key Insights
- Optimize Your Website: Ensure your website is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and optimized for SEO to attract and convert visitors into direct bookings.
- Offer Exclusive Deals: Provide special packages and best price guarantees directly on your website to make it more appealing than third-party booking platforms.
- Improve Google Business Profile: Keep your Google Business Profile updated with accurate information and high-quality images to increase local search visibility and attract direct bookings.
- Utilize Reviews: Encourage and manage guest reviews to build trust and enhance your hotel's reputation, making direct booking more attractive.
- Leverage Ads and Social Media: Use targeted Google and social media ads to reach potential guests directly and drive them to book on your website.
- Loyal Guests and Brand Awareness: Loyal guests can be targeted through e-mail offers and led directly to booking via your website. They also serve as brand ambassadors that can attract new guests by mouth to mouth.
A beautiful hotel with clean rooms, friendly staff, and a prime location should naturally attract guests, but sometimes bookings don't materialize as expected. In today’s competitive market, relying heavily on booking websites, which typically charge a 15-25% commission, can quickly add up, especially when you’re also pressured to keep room prices low.
In this article, we’ll explore why boosting direct bookings is a highly cost-effective strategy for hotels and guide you, step by step on how to achieve this.
How Do Hotels Increase Bookings?
Hotels can boost their bookings in several ways, whether through their direct website or by being listed on popular booking platforms such as Booking.com or Expedia. These platforms act as brokers, charging an average commission of 15-25%. While being listed on these sites is crucial for generating brand awareness and attracting potential guests who may not have found your hotel otherwise, there is a more profitable path to explore: increasing direct bookings.
Why Should Hotels Focus on Direct Bookings?
Direct bookings can significantly reduce your reliance on third-party platforms and save on commission fees, ultimately increasing your revenue per booking. The question is, how can you effectively drive more direct bookings?
In the following sections, we’ll provide practical strategies to help you enhance your direct booking rates, making it easier for guests to choose your hotel while ensuring that your bottom line benefits.
What Influences Potential Guests on Where They Book Your Hotel?
Whether a potential guest books through your own website or via third-party booking platforms depends on several key factors:
- Price: If the rates on booking platforms are significantly lower than those on your hotel’s website, perhaps due to negotiated deals or special offers, guests will naturally gravitate towards the booking websites. Therefore, it's essential to maintain consistent pricing across all channels, or ideally, offer slightly better rates on your direct website to incentivize bookings.
- User-Friendliness: A non-user-friendly website can quickly deter potential guests. Any information or booking options that require more than three clicks to access will likely increase your bounce rate (the percentage of people that land on a page and leave. ). Additionally, long loading times and a complicated booking process can hinder your success. Ensuring a smooth and intuitive user experience is critical.
- Exclusive Offers: If you feature specific promotions or discounts on booking platforms that are not available on your own website, guests are likely to book through the platform offering the better deal. To encourage direct bookings, it’s advisable to make exclusive offers available on your website as well.
- Perceived Safety & Buyer Protection: Despite the hotel being the same, guests often perceive booking platforms as safer due to their established brand reputation, customer reviews, and customer service. Guests tend to trust that these platforms will resolve any issues that arise. Enhancing the perceived safety of booking directly on your website, perhaps through clear customer service channels and guarantees, can help mitigate this.
- Cancellation Policy: Many booking platforms offer favorable cancellation terms. If your website does not clearly highlight the terms and conditions for cancellations, or if you offer less favorable terms for direct bookings, guests will likely choose the more flexible option. It is crucial to offer competitive and transparent cancellation policies on your website.
The rule of thumb is: when guests discover your hotel on booking platforms and compare prices and conditions with your website, the benefits of booking directly with you must be more attractive!
How to Boost Direct Bookings?
The following steps will help you to improve your online presence beyond the booking websites and can increase the direct bookings of your hotel:
- Generate Brand Awareness
- Optimize Your Website
- Direct Booking
- Improve Your Google Business Profile
- Actively Encourage and Manage Reviews
- Get Listed on Local Directories, Especially Review Platforms
- Stay Active on Socials
- Use Google Ads or Facebook (Instagram) Ads to Your Advantage
- E-mail marketing
- Loyalty Program
- Create and Promote Special Packages
- Offer Best Price Guarantee
- Target the Right Midweek Audience
- Offer Midweek Breaks as Prizes
- Diversify Your Business Collaborations
- Personalize Experiences
- Showcase Trusted Affiliations
Let’s look what each step entails in detail and set up a great strategy to increase your direct bookings of your hotel.
Generate Brand Awareness
If people are already familiar with your hotel and search for it directly on Google, the likelihood of them booking through your website significantly increases. Focus on continuously improving your services and offering the best possible experience for your guests. Satisfied guests will not only recommend your hotel to friends and family but will also become returning, loyal customers. If your hotel is part of a chain with locations in multiple cities or countries, these guests are more likely to choose your hotel again for their next destination.
Discover how we have helped hundreds of hotels increase their online visibility!
Optimize Your Website
Your website needs to be visually appealing, easy to navigate, and professional-looking while also being optimized for search engines. Utilize on-page SEO strategies such as researching (local) SEO keywords, optimizing meta descriptions, title tags, and images, as well as ensuring the correct heading structure of every page (H1, H2, H3). This will ensure that search engines can pair your website with the right search queries. Make sure your website has optimal loading speed, is mobile-friendly, and that users never have to click more than three times to find the most important pages (e.g., booking page). Focus on clear calls to action to encourage guests to book directly through your website and highlight special offers on the homepage.
Direct Booking
Most booking websites excel in providing a super easy and efficient way to book a room—it’s their main business after all! Therefore, ensure you offer at least the same standard as these sites when it comes to booking. A 2-step booking system is ideal, allowing users to easily select their dates and room preferences in the first step and enter their details in the second step. This process minimizes friction and reduces the chance of customers abandoning their booking midway. Ensure that the booking process loads quickly, does not display error messages, and is optimized for both desktop and mobile devices.
Improve Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile acts as your digital business card, especially for local searches. If potential guests search for "hotel in city X," you want to appear in the Map-Pack! Ensure that your Google Business Profile is complete with up-to-date details, including your business name, address, phone number, website, business category, social media accounts, business description, high-quality images, and room prices. Regularly use Google Posts to keep high-quality images in rotation and update your potential guests with new offers or developments at your establishment.
No clue how to effectively improve your Google Business Profile? Contact us and let us help you enhance your visibility in local searches!
Actively Encourage and Manage Reviews
Review velocity, as well as a positive overall rating, are important ranking factors for local SEO and a decisive element in whether your hotel will rank well on the Map-Pack or end up on the second or third page.
First, let’s look at how to grow the number of reviews from customers. The following tips can help you generate more reviews.
How to Boost Hotel Reviews?
Let’s dive deeper into reviews as they are crucial for hotels. First, let’s look at how to grow the number of reviews from customers. The following tips can help you generate more reviews:
- Incentivize staff to encourage reviews
- Send follow-up emails after a stay
- Ensure listings on all suitable review platforms (e.g., Tripadvisor)
- Use QR codes printed on flyers for in-room use, receipts given during check-out, and signs at the door (of the room and the hotel exit)
With an Obenan subscription, you can effortlessly create review campaigns that will generate a QR code for offline activities (such as printing on receipts, flyers for in the rooms, brochures, or signs for doors) or a link for online activities (such as email campaigns). You also have the option to redirect negative feedback to a private survey. This gives you more control over your online reputation, as negative reviews will not be published while still receiving valuable feedback to improve your services.
Learn more about our Obenan Review Management Tool!
How Should Hotels Manage Online Reviews?
Once reviews start coming in, it’s essential to reply to all of them immediately, regardless of whether they are positive or negative. This is especially important to signal to the search engine that your hotel is an active and legitimate business, committed to its guests and continuously improving its services.
With our Review Management Tool, you can let our mature AI analyze incoming reviews and automatically respond on your behalf without the need for human intervention! Customize the AI to reflect your brand’s tone of voice.
Get Listed on Local Directories, Especially Review Platforms
Being listed on local directories such as Tripadvisor or Yelp can significantly enhance your online reach and visibility. Local citations are a crucial ranking factor for local SEO and go hand in hand with NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) consistency. This means that your business details need to be consistent across all directories, your website, and your Google Business Profile. The more local citations you have, the better, as it increases your chances of being found by potential guests. High visibility on these platforms can also increase website traffic!
Did you know that with the Obenan listing technology, which is part of our subscription, you can synchronize all your business data across directories and your Google Business Profile? Updating all these details manually can be quite challenging, as you need to keep a neat overview of hundreds of directories, and even the smallest discrepancy can lead to a loss in rankings!
Get to know more about our Listing Technology!
Stay Active on Socials
On social media, potential guests can not only become aware of your hotel, but these platforms also allow you to directly engage with your target audience. Ensure that you foster dialogue under each post and only share high-quality content that either educates, inspires, or informs potential guests. You can interact with your followers, answer questions directly, and foster word-of-mouth recommendations. By running contests or offering promotions, you can drive direct traffic to your website, gaining not only new followers but also encouraging more direct bookings.
Also interesting: 8 Instagram Hacks to Gain New Followers
Use Google Ads or Facebook (Instagram) Ads to Your Advantage
Paid advertising can be an excellent tool to direct the right target audience away from booking sites and directly to your website. By creating well-targeted ads, you can reach specific demographics and promote special offers while showcasing your unique selling points. Utilizing retargeting strategies ensures you capture users who have previously visited your website but haven’t yet booked a room.
E-mail marketing
By creating mailing lists, you can send targeted offers, seasonal promotions, and personalized content to your subscribers. Make sure your emails are simple, visually appealing, and avoid an overly commercial tone. Include a clear call to action at the beginning and end of each email that leads directly to your booking page or special offer. Including limited discount codes can create a sense of urgency by leveraging the scarcity principle, encouraging potential guests to take advantage of the offer before it expires.
Loyalty Program
Acquiring new customers costs 5 to 10 times more than retaining existing ones. Therefore, your focus should be on loyal customers. Create a loyalty program for returning guests that allows them to collect points, receive special offers or rewards, and gain VIP status at your hotel. Make it appealing for them to return to your hotel and choose your other locations in different cities or countries. Promote the program across all your channels, including your website, social media, and email campaigns. A strong loyalty program can turn occasional visitors into regular guests and increase your direct bookings.
Loyal guests are not only valuable because you can target them through email and direct them to your website, but also because they serve as brand ambassadors for your hotel. With their recommendations to friends and family, we circle back to the importance of brand awareness, as they will introduce new potential guests to your hotel. Furthermore, loyal guests are more likely to engage with your hotel on social media, which can, in turn, increase your reach and visibility. Lastly, loyal guests are very important for collecting feedback and reviews.
Create and Promote Special Packages
Special packages that combine accommodations with additional perks like dining, spa treatments, or local experiences can make your hotel more appealing to potential guests. These packages offer value and convenience, making them an attractive option for travelers looking for a complete experience. Promote these packages prominently on your website, social media, and through email marketing to reach a broader audience. Tailoring packages to different seasons or events can also attract niche markets. Special packages not only increase bookings but can also enhance the guest experience.
Offer Best Price Guarantee
A best price guarantee assures potential guests that they are getting the lowest possible rate when they book directly with your hotel. As we already established, price is one of the key factors when deciding from which platform to book. Ensure potential guests know they are getting the best deal on your website. Make this guarantee clear on your website and in your marketing materials to encourage direct bookings.
Target the Right Midweek Audience
Target the right demographic groups with special offers, such as retirees, business travelers, or couples with flexible schedules. Focus on each group by offering not only special room rates but also added bonuses such as free afternoon tea, spa visits, or other perks to make midweek bookings even more appealing.
If you offer flexible check-in and check-out options free of charge, you make midweek bookings even more attractive, as guests can make the most of their stay without worrying about rigid check-in or check-out times.
Offer Midweek Breaks as Prizes
When hosting a contest on social media, consider offering midweek breaks as the prize. This approach can create more brand awareness and help fill rooms during the week, without losing valuable weekend bookings. Winners of your contest have a high likelihood of turning into loyal customers. Participants who didn’t win still become aware of your hotel and may book a stay later. For them, ensure that booking directly via your website is the most attractive option by following all of our recommendations.
Diversify Your Business Collaborations
Collaborating with local businesses such as restaurants, tour operators, or event planners can enhance the guest experience and increase your hotel’s visibility. These partnerships can lead to package deals that attract tourists looking for a complete local experience. Additionally, collaborating with businesses that share your target audience can expand your reach. Promote these collaborations on your website and through joint marketing efforts. Diversifying your business collaborations helps create a network of local partners that can drive more bookings.
Personalize Experiences
Personalized guest experiences can lead to more satisfied guests and turn them into loyal customers. Offer customized services and amenities based on their preferences, and use data from past visits to tailor offers and communications, ensuring that guests feel valued and understood. Personalized welcome messages, room preferences, or even special occasion surprises can make a significant impact. Promote the personalized experiences you offer on your website and social media to attract guests looking for a unique stay. Personalization enhances guest loyalty and encourages direct bookings.
Showcase Trusted Affiliations
Displaying trusted affiliations, such as industry awards, sustainability certifications, or partnerships with well-known brands, can build trust with potential guests. These affiliations demonstrate your hotel’s credibility and commitment to quality, making it more likely that visitors will choose to book directly with you. Highlight these affiliations prominently on your website, in your marketing materials, and on your social media channels. Trusted affiliations provide reassurance to guests, helping to increase direct bookings and enhance your hotel's reputation.
Should I Rely Solely on Local SEO and On-Page SEO and Remove My Listing on Booking Websites?
Definitely not! While your focus should be on local SEO paired with strategic on-page SEO activities, you should not vanish from all booking websites. Instead, your efforts should focus on making direct bookings a prominent choice for potential guests. However, many guests will still go directly to pages like Expedia or Booking.com. If you are not present on these platforms, you will lose valuable business! In this case, the strategy is clear: it’s better to be fully booked and pay a commission than to have empty rooms. Your efforts should always complement each other rather than completely replace each other.
Wrapping Up
Increasing direct bookings for hotels can significantly reduce commission costs and boost profitability. Key strategies include optimizing your website for user experience and SEO, ensuring pricing consistency, and offering exclusive deals that entice guests to book directly. Enhancing your Google Business Profile and actively managing guest reviews can improve your online reputation and visibility in local searches. Utilizing targeted ads and engaging on social media further supports direct booking efforts. By combining these tactics, hotels can attract more direct bookings while still maintaining a presence on third-party platforms to ensure fully booked rooms!
Luckily you don’t have to do it all by yourself! Let Obenan do all the SEO work for you and effortlessly increase your hotels’ visibility online as well as generate and manage reviews efficiently! We make sure that your hotel is presented consistently and optimal across the web!
