Hotel websites are your ideal marketing and sales representative, presenting themselves without ever calling in sick or demanding more pay.
Be sure that your website engages on an emotional level by using high-quality images and videos, then writing content tailored specifically to the guests who visit – this will lead to clear calls-to-action that speak directly to your target audience.
1. Use Videos
Video content is an effective way to engage visitors on your website and capture their interest, telling a compelling and captivating tale. From short clips to full virtual tours, videos can make the browsing experience more interesting, stimulating curiosity among your target demographic while stimulating booking activity.
Use video content to show guests around your facilities, give a quick tour of your location or offer them an insider peek into how things work. Also consider creating promotional videos for an upcoming event, special offer or new service you provide – these clips can then be shared across social media for maximum exposure! This form of media marketing may prove especially successful.
An eye-catching introduction video will grab the visitor’s attention and set the scene for their website experience. Use testimonials of happy guests as part of this video; demonstrate chef cooking a dish from a restaurant; or showcase an event setup – the possibilities are limitless!
Videos are an effective way to introduce any recent updates at your hotel, such as new restaurant menu items or refreshed rooms, with consumers. Email marketing campaigns provide an ideal venue for including videos in this form of promotion.
Videos leave lasting impressions with viewers, so it is essential that videos feature creative and emotive ideas when being made.
If you don’t have the capacity to create videos yourself, online services such as YouTube are ideal. With their user-friendly interface and built-in analytics features, YouTube provides an effortless solution to upload and embed your video onto any website.
Google My Business is another excellent tool that enables you to add videos of your hotel to its listing, as well as photos, reviews, prices, contact information and a link back to your website. Best of all, this free service can be added directly into search results, maps and Google Maps so as to increase visibility online and drive more people towards visiting your website.
2. Make It Easy To Book
Your hotel website’s content should immediately engage visitors and sustain their interest to encourage direct bookings. To do this, ensure it’s user-friendly and mobile responsive with easily navigable pages providing key info such as room types and rates as well as check-in/check-out times readily accessible to guests. In addition, use visuals and engaging copy to showcase the advantages and unique selling points of your property.
One effective strategy to do so is by adding a booking engine into your website that makes it simple for visitors to book rooms directly through it. Make sure it stands out, with an eye-catching “Book Now” button like MADE Hotel NYC has done.
Make sure your booking engine can accommodate the payment methods utilized by luxury guests. Some models charge per booking while others calculate a flat monthly fee, so run the numbers and determine which option offers better value for you.
Implement a communication channel on your website so guests can easily contact and reach out to you, giving them useful information about the hotel and surrounding area as well as creating urgency through special offers or last-minute deals without disrupting their experience on the website.
Consider implementing targeted pay-per-click campaigns to drive traffic and potential bookings to your website. Aim at targeting keywords your guests would use when searching for hotels near city centres, such as “luxury boutique hotel” or “family-friendly hotel near city centre”, for instance. This strategy can be done year-round or just during certain seasons like when offering special rates to bring tourists in.
Add an interactive live chat feature to your site for increased engagement, so your guests can interact directly with staff in real-time and answer any queries they might have about facilities or services provided. This can particularly useful in drawing business travelers or families that may require immediate answers about what services or facilities you offer.
3. Create a Community
Content on your hotel website should engage and convert visitors into bookings, by emphasizing its unique selling points (USPs) and tailoring it towards specific types of guests you have in mind. Doing this will give visitors a more accurate picture of what to expect during their stay and will convince them that your hotel is the ideal solution for them.
Maintaining an effective website requires keeping it fresh, current and relevant for potential guests visiting it. Don’t let them see expired promotions or an out-of-date calendar of activities when they arrive; keep your content relevant by regularly adding photos, seasonal offers and guest testimonials – this will show them your hotel is an active, vibrant space that encourages booking.
Engaging hotel visitors online requires creating a community. You can do this by encouraging them to follow your hotel on social media or offer the chance for them to sign up for your newsletter, which can create a sense of loyalty amongst customers that ultimately results in more bookings.
Hotel websites must also be optimized for mobile devices to ensure an effortless user experience for those using phones or other handheld devices to research hotels before booking with you. By optimising for mobile, hoteliers will ensure their guests have a positive experience that encourages booking with them.
There is no question that a user-friendly hotel website can increase bookings and revenue. By creating an engaging online presence that engages your visitors and compels them to return again and again, strong SEO strategy and top-quality content, and testing your site on various devices to make sure its responsiveness are implemented successfully before launch.
4. Use Social Media
Social media can make your hotel website more engaging by connecting with current and potential guests, tracking engagement levels and seeing what works or needs focusing on. To maximize social media efforts for hoteliers, create captivating, shareable content that highlights both your hotel and the local area; this will increase retention rates while drawing in new followers – increasing retention rates, followership and potential guests!
For maximum impact of your social media presence, use both organic and paid campaigns. Paid ads can target specific audiences and drive direct bookings; organic content helps build brand recognition and generate engagement. In addition, regularly monitoring your accounts allows you to measure performance and identify trends; special tools can measure likes, shares, comments and reach to help optimize your strategy.
Your hotel should highlight its special features, amenities, and experiences through social media posts that highlight them through photos, videos, virtual tours or posts that share local food/travel tips or promote events & discounts.
Make sure to post high-resolution images with clear descriptions to capture the attention of your target audience, and add captions and hashtags for added interest. Instagram provides an ideal platform for sharing photos and short videos; plus you can even use this platform to create Instagram reels – video slideshows with music and visual effects – on this platform.
Encourage engagement with your posts by asking questions or setting out enjoyable challenges, and consider adding links back to your website on all social media profiles so people who like or comment can quickly discover more information about your hotel and book their stay easily.
If a guest had an excellent experience at your hotel, ask them to share it on social media. This will build a community of satisfied guests while simultaneously promoting your establishment to their followers.