Hotel Marketing: Position, Convert and Retain Guests

I could have given this article a more eye-catching title, such as “Magic Recipes to Help Hotels Sell More”, “Filling a Hotel in Difficult Times”, but I do not have the recipe, and I am aware of how complex it is to fill a hotel. The current situation has triggered concern among a large number of hotels, which are seeking an outlet for their inventory by experimenting online and trying what they have been told is the magic pill for their occupancy and bottom-line problems. So:

• We see hotels joining Facebook and connecting with people on a massive scale. That is not a bad thing, but it is not a solution either.
• We see hotels making friends on Twitter and Instagram, which is not a bad thing, but it does not solve anything either.
• We see hotels uploading videos to YouTube because they have been told that this is where hotels are now being searched for, but how many?

We see many things that require effort, sacrifice and resources, and which, as things stand today, are of no use whatsoever if many other issues have not first been resolved. In fact, there is nothing innovative about any of it. The regrettable thing is that the lack of short-term results—precisely where the problems lie—discourages hoteliers, leading them to abandon relationship marketing and resort desperately to competing on price. There is no room for experimentation in desperate situations such as those faced by the vast majority of hotels around the world. Doing things properly, investing time and effort, and exercising a degree of patience may be the solution. Positioning, Converting and Retaining must be today’s true guiding principles, and where we need to begin experimenting.

1. Position ourselves in those areas where we know our customers are. This includes central reservation systems, tour operators and travel agencies, online travel agencies, and search engines. When we have time and money to spare, and above all when we are already able to convert, then we can position ourselves in other areas. This is when we should talk about search engine optimisation, benchmarking, and so on.
2. Convert all the traffic generated by the positioning work we have undertaken into bookings. Some conversions will be direct and others will come through intermediaries. There is no need to worry about that; that is how the market works, and we are not going to change it. To convert in intermediated markets, we will need to manage certain variables, such as optimal pricing, competition and content. To convert on our own website, we need to ensure that users do not get lost, and that we are clear, honest and direct. We must be able to measure the results of every single action we undertake across our sales channels.
3. Build loyalty among our customers by offering them a sublime experience that meets their expectations, no more and no less, which will largely be linked to price. They must see every one of our promises fulfilled, so that our reputation can then work in our favour.